Nikhita on the rise

KATHMANDU, Sept 17: Nikhita Thapa and her debut album ‘Nikhita’ have received 10 nominations in this year’s Image Award. The girl with the mellifluous voice is classically trained and deserves all the praise for her work. On the nominations, she says, “I was hopeful.

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We had a lot of expectations from ‘Sadhai Sunna Pau.’ Somehow in that song, everything’s perfect from the arrangement to the composition. It all sort of fits. Now that it’s getting so much love from everyone, we are all very happy.”.

She entered the Nepali music scene in 2012 by lending her voice to the Priyanka Karki starrer ‘3 Lovers’ with the song ‘Jati Chan.’  Her album ‘Nikhita’ came out last year and since then the 22-year-old has been busy recording for films, and performing on stage.

Where did you get your love for music from?

My parents are musically inclined and that's where my younger brother and I get our love for music from. My father sings and plays the mandolin, and my mother has a good critical ear for music.

So how did you get your break?

Three years ago, I was in Nepal to visit my relatives and I happened to meet my uncle who introduced me to the music composer Rajan Ishan. He told me he was working on a film and that all the songs were done except for one which they offered to me. Recording the song gave me confidence in myself and I thought why not begin my career from Nepal. Next, I met with Dinesh Adhikari, lyricist, who gave me the idea to record an album and launch myself. He was the one who handled everything for me.

How has your musical training helped you?

I completed my seven year Hindustan Classical training in 2013 from Bhatkhande Sangit Vidyapith in Mumbai where my family has been based for the last seven years. I actually started training at the age of eight and my first guru was Pandit Johri. But with my father being in the army, we had to move around a lot and I couldn't continue my training as I wished. I believe my training helped strengthen my basics, and classical training has techniques that work in a variety of songs.

Why did you decide to start your career in Nepal?

I think being here has helped me because I get to learn so much. I don't think you get this kind of learning opportunity so much in India. It's probably because there's a lot of money involved in the music industry there. They want polished singers, but you can't be perfect unless someone gives you a chance. My goal is to do good songs and learn as much as I can in the mean time.

What's next for you?

Well, after 'Sadhai Sunna Pau', I get offers to record adhunik songs though I consciously try to sing different kinds of songs. I'm working on three different albums—two of which are ghazal and classical based—but they will take some time to be released