Perhaps the first all-Naga Hindi band from Nagaland
Busting stereotypes and the love for Bollywood songs and movies as their inspiration, three Nagas have taken the road less travelled by releasing a music video in Hindi. The Finalist, a Hindi band from Nagaland, which released the song ‘Yeh Safar’ (This journey) on YouTube channel on December 8, has been creating waves in social media since then. The band consists of three members - Kenneth Mozhui, Mendan Konyak, and Baham C Noklang. Talking to The Morung Express about their unique project, one of the band members Mendan Konyak said that the three met in a reality show, Naga Hindi Voice (Season 2), in 2015. “We reached final and taking advantage of our common interest in Hindi songs and inspired by one another we decided to come together as band,” he said. They decided on the name, “The Finalist”, because they were the finalists of the said show, Naga Hindi Voice 2. “From that stage we have learned a lot and also discovered the ability for singing and talent in us, so we felt ‘The Finalist’ is perfect because it defines us too,” Mendan added. A Bachelor of Arts student at Sakus Mission College, Dimapur, Mendan loved singing Hindi songs since childhood. His friends played an important role by always encouraging him. “During my high school days I once took part in a variety show in my village where I was placed second and I gained more confidence,” he recounted. “Though I could not be the winner in the Naga Hindi Voice 2, I remembered that my dad once told me that his aim in life was to be a singer composing songs but could not do, so I thought of completing his aim.” For Mendan, his dad is still an inspiration. “He still plays guitar and my younger brother is also very much in love with music,” Mendan added. Baham C Noklang, a Hindi student from Ram Janaki Higher Secondary Dimapur, said that being born and brought up in a musical environment he started singing from a very tender age and counts his father as his inspiration. His elder brother Akup Noklang, who composed the song and also featured in the video, is also a solo artist in English and has a bestselling local album under his belt. While he assisted his brother both on stage as well as some songs in his album, Banham said that the Naga Hindi Voice 2 was a big privilege for him in which he gained lots of experiences and also met his band mates. Kenneth Mozhui, a talented artist from Dimapur who completed his studies from Bissau College, Shillong, also comes from a musical background like his band mates. He was the main vocalist of the band called "Rezque" and has taken part in various beat contests in and around Nagaland and has also won a free recording contract in SumerJam. While his previous band disbanded due to other commitments, the love for music propelled him to take part in the Naga Hindi Voice 2. The band said that they decided to release the songs after seeing there are less Hindi artists in Nagaland and will soon be working for an album release. “We hope to inspire more people, reach them and show them the peace we find in music, the unstoppable link that connects people,” said Mendan. “As a non-Hindi speaking state, we know singing Hindi song is very difficult for us,” he admitted, but said that the band will try different genres – pop, rock and even Indian classical music. “It’s very much difficult but we are trying our best, learning from the videos by ourselves.” Directed by Charles Crezen, the song ‘Yeh Safar’ is composed by Akup Noklang and the music was arranged by Alem Alia Jamir. It was recorded at Tribes Music and Media Lab. Watch the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbtjDKIp5WI&feature=youtu.be.
(Morung Express Feature)
