Axata Singh - Ma Sadhai

This week I am listening to “Ma Sadhai” by Axata Singh, a song that I used to love performing back in the day, long before I started writing my own songs. There are lots of memories associated with this song, including my early performing days in Canada, when I used to play for community events, film festivals, and fundraisers organized by the Nepali community in Toronto, and this song was an absolute crowd favourite :).

Growing up in Toronto was an enriching experience, characterized by its vibrant beauty and multicultural atmosphere. Despite the relatively small local Nepali community at the time, influential figures like Yogendra dai, Sabin dai and Surendra dai played pivotal roles in supporting and inspiring Nepali youth. They encouraged the exploration of cultural heritage, the nurturing of connections to our roots, and the promotion of intellectual growth through values centered around idealism and activism, all aimed at fostering ongoing community development and progress.

I still have memories of being a teenager digging into Nepali music sites for hours, downloading songs, and learning how to sing and play them on the guitar. This was well before the YouTube era, so to find beautifully written Nepali pop songs back then was extremely challenging and rare, especially to find songs sung by female artists.

I had the honour of tracking down the original singer-songwriters and getting permission to sing and upload a full acoustic version of this song a few years ago (check the link in my bio under “unplugged”). Originally recorded in 2002, written by Bhasker Rai (Xmarica), and produced by Kashish Das Shrestha, this song is an absolute gem.

Here is my rendition of “Ma Sadhai” by Axata Singh.
#masadhai #axatasingh #bhaskerrai #kashishdasshrestha #songsthatmademe

Listen to the original here:

Lucky Ali - O Sanam

This week I’m listening to Lucky Ali’s 1996 debut album, “Sunoh”. This album brings back many fond memories of 14 year old me with crimped hair wearing a long knit red sweater attending Lucky Ali’s concert in Kathmandu back in 2003 with Pooja Di, Sushma Auntie, and I, running after him and screaming his name“LUCKY ALI!!!!”.😵😵‍💫🤭 #fangirls

“O Sanam” was a hit in our household, and was the song that Pooja Dii and I would volunteer to sing at every family event. My daa had this album on cassette in his music archives, which I would steal sometimes and listen to for hours. I still remember Lucky Ali’s piercing eyes on Sunoh’s album cover, and who can forget the iconic music video of “O Sanam” shot in Cairo, which gives me goosebumps to this day every time I watch it.

This album was a disrupter, as we music lovers got to witness a true artist emerge through an ocean of Bollywood hits and release an indi-pop album that was so imperfectly pure, with a voice texture that was raw but so incredibly authentic. Produced musically by Mikey McCleary, a worldly music feeling is captured immaculately while experimenting with instruments like Maktab and Djembe.

Track 1 on the album “Sunoh”, here’s my rendition of “O Sanam” by singer-songwriter Lucky Ali and lyricist Syed Aslaam Noor.

#osanam #sunoh #luckyali #songsthatmademe

Listen to the original here:

Aerosmith - Crazy

This week I’m listening to “Crazy” by Aerosmith from the 1993 album “Get a Grip”. This song takes me back to my early high school days 😁. My friends Yohei, Brian, and I had decided to form a band in high school where we would cover classic rock tunes together 😅🎸. Yohei shredded the guitar like a god and picked songs for us to cover, and Brian was brilliant with his keys and particularly versed in all his modal scales. I’ve never met anyone like him lol #musicnerd , and sometimes Richie and Andre would join us on the drums— All of them were seniors, maybe a year or two older than me — and I always felt kinda cool to be hanging out with older musicians who knew a lot more about music than I did at the time 🤘😎.

Through them, I eventually met Vasily and Sean, who help me record my first acoustic demo at the age of 16 :). The demos lived on my old myspace page for many years. I eventually kept working on many demos after that until the release of my debut Nepali album Sabai Thikai Huncha. You can find some of these early demos from my teen years now on my website 🙈! It is super cute to listen to my younger self in the process of figuring music out. Thanks, Lex for making me dig through my hard drives to find these! #iamsoproudofher🥲.

Ms.Vassiliadis and Ms.Dvoriadkina, our two inspiring music teachers at Northview Heights supported us every step of the way by setting up talent shows in our school auditorium for our performances. “Never quit”, Ms.V would say, “because the moment you quit, might be the moment you could’ve made it”. Her words stuck with me for life. I couldn’t quit, even if I wanted to. My definition of “making it” has changed a million times over the course of my life, but it seems that the only constant that remains is my love for music. It is just in my genes. #23andme

Here’s my rendition of “Crazy” from Aerosmith’s eleventh studio album “Get a Grip”.

#crazy #getagrip #aerosmith #songsthatmademe

Listen to the original here:

Albatross - Timi Bhane

This week I am listening to Albatross’s 2005 EP, “Jo Jas Sanga Sambandhit Chha”, and the song “Timi Bhane,” which I’m sure is a favourite amongst many, is such a joy to play on guitar. I obsessed over this song in my teens and deeply appreciated Sirish Dai’s refreshing take on songwriting. A vocal tone that was rough around the edges but so expressively emotive at the same time. A true artist.

