Deepak Bajracharya with new folk tune ‘Kancho Maya’

By Mannu Shahi,Deepak Bajracharya is a seasoned musician embodying plenty of contributions in the Nepali music industry with a persistent career expanding over three decades. The 50-year-old singer/songwriter continues to increase his repertoire adapting trendy elements in his music by experimenting with new collaborations, instrumentations and styles of music. 

Peaking the charts from the late 90s' to early 2000s' with gypsy-pop-influenced tunes, the singer gradually strayed away from the limelight whilst releasing stagnant and dated material. But things resurfaced rather well towards the latter half of the third decade in his career as a reinvented version of the singer appeared with a keen interest towards the preservation of traditional Nepali folk music and instruments. 

Debuting in the scene in 1990 with the single ‘Chodi Gayo Priye’, as a member of the band Lituluns, the group would perform covers occasionally in restaurants and disbanded right after releasing their first album. The singer, on the other hand, could not give up his passion for music and sustained his explorations, mustering the courage to launch a solo career after a 5 years hiatus. 

He then teamed up with brilliant musicians Firoj Bajracharya on guitars, Rojan Kayastha on bass and Ricky Shakya on drums/ percussion to fabricate his most cherished playlists. Lending his raspy voice in over 300 songs, the singer’s discography comprises seven albums to date: “Assai Assma”, “Deepak Bajracharya”, “Samaya”, “Geet”, “Asar”, “Jhumi Jhumi” and “On Rush”. 

Furthermore, his accolades include Hit’s FM Best Male Vocal Performance for the song ‘Samaya’ (1999), Millenium Award Best Music Video for the tune ‘Timi nai Timi’ (2000), Aaha Pop Music Best Male Vocal Performance (2003), Taal Music Award Album Of The Year for his 5th studio album “Asar” (2003), Malta International Icon (2003). Being a media personality the songster has also been associated with labels such as Bagpiper Whiskey, Kodak Film, Samsung Electronics, World Link Communication, Anna Lifan Motorcycle and Tourism Year 2011 as the brand ambassador for all of the outlets mentioned above. 

The musician has also toured multiple times globally performing for Nepali diaspora communities inhabiting Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Kuwait, India, Qatar, the UK, Australia and the USA among others. Known for his energetic live performances and clean acoustic guitar-driven sound, his latest live shows have become more grander than ever with a humongous cast and crew putting forth a mesmerizing live set full of dramatic themes and attention-grabbing tantrums. The music, being the centrepiece of everything, amalgamates the visuals, aesthetics and drama simultaneously led by the patterns of various ethnic drums and percussive textures. 

And recently on July 9, 2023, the singer published his latest single, ‘Kancho Maya’ via his official YouTube handle with over eight hundred thousand streams in the first week of its release. Bajracharya describes the songs as a journey towards a new musical discovery led by the raw sound of sarangi layered with the rhythm induced by his motorcycle. The tune is a creation under the banner Project Najeek, a movement that focuses on breaking away from mainstream live concerts and transcending beyond the barricade between the performer and their audience while embracing the various essences of traditionally rooted music. 

Composed, arranged and performed by Deepak Bajracharya, ‘Kancho Maya’ is written by Ricky Shakya, audio works by Pradeep Joshi, featuring Manish Gandarbha on sarangi, the video is directed by Subrat Acharya, produced by Lato Kosero Films, with Utsab Dahal on cinematography, Jaya Sharma on creative direction, Saibrat Acharya as the assistant director, Bijesh Paudel on editing and concept by Cherisa Bajracharya. Thus, definitely check out the new release and follow the singer on his social handles to remain updated with his new publications.