Kathmandu:

For all the rebels in the world, one song that was on their lips in the nineties was It’s My Life by Dr Alban. Any club or disco at that time would be throbbing with the amazing reggae and Euro disco tracks like Hello Africa, No Coke and One Love. In fact, these tra-cks are still as popular today. This 30-something ar-tist of international recognition has been flown to Kathmandu from Sw-eden for a live and exclusive performance for Kathmandu’s party fanatics.

Born in Nigeria and having seen a lot of problems and injustice there, Alban got inspired to work towards equality and justice from the very beginning. And the best medium for him to spread this message was through his music. A dentist by qualification, this humble Pop Icon writes about peace, freedom and grave social issues like racism, drugs and AIDS in his songs, is philanthropic at heart and tries his best to spread the message, especially in poor continents.

So how exactly did this transition from a doctor to a music artist happen? “Being a medical student, it was hard for me to sustain my expenses. So I started DJing at clubs in Stockholm during weekends. This is when I realised that people can actually have various interests in life, and pursuing them is not a problem if one is passionate enough,” expressed this articulate musician. And the rest is history. His first album was released in 1990 along with the legendary artist Denniz Pop, and was a smash hit topping the charts all over. They followed up with the album Hello Africa, One Love, Look Who’s Talking, Born in Africa and The Best Of that reached a worldwide public. Dr Alban has sold over 11 million albums and singles worldwide.

The genre of music he basically caters to is a mix of pop with an Afro touch. “Every time I plan an album, I work towards discovering a new beat for it that would differentiate it from my earlier tunes, and have a lasting impact on my fans.” For him, the groove and the lyrics are equally important to make a song good.

He has travelled the world and says he was never hesitant about coming to Nepal though he has read much about the situation here. “I was very excited to come to this country of mountains and believe that the people here are really warm. I wanted to see what it is like rather than believing papers and news,” said he adding, “Looking at the beauty of this country, I am sure shooting a video here would be an amazing experience.”

To catch this legend in action with his troupe, be there at Hotel Hyatt Regency on September 30, 6 pm onwards. The credit of getting this pop star extraordinaire to Nepal goes to none other than, DMI — The Entertainment People. The event, which is priced at Rs 500, is being sponsored by Surya Lights in coordination with McDowell’s, Bajaj Pulsar, Kingfisher, Gulf Air, Channel Nepal and OurNepal.com. The Hima-layan Times is the official media.

For further details, log onto www.ournepal.com.