DOLA

Tell us about your journey into music, how did it all start? 

I have been doing music since 2006. My brother Adit Rahman has been in the music industry for a long time, and he is one of my biggest inspirations. I sang in his very first album, but was never really regular since I had to study for my Bar. I did, however, sing for television and radio commercials. I got nominated for the best debutant singer for my playback in the film Dehorokkhi (2013) with my song Sohana. I got nominated again for the song Tumi Chara from the film Rajotto (2014). I've had the honor of working with Papon in the song Mon Doriya (2016), right before we formed Aditarians.

On that note, tell us about the formation of Aditarians. What motivated you to start a band? 

That is an interesting story, really. We did shows before on various platforms with the name "Adit and Friends". We were asked to do a song for GP Music, so we decided to do something experimental. Jochona was a result of that experiment, and it was really well received by listeners. Through the song, we realized that we really had chemistry together and should form a proper band. We are working on our solo album right now, which will hopefully come out on December. 

You mentioned that you were studying to become a barrister, and now you are an actual barrister. How difficult is it to maintain your profession and music at the same time?

For me, the only thing that was difficult was the studying! (Laughs) To be honest, I never really found it challenging because music is my passion, and I will follow my passion no matter what. Thankfully, I got endless support from dada (Adit) and that kept me going forward. 

It is obvious that your brother influenced you a lot. Who else inspired you as a singer?

First and foremost, my inspirations are my wonderful parents for giving me endless support for my music. A huge chunk of the credit will go to my ustaad, Kazal Dev uncle. Among female singers, I love Poonam and Mila. I also followed Runa Laila ma'am a lot, I really look up to her. 

What would you say is your genre as a singer?

That is really hard to say. Well, I learned classical music since I was little, and I have grown up in a musical family so I had the constant will to learn and appreciate music. Right now, we are doing classical fusion, and I am grateful to have been able to do that since this introduces classical music to a very modern stream of listeners. 

Describe yourself in one word.

It would either be "dedicated" or "honest". I am very dedicated to my craft, and try to do my music with honesty towards it. 

Where do you plan to see yourself in the future?

I just want to keep getting better at what I do, since there is no end to the extent to which you can hone your craft. Also, there is this stigma around female singers that many still don't see music as a respectable profession for women. In this case, it is very difficult for female singers to be successful with this negative viewpoint in the society. I want to work towards changing this kind of thinking. 

Interviewed by Sadi Mohammad Shahnewaz