Kathmandu 8-Feb-2014
JESSICA RAI : The summer of 2011 and his life changed. Rohit John Chettri, an aspiring musician, started working at the Kathmandu Jazz Conservatory (KJC) as Office Assistant.
Till then music for him had been “strumming guitar on the terrace of my house for fun”.
Inspired by friends at KJC, he enrolled as a student there. Playing gigs around town regularly, he shared as well as polished his singing and guitar skills. He even composed a song after a long interval. It was Bistarai (2013) that it established his name in the industry.
“I was very happy with the way the song turned out. It made me popular.”
The 22-year-old singer inherited his musical talent from his father who is also a musician. But Chettri became what he is now on his own. Growing with instruments played by his father — harmonium and tabala, music grew on him.
“I didn’t have friends. I used to play video games and spent the remaining hours playing tabala and drums that my father got me,” he reveals. His first performance was when he was seven years old at Lovely Angeles School. When in high school, he knew he “loved music”.
The musician then took guitar and vocal classes here and there. He sang and played drums in Derailed and recorded a few songs before fizzling out after SLC, until 2011.
“It has been an interesting ride so far. There have been ups and downs and I have learnt through them. There has been frustrating times too. But how can people learn to walk without falling?”
During these times, he learnt life lessons through songs in school and church.
Chettri writes songs and composes them but “I want to become a good musician”. A songwriter with a fair knowledge of guitar, drums and piano, he is a singer of the new generation.
Peppy love song Pani Paryo is another song of Chettri’s that wowed listeners.
He has also created tunes like Kina Ajja and Samalna Garo. With a great voice, he is a performer too. From covers to jazz to eastern classical, he performs all. Nonetheless, singing eastern classical songs from which he gets “different vibes” is what he loves the most. He also wants to broaden his horizon of knowledge with Karnataka music. Chettri is currently pursuing Bachelors of Eastern Classical and Folk Music.
Your inspirations
My parents never stopped me from pursuing music even if I bunked school, didn’t study or didn’t do my homework. While growing up I listened to ghazals in the beginning and songs of 1974 AD followed by metal bands like Metallica during the days of higher secondary school. Such music shaped the music that I am doing now.
Treasured instrument
The instruments like harmonium, tabala and guitar of my father’s are my treasured instruments. My father used to keep them safe till a few years back and now I do that! They are even older than me and have memories.
Any bad experience while performing? Your favourite gig?
There hasn’t been a worst performance as of now, because you tend to have fun while playing. It will be boring not having an audience while you play as you play for them. Even if you make mistakes during performances, you learn from them.
There have been many favourite gigs, but the one at House of Music recently (three weeks back) is one of them. It was load-shedding time that evening and I was performing with Ashesh Kulung Rai.
So we brought all the instruments to the middle of the venue lighting about 20 candles. It was a good show with a good crowd.
Good venue Vs Huge crowd I would prefer any venue with good crowd. It doesn’t matter
if I am performing on the street as long as there are some good listeners.
Best Compliment
When I was seven or eight years old, I had performed the song Sara Shristi Ko Maalik at Sunshine School. The composer of the song, Kiran Pradhan (I didn’t know then) was a guest there. After the programme, he was invited to speak and he appreciated my singing.
He called me on the stage and awarded me a bouquet that he was honoured with. It was motivating.
Constructive Criticism
Many told me that my singing was nasal. I was young then. Others told me I sounded like Adrian Pradhan along with his sustaining notes and was told not to copy him. I listened to those comments and worked on it to become a better musician.
One artiste you would like to perform with Since I have grown with the songs and music of 1974 AD, I would like to perform with them — if I get such chance.
Future Plans
I am recording other songs and I will come up with an album soon.
