Shironamhin: A 25-year odyssey

From being told by record labels that their music is not 'in' to being one of the most dominant bands of the past decade, Shironamhin has weathered many-a-storm to get where they are now. Their albums, Jahajee (2004), Ichchhe Ghuri (2006), Bondho Janala (2009), Rabindranath (2010), and Shironamhin (2013) are all super-hits. We talk to the award-winning band on their current project, future plans, and more.
 

You reached 25 years of your journey last April, but could not host a silver jubilee show due to the pandemic. Can we expect one in the future?

Shironamhin: It really hurt when we could not share the joy of the momentous journey with our fans, who have been with us through this journey. However, we do plan to host a mega-event for both our silver jubilee and the release of our next album, "Perfume".

We cannot share many details about that yet, but we promise that it will be one to remember.

The resounding success of "Ei Obelay" has made it viral even amongst casual music listeners. How do you see the tributes pouring in social media?

Firstly, we have nothing but love for the people who showered us with adoration. However, some fans tend to take things too far: for example, we even saw people upload videos of themselves washing their bikes, while the song was playing in the background! As artistes, it does feel a bit awkward when your art gets used in this sort of way.

Throughout your journey, you went through the cassette and CD phase of the industry, and are now in the streaming phase. What is different about doing music today?

Don't forget the piracy phase! (Laughs) The best part about music today is because of streaming platforms, we do not have to rely on record labels as much, and to be honest, it feels good to be free from their grasp. Apart from that, it has become easier for anyone to release music, which is honestly a double-edged sword. The market is at risk of being oversaturated with mediocre music, which will hurt earnestly talented young artistes.

Every band goes through line-up changes, ups and downs. However, at one point, many said that this was the end for Shironamhin, which you have proven wrong. How did you keep up morale during those times?

Music lovers are often extremely emotional about their favourite bands. However, you have to remember that we are even more emotional. We just kept working and striving to make new music. All we will say is, people said that we will never regain our previous position, and they are, in a way, right. We did not want to regain our prior position, we wanted to surpass it. With the support of our fans, all we want to do is move forward.