Bangladeshi rock star Faruk Mahfuz Anam James spoke about his music career, new songs, live performances, artificial intelligence and his future plans at a press conference in Stockholm on Saturday, 5 September 2026, ahead of his concert in the Swedish capital.

James is currently in Stockholm after performing a show in Venice, Italy. He is scheduled to perform at the Naka venue in Stockholm on Saturday evening.

Speaking about the continued love he receives from audiences, James said, “Love is always something that feels good. Whenever I stand on stage, I feel like the audience is the same as before. I didn’t even notice the passage of time or the changing generations. Now I realise that I have gone through several generations.”

James also said his regular concert schedule has made it difficult to find time to release new music.

“I have very little time because I keep performing on stage. Still, I am trying to bring out some very new music again,” he said.

The singer said he prefers to remain focused on the present and future rather than dwell on the past.

“I don’t want to go back. I believe in the present, in this very moment. I don’t want to think about the past. I want to look ahead,” he said.

For James, music is not a means of achieving something. He considers it a passion and an obsession.

“If you make music to gain something, I think you should stop right now. There is no point in making music to achieve something. Music should come purely from passion, from obsession. I don’t think it is right to make music because you want something else from it,” he said.

James said he would continue practising music for himself, regardless of what he might achieve from it.

“You have to make music for yourself and keep practising. If something comes out of it, that is different. Even if I had achieved nothing from music, I would still have made music,” he said.

The singer said he has no specific plans for the future of his music career and wants to continue making music for as long as possible.

“I have no future plans for music. I will keep making music. Even if, in the end, I find that there is only an audience, I will still keep making music,” James said.

James also discussed contemporary music and the growing influence of artificial intelligence, while praising the talent among emerging artists.

“Many new artists are coming forward with a lot of talent. But music is becoming very perfect at the moment. Very perfect. Artificial intelligence is also coming into the picture,” he said.

According to James, excessive perfection in technology-driven music could eventually make it boring for listeners. He believes the natural dynamics of live music will endure.

“Too much perfection will eventually bore people. Then this whole live aspect will remain for the rest of our lives. Live music is like life itself. There are dynamics in live performances,” he said.

Speaking about AI-generated music, James said, “The music being made with artificial intelligence now, on Spotify and various other platforms, will eventually become boring to people. At first, they may like it a little, but eventually they will get bored. I think live, real music will come back again. It has to. It will always remain.”

James also encouraged audiences to listen to new bands emerging in Bangladesh.

“Many new bands have emerged, and they are doing very well. People should listen to the new bands. Everyone should listen to them,” he said.

The singer also thanked the organisers and sponsors working to take Bangla music and culture to audiences abroad.

“I would like to thank the sponsors involved in organising these events abroad, because they are helping Bangla music and Bangla culture spread outside the country,” James said.

He said cultural events abroad are particularly important for younger generations growing up outside Bangladesh.

“Second-generation children are growing up abroad. Perhaps they often do not even understand Bangla properly. But the way sponsors are spreading Bangla culture among people living abroad is a very positive thing,” he said.

James also said expatriate Bangladeshis have a stronger emotional connection to the country's culture because they miss Bangladesh and its cultural traditions.

“People who live outside the country have much more interest and enthusiasm because they live abroad. They miss the country's culture. That is a big factor. The emotions of people living abroad are a little stronger,” he said.

James is expected to return to Bangladesh after his Stockholm concert. According to the organisers' poster, singer Rahul Anand will also perform at the same event.