It has been a year now and Rai says he has almost recovered himself. Today it seems unbelievable to him to remember how he could not even sleep without taking booze and five packets of cigarettes a day.
“As I sit to remember those days of my life, I feel like I’m going through a bad dream. The close counter with death was awful,” he recalls.
Rajesh Payal Rai, one of the busiest singers of Nepali music industry today, is not hesitant opening up all what he did in the past. In fact, he wants youngsters to take lessons from what he had been through in his life.
“Smoking and drinking do nothing good to you. It takes life away from you before the time,” he shares.
Having released his album “Darshan Namaste” recently, Rajesh Payal Rai is packing his bags to head to South Korea and Brunei on a musical tour.
Rai, 33, is more popularly known as “Rai is King” amongst his fans. Originally from Khotang district, Rai was always a pampered child. He always did all what he wanted in life and took his own decisions from his early childhood. Born in a Lahure family, though his parents wanted him to become one like his brothers, he disagreed to the idea and came to Kathmandu in 1989 to fulfill his own dreams in life. Not that he wanted to become a celebrated singer, but he wanted people to listen to his voice through Radio Nepal, just like how he did throughout his childhood.
As he came to Kathmandu, he went to Radio Nepal and sang for his voice test. He was confident that he would make it through and he did as expected. And in no time, he released his debut album “Murchhana.” It was after that album that many started noticing the voice of Rajesh Payal Rai. His song Failiyo Maya Dubo Sari became an instant hit, promising him a long run in Nepali music industry. However, “Murchhana” did not do well commercially because according to Rai, the music company that released the audio in the market failed promoting and publicizing the record.
His second album “Purbama Rang Chadecha” did phenomenal business in Darjeeling and Sikkim. By this time, Rai was no newbie to the industry and people loved listening to his voice that suited for all sort of music arrangements. Rai’s ability to mould his voice to any kind of music compositions paved for him a new career. Nepali silver screen opened new avenues to Rai and he started singing for soundtracks.
Rai claims that he is involved in 90% of the Nepali movies being made recently and has already lent his voice for over 250 Nepali films. Nagbeli Nagbeli, Malai Pani Angrezima Bolna Sikadeuna, Kalo Kalo Kapalma Mehendi, Sagar Sari Chokho and Sirma Phula Sirbandi are a few of Rai’s popular songs.
When things were falling the right way, when he was establishing himself as a promising singer to look up to, when people started recognizing this voice, celebrity lifestyle and stardom carried him away. He suddenly started to love partying all night, started hitting the casinos and discos and loved boozing all night with his friends.
“There were no discos in town that I didn’t visit. Event at places like Hong Kong, Brunei and London, I used to look for pubs and discos. I had everything to live a luxurious
life. I had money; I had fame and a career. I was still missing something and I thought it was partying that I needed the most,” he adds, explaining how he got into drinking and smoking.
Rai still has the hotel bills with him that total Rs 97,000. It was from one hotel in Pokhara. Rai and a few friends had gone there one year back.
“Can you believe it that I spent Rs 97,000 on food and alcohol for less than a dozen of us in a day? Man! I still get goose bumps to remember all what happened,” Rai calms down. “I’ve understand today that excess in anything corrupts one. I couldn’t digest my popularity and got inclined to living a carefree lavish life. How I wish I could realize I was digging myself to a grave.”
With his newly built house in Shanti Nagar, Rai is sad about how he spent a lot of money on nothing useful and how it could be a support to him.
Now that Rai has left drinking and smoking completely, he wants to make sure that he focuses only on his career while he says he will make sure that he does not exaggerate his stardom in the days to come.
Besides, he is trying his best to make people aware of the deadly health hazards smoking and drinking can bring.
Having sung for fourteen films last week, Rai is now involved in nine more. He, who likes to call himself “a versatile singer,” makes it bluntly that he has already given enough to Nepali music industry for people to regard him as an iconic figure in the music scene of Nepal.
His recent record “Darshan Namaste” has the compositions of Mahesh Khadka, Binod Khumbu, Khem Raj Gurung, Sachin Singh, and Suresh Kumar while the lyrics have been penned by Rajendra Thapa, Naresh Bhattarai, Bipin Kiran, Nabaraj Lamsal, Kedar Sunuwar, Babu Ram Dahal, and Suresh Kumar. Brought out by Ranjana Music Industries,
“Darshan Namaste” is an ensemble of eight numbers. The bonus of this volume is that Rai has experimented singing in different tempos and beats. The music arrangements sound different with experiments done in folk tunes while there is also a sufiyana touch and rock blending into the rhythms.
Hopeful of bringing changes to the playback scenario of Nepal, Rai concludes, “Please don’t wait for tomorrow to bring you fortune and success. Tomorrow is uncertain. Live for today and make it better. You can at least learn through my experiences.”
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