Tell us about your transition from an individual act to a musician in a band.

Before Ashesh Rai and I started jamming, I used to practise on my own. For a year, I   also sang and played drums with a group of friends. Once I joined the Kathmandu Jazz Conservatory (KJC), I continued playing with other musicians while making my own music on the side. Besides that, I’ve had no major experience playing in a band. Then, somewhere down the line, I got an opportunity to be a part of 1974 AD. But with a band, it’s a completely different way of making music. When all the band members get into a common groove, their ideas and creativity fuse into one, and the band radiate of a musical energy of a special kind.

But your solo career was just gaining momentum. Didn’t you yearn to continue as a solo artist? Some fans did feel a bit let down by your decision, you know.

I prefer to see it differently. I think the solo act and the band experience both add up to a single musical career. There is no difference for me. We are all musicians first, after all, whether we play alone or in a group. I wish only to make some new music with 1974 AD while learning as much as I can in the process.

That said, I am also composing my own music on the side while I continue with the band. That means there is no reason for the fans to feel bad because it has never been my intention to let anyone down. In fact, I am coming up with a date to release my first album.  It has always been my dream to be in 1974 AD, so I had to seize the opportunity when it came around.

Some would view your getting into the band as a life-changing moment.

It was quite a defining moment, actually. But things played out quite differently in the media.  People started comparing Adrian Pradhan and me, which was wrong. Never did such things cross my mind when Sanjay Shrestha, the band’s drummer, asked me to join 1974 AD. The thing is, it was Adrian Pradhan who first took me to the band’s practice session when I first joined KJC as an office assistant. Adrian has been around for so long that his stature is incomparable to mine.  

The response from the fans at the recent 1974 AD concerts was great; I would imagine that came as a huge relief to the band?

We are experimenting a lot. The three other new members and I bring our own style and skills to add to the refined 1974 AD sound, creating an entirely new kind of music. In recent concerts, we performed Saalghari, one of our new songs, which the audience received very well. We were glad that despite the different lineup and new sound, we could engage the fans with the energy and intensity unique only to 1974 AD.

Girls sort of have a thing for you. How do you deal with that?

They do seem to give some attention to me but I find it hard to cope with such things. Some ask for my phone number on Facebook but I guess I’m too shy to deal with them.

If you could either never play a guitar again or never sing a song again, which option would you take?

That’s a terrible thing to ask me. It’s almost as good as asking me to choose between either never eating food or never drinking any water. It’s truly an impossible choice for me to make.

Would you consider yourself a celebrity?

Not really. I don’t think I am. I do get some attention but that’s more for my work. I’m glad to serve my purpose as a musician with decent skills, but I am not celebrity material. Celebrities are filthy rich and lead a lavish life. You know, the bling-bling types? I’m not that. Would you believe that I bore the entire cost of producing Bistarai Bistarai, my first album, and also the overheads for all 18 musicians who worked with me?

What do you think your legacy will be like?

I’m not sure about the legacy part but I’d like to sing more songs and play good music more often. It would be nice to see people relate to my music and lyrics.

If a kid came to you and said he/she wanted to be as famous as you, what would you say to that kid?

Believe in yourself and keep at it.

Many students I’ve come across lack confidence because they don’t practise long enough. If it’s a pilot’s job to fly safely and a doctor’s job to operate skilfully, then it’s a musician’s job to play good music. But like with any other profession, or perhaps even more so, the level of diligence and devotion to music has to be as high as possible. Only then is it possible to make something out of yourself in this tough world of music.