Mixture of indie influences and experimental melodies

It is September 2018. The time of year when the weather slowly changes from warm to cool. Prajina stands on her terrace to collect the sun-dried clothes. The phrase “Yo Sahar Chiso Hudai Cha” (the city is getting cold) keeps coming to her mind.

The line takes the form of lyrics and after two years, Prajina released her first ever hit song “Yo Sahar”. Although the song was slow to reach its listeners, it soon became a hit thanks to social media platforms.

With thirteen songs released so far, Prajina has emerged as a promising artist in the Nepali music scene with her hits “Yo Sahar” and “Hami”.

A significant turning point in her career came when she had the opportunity to collaborate with well-known Indian musicians Badshah and Krsna on “Hola At Your Boy”.

Growing up in Chitwan, her inclination towards music began when she started humming Western songs. “Not only did I watch shows like ‘Hannah Montana,’ but I also listened to a lot of songs that were streaming on VH1,” she says.

Like many children who aspire to emulate the people they admire, Prajina dreamed of becoming an actress as a child.

“I was fascinated by a character called Alex in ‘Wizards of Waverly Place’. I always saw her as a magician and only later did I realise that she was an actress. That’s when I decided to become an actress too,” Prajina recalls her childhood.

However, Prajina’s desire to become an actress changed after her cousins ​​introduced her to Selena Gomez’s songs “Naturally” and “The Scene”.

Being an introverted person, Prajina showed reluctance to actively participate in extracurricular activities like sports and dancing. However, she had her reservations when it came to music.

“Even as a child, I took part in music competitions organized at school. I didn’t know if I could sing well, but I sang anyway,” she says.

Her teacher’s encouragement boosted her confidence. Because of her vocal talent, her singing teacher often gave her the responsibility of coordinating and directing the choir at her school.

“When I was in sixth grade, I had to perform a duet with another girl in my school. It was a big deal because it was the first time I was on stage alone, not in a group. After that performance, my teachers were impressed and I felt like I was made for it,” she recalls.

After graduating from high school, Prajina wanted to fly to Australia to do her bachelor’s degree. “Except for the interview, which I then canceled, almost everything was ready,” says Prajina.

Her mother insisted that she complete her bachelor’s degree in Nepal. At the same time, she was looking for Rizzlers to continue her musical journey. That’s when she came to know about an artist named Bluesss.

“Bluesss saw something in me and encouraged me to stay back and pursue music,” she recalls.

She collaborated with Bluesss to release her first EP and Prajina officially started her career as an artist. Another turning point in her musical career was when ‘Roya’, an event organizing platform, released her song ‘Yo Sahar’ which gained popularity.

“I applied to the ‘Roya’ platform, got selected and performed. Since it was winter, they asked me which song I wanted to upload. I chose ‘Yo Sahar’ because the cold weather would make the song more relatable,” she explains.

“My first performance was a month or two before ‘Yo Sahar’ became popular,” recalls Prajina.

Having penned all her own lyrics, Prajina began her journey as a lyricist with an inclination towards poetry. Slowly and steadily, she learned that a musical composition required verses, choruses and transitions like bridges.

Therefore, she began writing songs that combined her poetic inclination with structured musical compositions, thus further developing her craft.

Prajina says she doesn’t restrict herself to a particular genre in her singing style. Growing up, she mostly listened to mainstream Hindi and Nepali songs, which didn’t allow her to explore the full depth of music.

“I started listening to indie artists like Joji, Clairo and Faye Webster and moved away from the mainstream. Their style of music was calming and easier to sing.”

It was only after discovering these indie artists that she began to appreciate the diverse nuances of music and explored styles that were more soothing and conducive to her vocal expression.

Prajina’s writing process involves tinkering until the song takes shape. In her practice, she tried out the beats of various YouTube artists to create songs that she liked. Her popular hits “Yo Sahar” and “Hami” were written during her practice sessions.

In addition, empathizing with the emotions of characters from films and series helps her create her music. For example, her song “Hami” was inspired by the song “Love Scenario” by iKON and the film “La La Land”.

“All of these songs tell a story from different perspectives. Everything I see, even shows and movies, feels very personal to me and inspires me to make music,” says Prajina.

In a music scene that prefers traditional melodies over experimental music, her latest release ‘Kina Bhanenau’ deviates from conventional compositions. Instead, it is an experimental song composed after studying the intricacies of catchy melodies.

“When I was composing the song, I looked into why some songs are catchy and stay in the audience’s mind long after the music ends. That was something I hadn’t tried to do in the beginning,” she says.

In summary, the song is about being cheated on – a universal feeling experienced not only by lovers, but also by friends and other people who are cheated on.

The aspiring singer analyses Nepal’s music landscape and finds that artists have to work independently. Without constant support, advertising or PR, you never know which song will be a hit.

Reflecting on her career, Prajina says, “At first, I felt like I had to go through everything because there is a lack of labels and funding in Nepal to support artists on their journey.”

So far, she has financed her recordings and productions herself. “Sometimes I even have to wait months for a song to be released due to a lack of funds,” she admits. Experimental and unconventional compositions also have difficulty gaining acceptance, which limits the diversity and growth of music genres in the country.

Prajina hopes that her songs will reach more and more people. “Whether the audience likes the song or not is in their own hands, but if they don’t reach out, there is no feedback. Without feedback, it is impossible to measure the impact or make improvements,” she stresses.

She adds: “Art is about sharing something with others, not just creating for yourself. To build a career, you need to find an audience that appreciates your work.”

Her goal is to do more live performances and expand the reach of her experimental music. “I have written many English songs in different styles, but they remain unreleased as I wait for the right time to release them,” she says.