“Music is something that defines me perfectly and there was never a need for milestones that had to be set in regards to music composition.”- Bipul Chettri
Taking inspiration from the folk sounds of the Himalayas, his music is reminiscent of tunes and melodies that are long forgotten in the space of time. Bipul Chettri, a talented Nepali singer born in a small town Kalimpong, the Himalayan foothills of West Bengal who harmonically blends Nepali folk music with contemporary western musical elements whose voice and musical abilities were introduced to the world.
Biography:
| Born | Kalimpong, India |
| Genres | Nepali Folk, Indie |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, Songwriter, Composer, Music Instructor |
| Instruments | Vocals, Guitar |
| Years active | 2013–present |
| Labels | OK Listen! |
Early Life
He came from a musician family. His grandfather was a poet and his grandmother accompanied him with her music as her fingers plucked away at the sitar. His father picked up his parent’s talent, traits and used to perform in Darjeeling and Kurseong but passed away when Bipul was very young.
Bipul Chettri attended St. Augustine’s School in Kalimpong, Darjeeling and subsequently graduated with an LTCL (Licentiate of Trinity College, London) in Western Classical Guitar from the Trinity Music School of London.
Career
Bipul Chettri’s music career was already started when he was born in a family where music has always been talked about over dinner. Then his real musical journey began in his school days at St. Augustine’s School in Kalimpong. Putting his work as the head of the Arts Department at Vas- ant Valley School in Delhi on hold, I got a chance to talk to him hours before his first live performance in Nepal.
Then in February 2013, his debut song Dadelo was released from where his voice and musical abilities were introduced to the world. The song spread across the Internet like wildfire.
He was the ‘Top Selling Artist for 2014-15, and was in the Top Ten for 2015-16, on OKListen.Com, an indie retail music site in India. He won the ‘Pop-Rock Album of the Year’ for ‘Sketches of Darjeeling’, ‘Best Pop-Rock Composition of the Year’ & ‘Best Male Pop Vocal Performance of the Year for his song “Syndicate” at the Hero Hits FM 91.2 Awards.
The Albums
Sketches of Darjeeling; Laid the Foundation
It was his first debut album. The album is a collection of songs inspired by life around the hills of Darjeeling, a small town that sits on the foothills of the Eastern Himalayas. The response from the listeners and the rate at which the song ended up on everyone’s playlist laid the foundation.
Ram sailee is one of the songs of this album which is an ode to his father. As his father died when Bipul Chettri was very young, he didn’t get to learn about music from him. But he credits his father for his inclination towards music and his choice of becoming a musician. The track of “Ram Sailee” was written by his father when he was a toddler and because there was no recording of it so he added the second half on his own.
Maya; Follow up album
In 2016, he released another album, Maya. “Maya”, as the name suggests, is about love. Love found, love lost, love given, love reciprocated, love imagined and, always, that love for the hills calls home. He tried to blend in the Ne- pali folk music harmonically with the contemporary western musical elements. The songs have a special place in his heart and it has the rare quality of touching the heart and transporting the listeners to the land where the songs were born.
Samaya; 2021 album
Bipul’s brand new album, ‘Samaya’ which means time, period or juncture is a collection of trips of his mind sauntered off on when the world went into lockdown mode in that period of quiet, loneliness, despair and disillusionment.
The Music
“For someone who breathes, eats, and dreams music, being able to communicate through music has definitely been the best thing that has happened to me.”- Bipul Chhetri
The music he composes is something that is an outcome of all the years he has lived meeting people, travelling, being in love and following various genres. A practitioner of classical guitar, the music that he creates shapes itself with time and circumstances.
Bipul Chettri Songs
- Syndicate
- Neela Aakash
- Aashish
- Gahiro Gahiro
- Basant
- Teesta
- Mughlan
Tour and Concerts
He has performed at sold-out concerts in New York, Boston, Dallas, Baltimore, San Francisco, etc as well as various cities in India and Nepal. He is one of a few indie musicians who has headlined a Music Festival in London at the SSE Wembley Arena.
He has also appeared at various music festivals across the world; the NH7 Weekender at Shillong, Pune, and New Delhi, Joon Festival in the U.K. at the Wembley Arena and Basingstoke, Momo Festival at Melbourne, Nepal Music Festival at Kathmandu, etc.
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