The man who has done it all

Romel Ali. While many people will remember him as the man who was once the keyboardist of Warfaze, the artiste's accolades and contributions to the music industry are much more far reaching.

When I stepped into his house on a Monday around 4 pm, I was somewhat surprised to see the larger than life man that is Romel bhai.

Looking around his house, I see a wall of certificates from various music instrument and audio equipment companies. There are also awards from organisations like Guitar Center, Wichita State University and Asian Cultural Association, just to name a few.

Having set up our camera, we start off the interview.

Many young musicians credit you as their piano teacher and mentor. Could you tell me about Romel Ali the teacher?

When I returned to the country, I noticed that the music education system in Bangladesh had not developed that much. When we were young, we learned songs by listening to the tapes. But many people now are struggling to learn music. The problem with that, is that you end up getting stuck at some point in the learning process. Advancement becomes tough.

Having been able to learn music, I wanted to share my knowledge to help others and provide them with guidance. Initially, I planned to only teach maybe two or three people. However, it began to grow over time. So, I realised there are many music lovers in the country—who shared the same dreams we had when we were younger. That is why I continued teaching.

I am glad to see many of my students doing well right now.

In your career, you have been a producer, a guest speaker at universities, teacher, etc. What motivated you to try out all of these different avenues?

I was always adventurous and could rarely stay in just one place. When I decided that I would do music, I wanted to dip my toes into every aspect of it. Whether it be the business side or the performance one.

Being able to explore the world of music really helped me become a better musician.

Could you tell us about the experience of performing with Air Supply, Aretha Franklin, and Bappi Lahiri?

When I was living in America, I started playing with various musicians. There are many booking agencies in every US state, who keep a list of some of the top musicians living there.

So, whenever any big names would come through town, they would usually look for someone to play with them at the concert. Since my name was on the list, I got the call to perform with many of these larger than life musicians.

From the Bangladeshi music scene, which artist are you really intrigued by?

One person I really admire is Rafa. Sumon introduced me to Rafa a long time ago, and told me that he was very talented. So, I kept an eye on him. Seeing his growth as a musician, I am really proud of him.

What I really appreciate about Rafa is that he constantly wants to grow and explore new facets of music.

What are your thoughts on the current state of the music industry in Bangladesh?

I think we should get back to making more albums, rather than focusing on singles. It's okay to release singles between albums. I feel like in the past, when it was the era of CDs and tapes, people were very much into listening to music. Nowadays, I feel like people want to 'watch' music.

I am not saying music videos aren't great. However, I want to say that when you focus on just the music, you can connect with the artist better. Abroad, singles are a thing, but the concept of an album is still there.

What projects are you working on right now, are there any projects in the pipeline we can expect to see soon?

Well, there is work going on with RBR's second album. I am also working on an instrumental album in collaboration with international artists and I am excited about these projects. Lastly, while I am not sure if I can share this or not, I am working on a song with James bhai. Hopefully, this will be coming out soon.

After the interview was finished, Romel bhai sat down at his keyboard and played us a small tidbit—that all of you will be able to see in a future video interview. While his hands glided across the octaves of his keys, I could not help but marvel at the magic in the hands of this man.