All posts tagged: Music

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

  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 …

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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

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? …

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A Chat With Moajungla Jamir From Nagaland – The Girl Whose Cover Song for “Coat of Many Colors” Went Viral

Heinrich Heine rightly quoted, “Where words leave off, music begins.” Imagine a life without music! Thanks to those people, who time and again delivers us with good music to balance out our life in this mad frenzy world. Speaking of which, Nagaland has its own set of budding raw talents that keeps surprising us every now and then. Today we have a special guest, a naturally talented musician, and a humble soul – Moajungla Jamir from Nagaland, who took the internet by storm two years ago, when a video of her singing “Coat of many colors” by Dolly Parton went viral. We sat down with her to find out what she’s been up to, her musical journey so far and what she hopes people take away from her music. It’s a beautiful one… read on to find out. Hi Moajung, tell us something about yourself and what you’ve been up to. My name is Moajungla Jamir and I am 22 years old from Dimapur. I am the youngest in the family, living with my mother alone …

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Indie Rock Band From Nagaland “Trance Effect” Wants to Make Music That Heals Depressed Souls.

“Its alright, no more pretending.  Just ride without no worries  Its alright, don’t hide  . .” Just free yourself and let it dance ” goes the lyrics of the latest single ‘Stop Pretending’  by TRANCE EFFECT. This Indie rock band from Nagaland wants to use their music to talk about mental health issues and by doing so, aims to help people overcome their dark phase by creating beautiful music that heals. TRANCE EFFECT can be a safe haven for anyone who believes in the healing power of music. We sat down with the members of Trance Effect to know more about the team members, their music and some more Hi! Please introduce yourselves We are Trance Effect, a newly formed Indie band based out of Dimapur. We are a new band, formed in 2017. On vocals, we have our dynamic and compelling performer Iuli Yeptho, an energetic performer with her powerful vocals. Temsujungba on guitars, the bigger than life character and an outstanding showman. Sosang on drums, a quiet but an expressive player who never fails to …

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Meet Vikhietuonuo Rutsa – Soulful Pianist and Music Teacher from Nagaland

“Music is the key to your soul” As cliché as it may sound, it is always going to be true! Music can trigger feelings and memories, and most importantly, can connect you to the self, the creator or even a stranger thousands of miles away from you. Today we have a sweet soul, who is a pianist, music teacher and youth leader. Vikhietuonuo Rutsa from Nagaland radiates peace and calm, and that you can feel very strongly in her music. We had a quick chat with the musical genius Vikhietuonuo Rutsa, to talk about what keeps her focused and optimistic, taking risks, and how to prepare for stage performances, as a beginner. Tell us something about yourself, and when did you start playing? Hi , my name is Vikhietuonuo Rutsa but my friends call me Vikhie or Vi. I’m 26 years old from Kohima – a Sociologist, a Musician, Youth Chairman and a Worship Leader at Baptist Mission Church, Kohima. “I started my first piano lesson when I was 10 from Miss Mhalevonuo Zhale. Later on only …

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“My Top 7 Tunes From The Hills Of Nagaland” by Jungio

Our contributor and music aficionado Jungio has shared another list of his top seven songs from Naga artists. He also adds a personal commentary about each of the tunes, and why he thinks we should give them a listen. Over to Jungio! “Despite the paltry infrastructures and less-than-ideal circumstances, musical talents from the region have been able to put Nagaland on the map for something worth writing about and beyond. So without much further ado, let’s shine a spotlight on these stars and their tunes that deserves your attention and your listening ears.” ~ Jungio Here’s the Top 7 tunes curated from the hills of Nagaland. “See” by Tuden Jamir  There are songs with piercing lyrics, there are songs with evocative melodies and then there is this song from the songwriter extraordinaire, Tuden, who effortlessly brings together both these elements in this outstanding track – with the finesse and showmanship of a musical alchemist. “This song is the de-facto anthem of any twenty-something-someone swimming against the tempestuous tides of conventionalism and conformity, a love letter to the …

