The artiste Thapa

Kathmandu

“I had a dream to become a singer as a child, and my creations and albums are fulfilling that dream slowly,” sugam sangeet singer Suraj Kumar Thapa shares. His latest album Canvas (2016) and Chinari (2014) have established him as a singer but he is more than just a pop singer.

A fine adhunik singer, keyboardist, violinist, a member of orchestra, music arranger and composer, in 25 years of his musical journey, Thapa has lent his voice to about seven collection albums including Nishani 53, folk album Roshi Khola among others, did playback singing in Ghar Sansaar, Abalaa and Love and Cheers and contributed his musical talent to various programmes and albums as a musician. He is also the keyboard player of folk-rock band Nepathya, and a music teacher.

He started out in 1991 after passing a voice test in Radio Nepal — he recorded the creation of Bhairavnath Rimal and composer Bhupendra Rayamajhi, Baato Herchhu Aash Boki. Before that Thapa, who embraced music as a child with mother Tirtha Kumari as influence and inspiration, recorded some children’s songs for Radio Nepal.

Pachim Kohi Purwa Ghar, Yespali Ta Jante Bakhro Khaana Paine Bho, Gahiro Ghau and Darshan Napai are his popular numbers. Even though Thapa is living his dream of a singer who can sing contemporary to folk to ghazal to pop numbers, he wants to be established as an artiste and do it your years.

“I would like to call myself an artiste than a singer.” Doing quality music, he wants to “go long years in music”.

Composer of national anthem late Amber Gurung has a big hand in making Thapa a music artiste. Thapa considers late Gurung his guru who took the young musician under his wings in 1993 and under whom he learnt for 10 years on a regular basis.

“He used to tell us that Nepali music has not gone international because orchestra music has not been developed here — singer Narayan Gopal also thought so. So, in order to develop orchestra in Nepal and for the advantage for us, he wanted his students to take up an instrument,” he reminisces.

So, Thapa took up violin in 1996 (2053 BS). He also started to learn keyboard as he took a break from “singing as it was straining my voice”.

He believes, “Learning the instrument has been a plus point for me and my singing. The more one’s knowledge is widened, the better it is for an artiste.”

Moreover, his musical talent got shaped through various works he collaborated with other legends of Nepali music industry. After a few months of Gopan Yonjan’s death in 1997, he got to sing his compositions in Nishani 53 as the lead singer which he considers “lucky to sing the compositions of the legend”.

When Thapa got on board with Paleti Series — presentation of senior artists’ creations as a singer, he got “to understand Nepali music in depth”.

“I got to work with all most all the legends of Nepal who are responsible for bringing Nepali sugam sangeet to this niche — Amber Gurung, Phatteman Rajbhandari, Shanti Thatal, Meera Rana, Rastra Kavi Madhav Prasad Ghimire, Karma Yonjan among others for their programmes.

We used to practice for two weeks. As a team leader, I used to sit with them, discuss and share music with them. I got to learn a lot from them.” He also worked as a music arranger in the series.

The man with innate musical talent polished and shaped his musicality through various experiences and people to become the artiste he has become today. The journey can only continue ...