Just my luck, around early 2007-2008 ish I got to meet guitar virtuoso Sunny Dai, who had moved to Canada and decided to spend a few years here in Toronto. At the time, I was playing at a lot of local Nepali community events, and Sunny Dai and I got a chance to connect and play on a few occasions. “Sunny’s guitar playing is so unique. Ekdam different chha.”, I would hear other musicians compliment him as I nodded in awe and agreement. Evident in Albatross’s riffs and compositions, this EP was a disrupter in the Nepali alternative music scene, an absolute gem.

Later in 2014, during my Ma Ek Sapana Tour, I was ecstatic when given the opportunity to tour alongside Albatross. We played 4 Australian show dates together in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane and I got a chance to really know Albatross ko dai haru. Many deep conversations and travels shared with Sirish dai, Abhaya dai, Sunny dai and Kismat. They kept me shielded from all the negative aspects of the music/touring industry, and I always felt safe in their presence. In all this narrative around “me too” and “women empowerment,” I sometimes wonder if we forget to give credit to the rare few men in the industry who show their utmost respect to women and create safe spaces where female musicians get an opportunity and an environment to grow and evolve. #iseeyouandiappreciateyou

2014 Ma Ek Sapana tour was massive, one that I will cherish until my hairs turn grey👵. I made many friends along the way like Roshan aka Bhaley, Parikshyit dai, Sisham Dai, Oscar Dai and Abishek aka Thakali from 3D events who were at the time making massive waves in the early Nepali tour/music promotion scene. We will meet again someday, I’m sure of it :). #tourlyf #lyfcha

#timibhane #albatross #jojassangasambandhitchha #songsthatmademe

Listen to the original here:

Danny Denzongpa - Chiso Chiso Hawa Ma

This week I am listening to “Chiso Chiso Hawama” by Danny Denzongpa. As I sit here typing this, drinking my tea ☕ listening to this beautiful and chilling song in the Canadian winter air, my childhood memories with my parents come flooding back like flashing lights. This song in particular takes me back to many precious moments spent with my parents as we hopped on my baba’s red Kawasaki motorcycle and made our way from Kathmandu to the cottages in Nagarkot 🏍️. Sometimes baba would let me ride in the front, and sometimes my parents would sandwich little me in the middle to keep me warm on colder, windier days :) 🌬️. Nagarkot wasn’t so developed back then, and the cottages preserved the natural charm and simplicity of village life.

Nothing beats Nagarkot’s dense and dewy morning air, beautiful sunrises, and endless skies at night filled with shooting stars. I used to take my cassette player with me and listen to a lot of music in the morning ambience, bust out my pencil and notebook, and keep hitting the rewind button until I had every lyric written down to the songs I loved. After a long motorbike ride from the city and a nice hike around the area, we would end up back in our room extremely hungry. Mama would bust open her tiffin with delicious khasi ko mutton kebabs and crunchy beaten rice #chiura. My mama is a hardcore vegetarian now, and the memory of her munching down mutton kebabs saying “kasto mitho!” makes me chuckle 🤭🍢. After that, mama and baba would sip on some taato pani and whiskey 🥃, and we would all cuddle up, and little me would fall asleep in mama and baba’s warm, comforting embrace.

Revisiting this song after many years, it brings me a lot of joy to sing it for you today. This rendition is one I used to perform a lot in my earlier shows, which some of you may have caught back in 2008. Some of you might also find influences pulled from Robin Dai’s rendition of this song.

With lyrics and music by Ranjit Gazmer, here is Danny Denzongpa’s 1976 release, “Chiso Chiso Hawama”.

#chisochisohawama #dannydenzongpa #ranjitgazmer #songsthatmademe

Listen to the original here:

Mukti and Revival - Chaubandi Cholo

This week I am listening to Mukti and Revival’s debut album, ‘Kalankiko Jam’, released in the year 2000. I have a deep attachment to this album, as the songs make me reminisce about my teenage years in Canada, when music was the way I kept in touch with my Nepali roots. Listening to this album also transports me back to the year 2008 in Kathmandu, when I was playing a series of local opening gigs for Mukti and Revival and Looza as I worked on my first album, ‘Sabai Thikai Huncha’.

Nights spent in Bhumi in Lazimpat while listening to Mukti Dai and Looza play were inspiring, and opening for their sets was such a huge learning and growing experience for me. I remember being in awe of Mukti dai’s charisma and personality as he performed. His performances were a blessing for us young musicians to witness, and they gave us all something to aspire towards. I also have a fond memory of meeting Pavit dai from Kutumba for the very first time in Bhumi during those sets, and a very cute memory of 18 year old me shyly signing my very first paper napkin as a keepsake for Pavit dai📝. I don’t think any words will be able to express the gratitude that I feel as I type this today 🥹. #thankyouforbelievinginme

As Malcolm Gladwell so eloquently argues in his book Outliers, why “the self-made" person is a myth and what really drives success for performers in every profession is frequently a chain of fortunate circumstances, exceptional opportunities, and other outside variables that are beyond our control... I will forever be grateful for the opportunities bestowed upon me by the generations before me, and I hope that I will be able to do the same for generations to come.

