Back in Nepal till June, Astha has been working on her third album and is aiming on releasing it before she returns to Canada. [break]
She is working closely with her producer Rohit Shakya, lead singer of Jindabad, and the album is scheduled for a mid-April release.
Getting to know Astha is getting to know her immense love for music and how she tries to put into music the inspiration she draws from everyday life.
A confident and self-conscious person, she doubts herself at every turn and grows as she goes. Republica’s Prajesh SJB Rana, sat down with the young songstress to catch up with her.
Astha’s music is available at her official website www.asthamusic.com.
What was the main reason for your visit?
It’s definitely for my third release. I thought it was time for me to work on my third album and every time I feel like I need an outlet, I think it’s time for me to create something new.
That was the main reason behind my visit but I love coming here as well. This is like my home and I always feel nice when I come here.
How different is your new album going to be in comparison to your previous ones?
When I produced my first album with Rohit, we were pretty much teenagers and now that I’ve completed my degree in Sound Engineering from Harris Institute for Audio Engineering and Seneca College for Independent Music Production in Toronto, I think it’s going to be better sound-wise and also because we’ve grown up and lived life more.
I think this album is going to reflect that growth. It’s going to be a more mature effort but it’s not going to be that different than my previous style of music.
How do you feel with the wide commercial success of your albums? Do you think this success is driving you to make more sellout music?
You don’t really know how successful you are until you start getting show offers and start reaching that audience. But I’ve been getting show offers; recently I did a tour in America, playing in Texas, Washington, Dallas, Boston and New York, and I’m also getting offers from the UK.
It’s amazing for me that I’m getting all these offers because it’s reassuring that people are actually listening to my music. But so far, it feels like I still haven’t reached the level that I need to be at, so I’m still working hard to get there.
But now, I definitely think that there’s an expectation set. Before, I used to write songs, play them and record them because that was that I wanted to do but now there are other people involved too. But I would always want to write music that creatively satisfies me as an artist.
Right now, I’m writing music because I love music and I don’t think I’ve reached that point of selling out. But in the future, if I do end up selling out or making music to make hits, that would be a very depressing point for me.
Are you going to stay with your acoustic pop music or are you thinking of experimenting?
I’m definitely trying to branch out and capture more of the Nepali roots into my music. I have always been a kid who’s been away from Nepal and a lot of my influences have been western music. But I do want to experience more of Nepali folk music and eastern classical music eventually.
But this is a long-term project that requires a lot of research, and right now, I’m more comfortable doing what I do. But I know that eventually I have to move out of my comfort zone and experience new things.
How do you plan to further your career in music?
Right now, I’m exploring the technical side of music which I’m really excited about. Although it opens up a whole new world of possibilities for me to survive, that’s just not where my heart is. I love writing music, creating it and doing shows and I think that’s when I’m the happiest, as an artist.
In the future, I think I’m going to explore more opportunities in songwriting internationally. Honestly, I don’t know what my future holds for me but right now, it’s what I love doing the most and I’m going to continue doing music as long as I can.
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