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This Self-Taught Dancer from Arunachal is Melting Our Hearts with Her Dance Moves | Meet Nemngai Mosang

Meet 22-year-old Nemngai Mosang from Arunachal, who is a passionate dancer, plays the guitar and enjoys listening to K-pop. Don’t brush her off as just another dancer on Instagram – yet. The fact that is self-taught, working hard on her dreams – every day, manages to inspire us with her dance moves and fun-loving attitude, and brings together multiple cultures – the Northeastern and Korean cultures through her love for Korean music and dance moves is admirable. Also, she is a talent powerhouse (she plays the guitar too!) with tons of positivity! So let’s get to know her a little bit more 🙂 This 22-year-old enthusiastic powerhouse of talent chats with R&L to talk about her dancing journey, her creative mantra and more. Hi, would you like to tell us a bit about yourself? I am Nemngai Mosang, 22-year-old self-taught dancer from Arunachal Pradesh. For me, dancing is everything; I just can’t express how much I love dancing! Dancing allows me to be completely myself and makes me happy. Apart from dancing, I also like to play the …

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Another Musical Talent from Northeast India You Need to Follow – Meet Vocal Artist Thunglamo Ngullie from Nagaland

Music and Musicians, you will find aplenty in Northeast India; it’s a huge part of their lives, and most of the artists are genuinely talented and passionate – which is the reason why we just can’t stop writing (or talking!) about them! Trust us, we have merely scratched the surface of what is a goldmine of creative talents in this part of the world. Today, we introduce you guys to Thunglamo Ngullie, a 27 year old dynamic and versatile solo artist from Nagaland. A hardcore music lover, trained musician, Naga Idol Runner Up and now a Vocal Trainer. Here’s a chat with the talented young man to talk about his musical journey in this remote part of the country, and how he got to perform in several parts of the world – including China and South Korea! Hi Thungla, tell us about yourself and your musical journey so far. I’m originally from Wokha district, and now I am based in Dimapur. I graduated from Unity College Dimapur; I’m now a full time musician, and also work as …

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Top 5 Indie Artists From Nagaland – by Owen Jungio

We stumbled upon an interesting Quora post by Ovung Jungio, a young student hailing from Nagaland, in which he shared his personal list of the “Top 5 Indie Artists from Nagaland.” We loved his list which featured some of our own favorites as well. So we reached out to him and he graciously re-edited his original write-up to be shared with our R&L readers.  So here it is—an exclusive account by Ovung Jungio, revealing his favorite indie artists from his homestate of #Nagaland. *Note by contributor: “This is a personal list and in no way meant to disregard the sheer musical talents of all the other artists not included in the list. The list is in no particular order.” ~ Ovung Jungio ARTIST #1 – Jonathan Yhome With glorious introspective acoustic songs like ‘Send Me Away’, ‘Before We Knew’ and ‘Something New’, this young man from the capital is a songwriting force to be reckoned with. Personally, his sonic timber draws a strong parallel with that of Gregory Alan Isakov. He also has a sister Pelenuo Yhome who is …

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Design That You Create, Should Recognizably Be Yours – Sohail Khan

Sohail Nawaz Khan, known by the name Nautilus Shell, juggles between his education in architecture, art, music, creating design for brands, advertising and a lot more things. This multi-talented artist is passionate about his work and says, “Change is constant and good, adapt it.” A little background about Sohail 22 year old  Sohail Nawaz Khan is an Artist, Illustrator, a Brand Designer, Musician, Artist Manager and an Architecture Student. Born and raised in Hyderabad and Chennai, he likes to draw on curtains, doors, cars, shoes, paper, tee-shirts, anything with a surface! He is a designdood endorsed artist. Tell us about your art. What got you interested in this? I have been sketching since I was 6 years old and I still have my first sketches preserved. My lifelong interest in the metaphysical and surreal nostalgia is a heavy influence on my art. When I was growing up, most of my friends spent time travelling or going to the movies, usually involved in outdoor activities to have fun. I remained indoors and practiced my art rigorously. I …