CyberSansar : Exclusive

Candid talk with Juna Prasai
-By Preity Acharya

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Why are female singers so less in the industry? What difficulties
do they face? What kind of problems do debut singers face?
Surviving in the music industry is not as easy as you see them sing. There are many insight stories within these creations, to their profession and stardom. This time, we have a female singer discussing on these issues exclusively with CyberSansar. Juna Parasai shares all her experiences during the making of her solo debut album "Najik".

Here are some excerpts of the interview.

1. We would like to know some background stories of your musical career…

I have learned music for almost seven years. I've completed diploma in music from PK campus. About other external classes, i also learned music from Sadhana Kala Kendra and Mr Prakash Gurung(renowned singer) was my teacher there.

2. What kind of musical activities have you been involved in?

Najik’, my first album was released some months ago, but before this I have sung in many feature films, songs and jingles with many artists like Thupden Bhutia, Ananda Karki, Suresh Adhikari and many other singers. More than 150 of my songs are already recorded.

3. Why did you plan to come out with a solo album so late?

Well, I know it's late but I was preparing for a quality album. I was collecting songs for my album for a long time. "Nadekheko Bhaye" is recorded 5yrs back.

4. So how did the album finally come into the market? Tell us some stories behind it.

As I said, some songs were recorded long time before. After I had four
songs in my pocket, people suggested me to try out some music companies to finance the album. So I approached some companies and finally Dhaulagiri Cassette Center approved my proposal and the album is finally released through the same company.

5.What is "Najik" all about?

It's a mixture of pop and modern songs. There is a variation of music like slow rock, pop and lok pattern. I have tried out even a hiphop flavor feat with Sammy and Mausami Gurung.

6. "Nadekheko Bhaye" is a hit and the music video is also popular among the television channels. Do you think that the song would have been a hit without the video?

Well, in order to become a hit, you need to have a good composition of songs, good lyrics, good music and melody. I don’t think that only music videos make songs a hit. No doubt, they add plus point to the songs and today's audiences are more into watching rather than listening. Yet, the songs' and the videos' chemistry should also match.

7. What components do you think are important for the making of music video?

As I said earlier, the whole chemistry of the song should match. The director should be able to capture the feelings of the songs and similarly the actors involved in the songs should also be able to present and express it. "Nadekheko bhaye" is directed by Sangita Shrestha and I think she has done full justice to the song. Also another important thing I felt is the technical and the editing part.

8. Can you share some experiences of the album with us?

Preparing for an album is a tough job. A lot of planning is required from recording to releasing phase. It was also difficult
for me to approach the music companies and convince them. Well, in the music industry, I found this a difficult job especially for the newcomers and more for female singers.

9. On the basis of your experience with the music companies, what do you want to say regarding the difficulties of bringing out the albums?

A debut singer decides to bring out an album with a lot of dreams. This is fulfilled only when the album comes out in the market and is aired by various media industries. So music companies should be supportive to these newcomers rather than disappointing their efforts. It is especially difficult for female singers because people say that female singers' album is not saleable in the market. This might also be one of the reasons for the frustration of the female artists. I'd also like to plead them not to do that.

10. Can you share some other difficulties of being a female singer in the industry?

Our country is male dominated. We have some of the out dated culture still prevailing in our society. In some cases, even some good singers cannot come out because of less family freedom. It also depends upon the understandability and family support. Sometimes we also face many embarrassing situations during concerts and shows. This is also one of the reasons behind the less number of female singers.

11. What would you like to suggest such potential female singers who are still unable to come out in this profession?

-If you have the talent and desire, you should also have the ability to convince your family and the society.Come out with a strong determination to take this profession seriously. All we need is unity within us.

12. What reasons can be there behind female singers' album selling less in the markets?

Well, I cannot exactly point out the reason here. Maybe we're still unable to deliver strong songs. So we need to try our best to catch audiences' attention to increase the sales of female artists' album.

13.How is "Najik" doing commercially in the market?

The album is doing good. My expectations are being met.

14. At last do you have anything to say?

-Love Nepali music, stop piracy, buy female artists' albums, promote Nepali music and lastly thank you CyberSansar for promoting Nepali music and Nepali artists.

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