All posts filed under: NORTHEAST ARTISTS

Meet the most talented artists from the NorthEast of India

Rootsandleisure_Takar Nabam

Ziro Music Festival Special | A Chat With Takar Nabam, A Self Taught Musician From Itanagar Who Is All Set To Rock The ZFM Stage

Published by Nara Longkumer

For Takar Nabam, a musician from Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh, music has been his best friend since he’s spent his school years away from home. He picked up the guitar, taught himself some tasty chops and mastered the main techniques and skills on stage at his school events. He’s now moved back home to help his parents, spend some time reconnecting with his roots, and is currently preparing to grace the stage at Ziro Festival of Music this year! Ziro Festival is one of the most talked about outdoor music festivals in India! Started in 2012, this four-day festival is now in its 7th edition. With music and performances by bands and talented musicians from all over the country and abroad, this festival is one that has to be experienced at least once for any travel, music or festival junkie. You can check out our coverage of  Ziro Festival of Music 2017 and 2016 Today, we chat with musician, guitar player, singer-songwriter and performer, Takar Nabam as he prepares to perform with his band at Ziro Festival of …

rootsandleisure_merenla imsong

A Fun Chat With Stand-Up Comedian and Viral YouTube Star, Merenla Imsong On How She Uses Her Roots To Make Us LOL

Published by Vilina

Making someone laugh is no easy task. For anyone inclined to comedy, getting any kind of reaction to their jokes can be immensely satisfying. Our featured guest today is the young and super talented viral comedienne from Nagaland – Merenla Imsong – who has effortlessly tickled our funny bones with her honest and engaging content. She attained her social media star status in March last year when her home video titled ‘Presumptuous chinky assumes the North Indian way‘ went viral on YouTube – It’s currently sitting at over 200,000 views! Many of us who are working and living outside of our hometowns, regardless of where we come from, have undoubtedly faced similar presumptions as her famous alter-ego Pinky Singh. So, it’s no surprise that her many characters and “Vegg ya Non-Vegg” videos hit us at our funniest and most relatable spots. We sat down with the rising comedy star – Merenla Imsong – to find out what exactly tickles her funny bones, her comedy inspirations and how she conceptualized her first viral video and more. …

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Meet Lipokmanen Longkumer – A Young Artist Whose Artwork Showcases the People and Places of Nagaland

Published by Nara Longkumer

Lipokmanen is a talented self taught artist from Nagaland. He draws and sketches in charcoal and acrylic paint and passionately depicts the life of the Naga’s and the culture surrounding them through his work. We at R&L are proud to feature this young artist, who is so deeply bound to his culture and roots that he hopes to inspire younger people to learn the true value of it. Read on to know what he has to say about his art and what he tries to relay to people through his pieces. Self-taught artist Lipokmanen Longkumer from Nagaland chats with R&L about the inspirations behind his artwork, his latest project, and how an incident where he came last in a painting competition made him more committed to his work as an artist. Hello Lipok! Tell us a bit about yourself. My name is Lipokmanen Longkumer and I’m a self-taught artist currently based in Kohima. I was born and brought up in the small village of Changtongya under the Mokokchung district (in Nagaland). I completed my graduation from …

Rootsandleisure_Vitz Zhimo

A Chat With Vitz Zhimo aka MOZZEY from Nagaland – Gifted EDM Producer Whose Feel-Good Tunes Have Already Travelled the World

Published by Rachel Thong

  The many facets of music makes it possible for artists across genres and styles to reach listeners in their various moods. Today’s guest is our first electronic music artist to be introduced here. Vitz Zhimo a.k.a. MOZZEY, is a music producer, writer and a performing artist from Nagaland. Known for his feel-good music and host of interesting collabs – including the famous ‘Come With Me‘ with Virie and Zaza, his latest project is an EP called ‘Bedroom Stories‘ which features artists like Rochee and Tiger Darrow from New York, and Canadian Hip Hop artist City Fidelia. We chat with him to now more about him, his music and his latest projects. EDM artist, music producer, and writer Vitz Zhimo chats with R&L about his style of music, his creative philosophy and the influence of his family – especially his mother, on him choosing a musical career. Hi Vitz. Tell us about yourself and what you’ve been up to? Hey, my name is Vitolu (Vitz) Zhimomi. I write music as MOZZEY and also as NVYKO. I’m a …

rootsandleisure_Tribeny Rai

“I Write Roles for Women – Beautiful Women with Soul, Will and Strength” | A Chat with Filmmaker Tribeny Rai from Sikkim

Published by Vilina

“If there’s specific resistance to women making movies, I just choose to ignore that as an obstacle for two reasons: I can’t change my gender, and I refuse to stop making movies” – Katheryn Bigelow. Growing up in a family of 4 girls, Tribeny Rai faced gender bias at a young age. That experience only gave her the drive and conviction she needed to come out of her shell and do something that was new as well as challenging. That was the start of the journey that strong headed Tribeny set out to embark on for the rest of her life. At 27, she has 8 short films and 1 documentary to her name. Interestingly every one of her works has either won an award or has done the rounds at both national and international film festivals. Today, we’re happy to feature Tribeny Rai, a passionate independent filmmaker from Sikkim. She is everything you wouldn’t fathom at first glance, but behind her charming smile is a powerhouse of creativity that hits you into real-world subtlety. She chats …

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This Research Scholar Wants to Preserve Traditions Through Fashion | Meet Rosemary Rynthlei – Founder of Mizos Street Style

Published by Nara Longkumer

For some people, like Rosemary, fashion and passion go hand in hand. She is a PhD student, a teacher and has followed her love for fashion through it all. She is now the proud owner of Mizo Street Style – a clothing store which offers modern designs with an elegant touch of Mizo tradition. Here’s a chat with fashion designer Rosemary Rynthlei as she talks about her life, her love for her Mizo roots and how it influences her designs. Hi Rosemary. Tell us about you, your work and how you got your start in fashion. My name is Rosemary Renthlei and I’m 27 from Aizawl, Mizoram. I’m completing my PhD in English Literature. I’ve worked as a Higher Secondary School teacher in the past and now, I run my own business which I started as a fashion blog in 2016. I have always been very passionate about fashion and had this great urge to create new things since I was very young. I used to draw designs even though I’m not that good at drawing …

“We Want to Preserve Our Folk Songs and Native Language ‘Kok Borok’ Through Our Music” – Meet Folk-Fusion Band KOLOMA from Tripura

Published by Vilina

With the growing genre of music these days, folk music may be fading into oblivion. So today, we are pleased to feature KOLOMA – a 5 member band from Tripura that has been formed with the goal to preserve their traditional folk music. They write songs in their local tribal language ‘Kokborok’ and hope to preserve and pass on their culture to future generations. As a band, Ronel, Kiyok, Shimul, Rumio, and Bhaskar write songs about love, inspiration, life and struggles, in “Kok Borok” – the native language of the indigenous people in Tripura. Read on to know everything about KOLOMA – the band, their story and what they aim to achieve through their music. Please introduce yourselves, and tell us how you guys came together to form KOLOMA. Also, what does “KOLOMA” mean? “KOLOMA” is a word derived from a former script in the tribal Kokborok language. We are a 5 member Folk-Fusion band based in Tripura. Our compositions are mostly about contemporary life and romance. Rumio Debbarma is the lead vocalist, composer, lyricist and plays the folk instruments …

Rootsandleisure_Moko Koza_sarkar

This 23-Year-Old Student is using Rap Music to Talk About Society Issues, and to Promote His Culture | Meet Moko Koza from Nagaland

Published by Ovung Jungio

There’s no denying about the power of Music – it can heal, it can connect people around the world, and it has the potential to bring about change. Today we have a young rapper from Nagaland who has been in the music scene for over a decade but only recently caught our attention through his very catchy and powerful Nagamese* rap (*local dialect in Nagaland) called “Puisa” – meaning Money. He apostatizes the money-mad posse in his verses – which are shrewdly propped up by a sampled vocal hook from Aloe Blacc’s “I Need A Dollar”, a fitting motif for this game-changing Nagamese tune. Meet 23-year old Moko Koza from Nagaland, an anthropology student and a talented rapper, who is using music as a medium to highlight issues in the society, and to promote his culture by using local dialects in his music, and through international collabs – with his most recent being “Internationally Known” – a single released in collaboration with rappers from Detroit and Sarkar Musik. We chat with Moko Koza – a student of Kohima Science …

A Chat with 23-year-old Singer-Songwriter, Actor, and Activist Rahul Rajkhowa from Assam

Published by Vilina

  To be a talented singer and  an entertainer is a blessing for an individual, and to use these talents for a greater cause can be a blessing for many. 23-year-old singer-songwriter Rahul Rajkhowa from Assam is an inspiring young artist, who has already created nationwide news and impact for his hometown, through his music. His music video “The Floods” which highlights the devastating effects of the Assam Floods, got him his first solo feature on Rolling Stone magazine India, national news coverage on NDTV and honored by ‘Twitter India’ as the Youth ambassador for using social media to bring positive change.  This charming musician started his musical journey when he was just 12, as a band member in school. Later when he moved to Delhi for college, he started playing with his seniors at St. Stephen’s College, and very soon he had already put together his own band “Paperboat” – with whom he has toured around the country. He is also a blooming actor, and have acted alongside Rishi Kapoor, Sonam Kapoor and Ayushman Khuranna …

rootsandleisure_Saurav moktan

The Lyrics of His Songs May be Plain But Strikes a Chord With His Listeners | Meet Saurav Moktan From Sikkim – an Engineer, and a Musician

Published by Vilina

From a small state in the Northeastern part of India – Sikkim, this 27-year-old singer/songwriter who is a man of few words found his way through music as a constant companion. Today, music has become a tool for him to spread hope to his listeners – to convey that music can heal – just like it healed him. Although a full-time engineer, not only is he singing and writing songs on the side,  but also winning awards at rock festivals, and also releasing an album soon! Let’s have a chat with this singer/songwriter from Gangtok and find out more about him. We chat with Saurav Moktan from Sikkim about his passion and love for music, his future projects and more. Hi Saurav, please introduce yourself. My name is Saurav and I was born and raised in Gangtok, Sikkim. I am 27 years old, songwriter and vocalist for the band Perfect Stickfigure Illustrations (P.S.I.). I am an engineer by profession and currently working full-time with Tourism and Civil Aviation Department, Sikkim. How did it all start? …