#muktiandrevival #chaubandicholo #songsthatmademe

Listen to the original here:

Narayan Gopal/Tara Devi - Eh Kancha Thattai Ma

This week I am listening to “Eh Kancha Thattai Ma” by Narayan Gopal and Tara Devi. This song brings back a lot of memories of tiny me, listening to my mamu and my thulo mamu sing this song while we all prepped green kerau 🫛 during sunny afternoons spent on the balcony of our Maharajgunj ghar. "Munu... aaja ta chiya paka hai?”, my mamus would ask of me, looking all cute and all 😆. There’s no other emotion that beats the feeling of drinking a warm caffeinated Nepali tea in the late afternoon sun ☕. #nepalichiya

I was so tiny back then that, knowingly and unknowingly, a lot of these melodies from my mamus’ eras became a part of who I am, just through sheer osmosis. Listening to my two mamus sing when I was a kid is a very special memory for me. As I reminisce today, in my adulthood, it reminds me of how lucky I was to have grown up in an environment so nurturing as a child that I got to witness their sisterhood, their motherhood, what being a woman in a family meant, and what being a woman would mean for me when I grew up. #myrolemodels

My mamus did a lot. They were entrepreneurs, they were career women, they were homemakers, they were wives, and they were mothers. Being a mother meant that their jobs didn’t end just because they got home, and they didn’t have the luxury of taking a sick day. Women in families do so much, you see, without asking for anything back, without asking for any help, and without asking for any credit. They give because to give and to nurture is part of their genetic code. #unconditionallove

When I grew up, I wanted to be just like them, capable, intelligent, strong, independent, loving, and warm. I wanted to be kind. #ittakescouragetobekind

With lyrics by Ratna Shumsher Thapa and music by Narayan Gopal, here's my rendition of “Eh Kancha Thattai Ma”.

#ehkanchathattaima #narayangopal #taradevi #ratnashumsherthapa #songsthatmademe

Listen to the original here:

Norah Jones - Don’t Know Why

This week I’m listening to singer-songwriter-pianist Norah Jones’ 2002 debut album “Come Away With Me”. This song brings back many memories of my young teenage self listening to this album on repeat on my silver Sony D-E351 Walkman. #mymostprizedposession

Listening to Norah Jones at the time was extremely inspiring, given her unique ability to fuse pop, country, jazz, and blues with timeless standards. One fine day in 2003, our baba brought home a karaoke machine for us as a surprise🎤🎁. My little brother and I were super excited, and we would spend countless hours singing and discovering new songs on the machine. “Don’t Know Why” was one song that I particularly gravitated towards and absolutely loved singing on the karaoke :). #musiclovers #karaokenight

There was a sense of beauty in the simplicity of starting all over in foreign lands from scratch. Our parents had created a home filled with so much love and so much music that we really didn’t need anything else🥹. Being there for one another and growing up through our humble beginnings bonded us all very deeply as a family. #migrant

This album, for that reason, will always hold a very special place in my heart. Written and composed originally in 1999 by Jesse Harris, here’s “Don’t Know Why" which appears as track number 1 on the Grammy-award-winning album “Come Away with Me". #dontknowwhy #comeawaywithme #norahjones #jesseharris #songsthatmademe

Listen to the original here:

Om Bikram Bista - Ma Maunta Ma

This week I am listening to Aadhunik-pop artist Om Bikram Bista’s song Ma Maunta Ma. The melancholy in his songs is so immaculately captured in his melodies that it makes me deeply appreciate the songwriting genius of that era. #KingofNepaliPop

This song brings back a lot of memories, especially of my pyaro Sarin daa. I have memories of a 10 year old fuchhi Astha… sneaking into my Sarin dada’s room while he was sleeping, stealing his Asterix comics (any Asterix fans out here?) and secret Wai Wai stash 😂, playing Age of Empires and Prince of Persia on his computer, and instant messaging his friends on MSN messenger pretending to be him (sorry daaaaaa, muahaha 😈).

Jokes aside, my daa has an incredibly elevated taste in music, and he introduced me to a lot of amazing songs from his era in my childhood. I always looked forward to hearing him sing at family events. This song was one that daa sang a lot as he mildly strummed away on his acoustic guitar around the warmth and smoky comfort of a firepit. This song is now forever embedded into my DNA because of him🥹. #loveyoudaa #happybhaitika

Originally written and composed by songwriters Robert Subba, Albert Subba alongside Puru Thapa, Subarna Limbu and Om Bikram Bista, here is my rendition of “Ma Maunta Ma”.

#mamauntama #ombikrambista #songsthatmademe

Listen to the original here: