Life and Music

Dibya Subba’s latest album talks about his personal experiences

by PRAVAT J. GURUNG

FROM ISSUE # 168 (December 2009) | IN THIS ISSUE
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ANUP PRAKASH

A singer who started his career 5 years back has come a long way in the music scene but isn't satisfied with the ways of the industry. As a kid, Dibya Subba drew inspiration from his father, who was a music lover and played guitar and harmonium. "I remember him playing instruments and it was mesmerising," reminisces Dibya. Humble, down to earth and without a shred of anger in him, even after a four-hour queue to fuel up his bike, Dibya Subba has changed mentally and emotionally and according to him time changes everyone.

Sustaining oneself in the music industry is a difficult job, not to mention the expenditures. When WAVE asks if he'd any trouble as a budding artist, he says, "It was definitely difficult to come out in the industry as many record companies rejected my CD. I might have had flaws then but my first album was a success, call it sheer luck." After his first album's success and with an Image Music Awards trophy for best new artist, it was difficult for Dibya to sustain his fame and success. "You automatically are under this pressure because people expect a lot from you," reveals Dibya. When we ask about people who are coming out with albums without having the talent to sing, he says these people are doing music as a hobby. For Dibya, making videos with media related music directors to promote oneself is just not worth it.

With two albums under his belt, Pratha and Parivartan, Dibya has gone for a different approach. "It's more experimental and we really hope the people will appreciate it," says Dibya. The reason he says 'we' is because this time Dibya Subba is being backed by his band, Blue Assets. Since his first album, he's always wanted to produce an album with the band but circumstances were such that it couldn't happen. Time and luck seem to have turned his way this time. Says Dibya: "It's like a dream come true for me and I am a hundred times more satisfied with this than with my previous albums. I've always wanted to do something with the band since I started my career and now I finally have."

The lyrics in the new album are catchy, and they were mostly improvised, according to Dibya. "We just jammed in the studio, played music and sang. Whatever came up made up the lyrics." With ten songs on the album, including a soundtrack to the documentary Birami Sahar, all can expect a banging comeback on the airwaves sometime soon.