Pokhara’s pop bands vanishing

By Santosh Subedi,Kaski, June20: Pokhara, once known as the capital of pop songs, has, of late, witnessed a sharp fall in the genre. 

Back in the 1990s, new pop songs used to be recorded in Pokhara almost every week. Various pop bands regularly organised musical events, and the songs of Pokhareli singers and bands were frequently featured on the radio and television. However, it has now been years since any new pop songs have emerged from Pokhara.

The lack of active bands is one of reasons why no new pop albums are being released. There was a time when opening a pop band in Pokhara was a fashion. 

 Pop music had gained significant popularity back then. But today, many of those once-popular bands have vanished. 

According to singer Binod Baniya, pop bands in Pokhara are now nearly extinct. 

“There used to be many pop bands at one time. But things have changed. Now, perhaps only two or three bands are active, and even they are unable to produce new songs,” he added.

A few months ago, the Pokhara Musical Artists’ Association organised a programme titled Back to the 90s in an attempt to revive pop music. However, due to a lack of new creations, the popularity of pop continues to decline. 

Baniya said that while some new bands have emerged recently, they have failed to gain recognition. 

“New youths are trying to enter the scene, but since they have been unable to produce songs that capture attention, it’s as if they too have disappeared,” he added.

He pointed out that financial challenges and the difficulty of sustaining a livelihood through singing have driven many artists away from the music scene.

 According to Baniya, the disappearance of many once-thriving bands in Pokhara is a matter of concern.

 “The list of those leaving the field after losing hope in a musical career is growing. That’s one of the reasons why there’s a drought in pop music, in this city” he added.

The first band to record and release an album in Pokhara was Young Tiger, which launched an album titled Eklo Jeevan, laying the foundation for the pop genre. However, the current whereabouts of the artists associated with that band are unknown.

Despite Pokhara having made a significant contribution to the folk-pop genre, the city is now silent in this field. Bands like Kandara, Deurali, Bro-Sis, Dimarcha, Madhyanha Band, Parivesh, Namaste, Lekali, Riyaz, The Edge, Triveni, Srishti, Young Tiger, Zero Six Man, Highway Guys, Annapurna, Pachhyauri, The Sanskar and Moksh were once highly active in Pokhara.

 Besides them, there were many smaller bands too. However, none of them have been able to release new pop songs in recent times.

Singer Baniya said that currently, the pop genre in Pokhara is being kept alive mainly by the band Nepathya. 

“Even if only through re-recordings of folk-tuned songs from villages, Nepathya is still creating music. Other than that, there’s a serious lack of recordings,” he said.