Coming Back with a Bang!

by SABHYATA TIMSINA

FROM ISSUE # 167 (November 2009) | IN THIS ISSUE
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KIRAN PANDAY

Sabin Rai can never get away from being compared to Bryan Adams. Ever since his first single, Komal Tyo Timro, made its way to the airwaves, he has been dubbed the Nepali 'groover from Vancouver'. True, the rasping, husky resonance to his voice is too much of a coincidence to ignore. But with four albums under his belt, Sabin deserves attention in his own right. And the seductive, grainy timbre of his voice is as charming as it was when we encountered it in 2003.

A still very overwhelmed Sabin says about the initial audience response, "It was almost like a fluke, totally random. I had never dreamed I would make it so far."For someone who claims his only 'training' in music was playing deusi with his mates, Sabin has made it pretty big. When his debut album Sataha came out in 2003, not only did he manage to drive the girls crazy, but genuine music lovers felt he was somebody to look out for. Sabin had set a benchmark for other singers in striving to bring something new to Nepali music.

But his second album Sataha II went almost unnoticed. This must have hit him hard, considering he's been almost underground for three long years now, working and scrambling away to get his act together. Coming out of hiding with his fourth album Ranga Manch ko Rang, Sabin hopes to revive the synergy he was once capable of creating. Says a very circumspect Sabin, "Making an album is not an overnight process and I've realised this. This time, I didn't force the lyrics and music out; I waited until they came to me."

The modest and shy Sabin is not much of a talker; a long conversation with him will be punctuated with plenty of "tapai bhannus na" from his side. This introverted nature is projected in the lyrics that he writes, most of which are simple and straight from the heart, and his singing seems almost effortless. Asked how he comes up with his lyrics Sabin replies, "I put myself into other peoples' shoes in different situations and try to understand them." In line with his usual musings about love and life, some of the songs in the new album include Dui Thunga, Sadhai Timi, Timro Lagi and Malai Angali deu of which he expects the last to top the charts. Simply composing songs is not enough, according to Sabin. He wants to win back those listeners who were intrigued by him in the first place. He explains, "This time the songs are recorded with a live kit, instead of with keyboards. I've used drums and electric guitars, so listeners can expect something unusual but fresh in the sound itself." Sabin has gone that extra mile this time, and we will soon see what becomes of his effort.Ranga Manch ko Rang will be released this month.

* To read more about Sabin Rai dig out your copy of WAVE, June 2008.