The Uglyz

by VISHAL RAI

FROM ISSUE # 113 (May 2005) | IN THIS ISSUE
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You've seen them on TV and you've heard them on the radio. In short, they're everywhere. This month on Bandwagon we feature the latest sensation to hit the Nepali music scene – the Uglyz.

Though they may have released their debut album Rush only recently, the Uglyz are definitely not a new band. To trace their history we have to go back a decade to 1995 when Sarun (vocals) and Sudip (guitar), along with Rockin (drums), formed the band while in Little Angel's School. What followed next was a series of victories in several inter-school music contests. "We won every contest we participated in," laughs Sarun, who in 1999 had to go to Australia for higher studies.

It was in 2004 that the Uglyz, as we know it today, came together. Sarun was back, and along with Sudip (who had previously been playing with the band 11th Hour) and violinist Sandesh, reformed the band though the original drummer Rockin had to leave for India just a week before they were supposed to hit the studios. They then recruited Sachin (keyboards), Anil (drums) and Deepak (bass) to help them out on their debut (Anil and Deepak now play with Karma). The resulting album Rush took them three long months to complete, but it was worth the wait as it has been a massive success. "We never thought the album would do so well," confesses Sudip. "This is not just good, this is much more than what we expected," adds Sarun.

Sure, the album has been a smashing success, but what helped the band the most in getting their due exposure was the killer video for the single Audai Jaadai, which, originally had Japanese lyrics. The band is quick to admit the role the video has played. "We didn't get much airplay earlier," says Sarun "People didn't push us much at first because we were new in the scene but the video really played a big part in getting us exposure." The band had originally planned to release Sarun's composition Audai Jaadai as a single when he was in Sydney. This was also why their recording sessions were extended over such a long period of time as that song alone took them almost three months to complete. "It was meant to be a single but after hearing it our family, friends and our record company, Situ Digital, wanted us to take out a full-length album," explains Sarun.

One major pitfall for the Uglyz is that they currently lack a drummer and a bassist. They may not be a complete "band" as such but that hasn't stopped them from performing live. Although they plan to recruit a drummer and bassist when necessary, the trio has been playing unplugged sessions at various TV and FM stations, at the Bakery Café on Christmas and New Years' Eve and more recently at a show in the Himalayan Java.

With Rush, the Uglyz have already earned countless fans all over the country but what's next for the band? "We're thinking of doing a solo concert in the future and our second album might come out in a year-and-a-half or so," says their singer. "Right now our plan is to stick to the plan," adds Sandesh. Also in the offing is the video for the second single "Maya" but the band is hesitant to say exactly when it might go on air because, as they admit, "we're notoriously bad at sticking to plans and time frames."