Upasana's lyrical world

KATHMANDU, April 27: Her pen is her strength. She believes in her craft and wants the world to recognize her writing skills. Lyricist Upasana Singh recently released her second collection album of lyrics “Illusions” and is happy with the response so far.



Sharing her excitement, Singh discusses her inspirations and love for writing.[break]



Your first lyric

I must have been 14 when I wrote my first poem and it was about summer. I wrote it in English and kept writing in English for some time. But then I wanted to try my hands in Nepali as well. As I went on exploring the language I didn’t want to stop.


How was your lyrical side exposed?

My mother happened to find my notebook of poems in my room and was taken aback. She encouraged me to get them published. I got in contact with singer and musician Kamal Man Singh and we decided to come up with a collection. That was how “Few Words” was possible, four

years ago.






Why such a long gap?

I have been writing for the past years but I haven’t been in the limelight. So people assume that I have given up writing which was wrong. I don’t want to run after publicity and want my work to speak for itself. I have penned 200 lyrics so far.



My first album was my first attempt; luckily it was received well. In my second album, I see myself maturing as a lyricist. In my former album, I wrote carefree; there was no binding of emotions or the limitation of having to write in a specific track. In “Illusions”, I have worked extra-hard to fit in my lines into the musical tracks.


Both the songs in your albums have been sung by popular contemporary Nepali singers. The reason you chose to work with popular artists?

That’s not a conscious effort. I and the music composer usually sit down together and decide which voice suits over a particular song and approach them after both the songs and the music have been finalized.


Why did you name your album “Illusions”?

I believe we all live in a world which we think is true but we are all eluded. We are eluded as children that life is full of good things but as maturity envelopes us, we must stand before our own reflections and decide what is true and what is not. So I titled the album “Illusions”.


In what moods do you write?

I’m an evening person. The calmness of a dusky evening inspires me to churn out my feelings.

The themes prevalent in your lyrics

I would say anything under the sun that’s interesting. I have written about love and war. But I don’t like to force myself or bind myself in a particular theme. When I express carefree, the best of my writing comes out.



Your favorite among the lyrics you have penned?

I can’t pick one; they are all dear to me. But from “Illusions”, I like the track Man Dhuki Rahein Cha sung by Shiva Pariyar



Is your personal life reflected in your lyrics?

Yes and no. The things that inspire and motivate me come out in my writings as well as my imaginations.



Your favorite lyricist?

Chandani Shah. I adore her lyrics and I love listening to Narayan Gopal sing her lines.



Any Nepali artist you would like to work with in the future?

It will have to be Sabin Rai. I have always wanted to work with him. His voice and style of singing is unique.

Upasana’s other side

I’m a single mom, strongheaded and fun-loving. People assume that I’m snobbish which is all wrong. I love listening to Frank Sinatra and a host of singers of the 60s and 70s. I enjoy watching films, horror in particular.



Do you plan on taking up acting, since you have already modeled in a video for your song in your first album?

No, I want people to see me more as a lyricist than a pretty face. I hope to script films someday and even took up singing classes because I wanted to sing but decided writing is what I do best.


Being a female Nepali lyricist how do you rate yourself?.

People in the Nepali music industry respect you for being a woman and that is good. But whether it’s a male or a female lyricist, they are not given much credit for their work. I’m trying to change that trend by bringing out an album in the name of a lyricist.

If I compare the time when my first album was released and now, things have changed drastically. There is more competition now. There are a lot of singers and it’s very hard to get noticed. Professionalism seems to be an alien word and often good work gets lost in the heap of mediocre creations.


Your future endevors

I’m planning to come up with a book of my lyrics next year and maybe I will script a non-fiction film.

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