After them, other female singers joined to keep Nepali music alive. Singers like Meera Rana, Lochan Bhattarai, Kunti Moktan and Sukmit Gurung gave their share to the music scene, and they still are lending their soothing voices to composers.
Later, Nepal saw singers like Komal Oli, Pabitra Subba, Nalina Chitrakar, Sharmila Bardewa, Prashna Shakya and Mausami Gurung do their best in pop, modern and folk music.
Now the time has come again to see new faces post Jana Andolan II. With that, the music industry has once again opened its arms to welcome the new amateur female singers who are taking their chance to prove themselves and write their names into the Nepali music hall of fame.
The sisters who look alike – Shital and Subani Moktan – are no new names to the pop music scenario of the country. Being born to musical family of Kunti and Shila Bahadur Moktan, the duo has already released two albums of their own. However, both of them are aware of the fact that there is still a long journey for them to make if they want their names to remain as prominent singers of Nepal.
While ‘male chauvinist’ Nepali society has hardly open doors for women to try their luck and competence, Shital and Subani are not just giving continuation to their singing, they are composing music of their own, quite a feat compared to their contemporaries & immediate predessors. This certainly gives the industry a hope to see women music composers in Nepal where there’s hardly any.
Elder sister Shital Moktan feels that there is a lot of space to occupy if the young ladies truly want to catch music as their mainstream profession.
“We only have a handful of female singers. We can fill in the gap in the days to come as I see many young talented ladies practicing day and night to become singers,” says Moktan who recently registered Surmount Media Production Private Limited, her own production company.
Another young female singer to look up to in recent times is playback singer Anju Panta. She has been a newest sensation in the soundtrack world of Nepal. Almost all producers are queuing up to get dates from her. Panta is equally positive in building a career in Nepali music scene. In spite of all the disappointing news we read about the Nepali music industry, Panta puts it bluntly that opportunities are never beyond reach if one can stand oneself among the crowd.
Shreya Sotang, daughter of Uday & Manila Sotang, is another name that is now added as one of the few upcoming female singers of Nepal. Having already released her first album “Suruwaat”, she says she is ready to go on a rollercoaster ride of Nepali pop music. During a time when music piracy has taken away the bread and butter of dozens of singers in the country, she ensures she will prepare herself for any circumstances but will not give up music.
For the last few months, Astha Tamang Maskey, another new name in the music list, has been creating sensation, mainly among the youths of Kathmandu. Also a guitarist, Maskey is a fulltime singer in Canada, yet this young lady explains that nothing is better than singing Nepali songs for her. With her latest album “Sabai Thikai Hunchha” doing fine in the music market, she assures that she will be back home soon to sing more Nepali songs. She is going back to Canada later this month. Maskey is also looking forward to record a folk album with her mom Susan Maskey who recently released her album “Simanta” on the compositions of maestro Amber Gurung.
If Astha Tamang Maskey keeps her promise to come back to Nepal and work in the field, Nepal will also see an upcoming lyricist as Maskey writes all the lyrics for her songs.
Songstress Akansha Lama, daughter of Captain Vijay Lama, is equally hopeful of contributing her best to uplift Nepali music and define different genres for aspiring female singers in Nepal. Her debut album “Aspiration” has ensembles of pop and blues numbers. Though she wishes to do more in music, she however is unable to do anything right now because she is leaving for England to do her higher studies. Nonetheless, she promises to come back and try her best to add more melodies to Nepali music. At the same time, she is still uncertain whether she would take music professionally.
“I wish to, but it’s too early for me to decide,” reveals Lama. “My dad has been a great inspiration and support to me. Without him, nothing would have been possible. I’m sure he’ll support me to establish myself as a fulltime singer.”
Some more new names of young ladies who are making sound waves in Nepali music are Esparangma Rai, Indira Joshi, and Barta Gandharba. These melodic maidens are certainly trying their best to introduce a new generation of singers. And they have been successful so far. Let’s stay tuned to their next notes!
avash@myrepublica.com
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