Taking music to a new height | Making Music

He picked up his guitar in class eight and first learnt plucking in C-scale. He was the Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations in Nepal. He was the principle of Nepal Sangeet Vidhyala in Sinamangal and still would have been if he didn't have to leave the country. WAVE got an exclusive interview with Lochan Rijal who is currently in the United States.

Having won numerous music awards and creating outstanding albums, Lochan Rijal is continuing his PhD in the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, USA to fulfill part of his credit requirement and the subject matter 'Transmission of music in Nepal'. Besides studying the mode of transmission of music in multi-ethnic and multi-cultural Nepal, this research intends to lay a foundation for a formal music education-master plan for Nepal. He said "I am in the US to study the curricular models being taught in schools here. We plan to adapt appropriate teaching methodologies from the different models to propose a holistic teaching methodology for Nepal, keeping in mind our multi-ethnic and multi-cultural background." He also revealed that he might record an album while he's there.

Making music for Lochan has always been his dream and doesn't imagine himself as anything else but a musician. When he is making music, he constantly tries to be real and writes songs about topics he believes in. Writing lyrics and composing songs go together for him and there is no two-way about it. Hoping to hear 'I will have momos and dal bhat tarkari when I return to Nepal,' when I asked what would be the first thing he'd do when he comes back home he replied, "the bulk of my PhD research is based on field work in Nepal. So when I come back I will be busy with that. I am also excited about doing some concerts in Nepal. I really want to play the songs from my new album, live for my audience." With an answer like that its easy to make out how dedicated he is when it comes to music, work and his love for his fans. But the affable and down-to-earth, Lochan is single no more. Sorry ladies for breaking thine heart!

Besides his solo career he is also a part of the band Looza and Manushya and plans to work with them, Anav and Hari Maharjan on different projects when he comes back. Born on 1 April, Lochan has three albums to his name, the latest one being Maanis. "I tried to incorporate a thematic representation of the present mind-set of us - Nepalis, in this album. I hope the lyrical concept in most of the songs is something that we can identify with. This particular album is very special to me. I hope the listeners will enjoy the album," expressed Lochan. Music has always been his passion, he has won numerous awards for his music and has created a space for himself in the Nepali music industry. But he still feels like he has just started out and has a long way to go. With dedicated musicians like him, we truly hope that the music industry is going to prosper and reach a whole new height!