This month we are featuring Phiroj Shyangden as the Personality of the Month. Mr. Shyangden is a very well known Nepali singer who sang hits like “Mayalu le”, “Parelima”, “Samjhi Baschu” to name a few. Currently he is on a musical tour around the United States.
Born and raised in Darjeeling, Mr. Shyangden started playing guitar when he was in middle school. He got his formal training in western classic from his guru Mr. Jeevan Pradhan. He says, “I grew up in a community where many were into music and that inspired me to take music as a passion.”
Mr. Shyangden moved to Kathmandu in 1990 where he met with Nirakar Yakthumba. The duo started practicing music together and soon started singing at gatherings and get-togethers. In few years time (1994 AD) they came up with the idea to form a band and named it the 1974 AD.
Together with his band members, Mr. Shyangden sang several Nepali hit songs and released number of hit albums that soon made him and his band a pop sensation across the nation.
“The name 1974 AD was chosen because we liked the music from the 1970’s and many of our songs are influenced by the songs from the 70s”, says Mr. Shyangden when we inquired him about the very popular yet mysteriously chosen band name.
Mr. Shyangden personally likes Deep Shrestha, whom he refers to as his idol. He started his music career singing one of Mr. Shrestha’s previous hit song. He likes to play guitar and is very interested in guitar carvings as well. He also likes calligraphy.
For newcomers he says, “Practice, practice and practice – that’s what it takes to be a successful artist.”
He is no longer a member of the band “1974 AD”. He told us that he is currently exploring and learning various genres of music including Jazz and Bluegrass. He is also planning to collect folk songs from Eastern and Western regions of Nepal, which he hopes, to rearrange and present in a different and innovative style.
We wish him Good luck with his work and thank him for the time he set aside to talk with us.
Brief Bio
Full Name : Phiroj Shyangden
DOB : April 24
Birth Place : Tukvar Tea State, Darjeeling
Current Residence : Kathmandu, Nepal
Hobbies : Guitar carving (customization) and calligraphy
Education:
• BA graduation from North Bengal University, West Bengal, India
• College graduation from Darjeeling Govertment College, Darjeeling
• 5 years of course in western classic
Contact: [email protected]
