You may know Dharmendra Sewan from his hit track “Herda Ramro Machhapuchhre”. Born in Pokhara, Sewan was surrounded by music while growing up. His father Buddhi Pariyar is an acclaimed music composer and songwriter who is behind classics like “Resham Firiri”, “Herda Ramro Machhapuchhre”, “Taal Pari Basau Chhel Pari” and many more.
As he gears up for the release of his new song later this month, he sat down with The Week’s Rakshya Khadka to talk about his musical influences and journey and gave us a rundown of his favorite albums.
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What kind of music did you grow up listening to and who were your early influences?
I listened to and appreciated music much before I got into it professional. I’d say I grew up listening to all kinds of music. I loved bhajans, Nepali aadhunik sangeet (the era of 1950s) and folk songs. But then I also listened to rock and roll, blues, hard rock, hip-hop and R&B. My father Budhhi Pariyar, Arun Thapa, Narayan Gopal, Nabin K Bhattarai, Karna Das, and international bands such as Zeppelin, Guns & Roses, Audio Slave, Bon Jovi were some of my early influences. I grew up in a curious crossroads of genres. I guess this is how I cannot give a name to the music I make, because I have never conformed to a genre and my music doesn’t either.
As a musician, what do you hope to inspire through your music?
As a musician I want people to feel the lyrics I write. For me, the feel of a song is more important than its composition. Actually, I want to make my mark as versatile singer so I’m always trying to keep things different and not be slotted as a particular type of singer. I think being versatile is my thing and it’s very important to me but then again these days I’m more focused on folk blues touch.
What do you have to say about the influx of new talents today? How do you want to stand out among this throng of talents?
I think it’s great that new artists are coming up in the industry. This is a great time in Nepali music. This makes the industry richer and brings a greater variety in music. For a very long time I have believed that Nepali music doesn’t have a lot of room for versatility and I’m glad that it’s changing now.
I think I should try to branch out with my music as well and I’m doing my best. My next music will be an acoustic tune that is quite different from all that I’ve done till date. I’m busy with live shows within the country and abroad and regularly lend my vocals in feature films. I see myself somewhere in people’s hearts.
How do you practice on a daily basis and what would you recommend to aspiring singers?
I think I have a great deal to improve on. I have vocal practices every morning or in the evening. Even after all these years I don’t go without practicing my vocals. Consistency is the key. I also work on my guitar skills as well. I think it’s necessary to catch up with all that is coming out in terms of music. YouTube and other platforms are always helpful. I think that talents today are smarter than we give them credit for. Study hard and work smart are my suggestions if I had to tell them something.
