Bhupendra Rayamajhi

Sundar Shrestha is a veteran Nepali folk singer and lyricist best known for co-performing the iconic song “Resham Firiri” in 1969. Alongside Dwarika Lal Joshi, his rendition helped popularize the song across Nepal, making it a staple of street music and cultural gatherings. Active since the 1970s, Shrestha contributed to numerous folk recordings and live performances, preserving traditional melodies and rhythms. He also collaborated on songs like Chautariko Majhaima and worked with artists such as Chandra Kumar Moktan and Hira Devi Rai. His legacy lies in promoting Nepali folk music through Radio Nepal and live platforms for over four decades.

Sanjeep Pradhan recorded his first song in 1992 with “Mero Preet Mero Priya”. Though his first album came out only in 1995, his “Nasha Bhitra Nasha” had already hit the mass and was popular among Nepalese throughout the world. His first hit was reggae based and if he was to go by the trend of other Nepalese musician, he would have brought out more numbers in the same line. However, his next productions were more folk based. His voice has a unique lilt to it that suits folk songs. And capturing this quality, he brought out folk-pop mix songs like “Siri Ma Siri”, “Deuraliko Chautarima”,”Sanai chhanda” and “Udi Jane” in his next album. This way, he revived the vanishing popularity of folk songs among the Nepalese audience. With “Siri Ma Siri” even the hip-hop generation of youths started humming in the folk tunes, making it as popular as the new trend of pop songs. Sanjeep is not only well versant in Nepalese songs, he sings equally well in Newari. His “Mohani Wola Swanti Wola” and “Punhi ya jaa:” are popular equally among the Newar speaking society and those who do not understand Newari. Maybe it is his voice that has captured the hearts of the music lovers who are ever in search of a different quality in music or maybe it is his lyrics and music itself that has moved the mass. Whatever it may be, Sanjeep can do it all. Most of his songs are written and composed by himself. And maybe that is why he has been able to give full justice to the creation. He has already lent his voice to 300 songs, which has been recorded in five Nepali albums and four Newari albums. He has already performed in 600 stage shows including all major cities of Nepal, Darjeeling and Sikkim. He has also performed in Japan,Malaysia,Qatar,USA & Hong Kong in 1996, 1997, 1998 and 2000. And every show has increased his popularity in every place he has performed, drawing more crowd every time.

The band began its musical quest on January 2nd, 2003 playing live gigs in hotels and lounge bars. It was essentially an acoustic blues band before it kicked off as a rock outfit. Lead singer Abhaya Subba is the founder member and manager of the band, while Rinchen Palzar who now plays the lead guitar joined the band in early 2004. Nabin Lama on the guitar was discovered by Abhaya while she was judging a reality show, The Sprite band challenge and he joined the band in 2008. Birat Shrestha on the bass joined the band mid 2009 and so did Ajit Tamang as the drummer. Abhaya had always been featured in well known bands such as Parikrama, Red Skywalkers and Punchtatva but she was getting frustrated with the way most other bands underestimated her song writing skills. What she had been seeking for was a band that would let her express herself fully and have a similar vision. She formed the band in 2003 with younger musicians than her who seemed to be more accepting of her need to write songs and articulate her full potential as a musician. Their first self titled album, released in February 2005, surprised Nepal as they had never seen such a bold female singer ever. It went on to becoming a runaway success and the band managed to carve a niche amongst the youth of Nepal. With their groundbreaking second album, Nayan, hitting the Nepali charts in 2008 their songs managed to embrace a larger listenership that established the band as one of the best that Nepal has ever seen or heard. They have been nominated for several major music awards in Nepal and were awarded the honor of being the Number 1 band of Nepal by Radio Kantipur in 2009. They have performed extensively all over Nepal and are planning a US tour in the near future. They have been invited to major concerts in Hong Kong, Australia and India. Their best is yet to come. They are now in the process of recording their third album and are raring to push the benchmark and to make music a thinking, entertaining and steamy affair.

Reshma Sunuwar is a talented singer successfully in the field of Nepali music industry. Sunuwar credits her father for his support and role he has played in her life in molding her into what she has become today. One of the talented singers of Nepal, Reshma Sunuwar has song many songs including the popular Mai thuli vai chhu re and has also bagged few awards for her works.