With the dream of becoming a successful singer, Milan Newar (formerly known as Milan Amatya) came to Nepal from Assam, India. Although the Nepali audience was new to her, Newar was already a well-known Nepali-speaking singer in Assam and was excited about the new trip to Kathmandu.
However, for someone like Newar, who was already a successful singer in her hometown, it was a challenge to start everything from scratch in Nepal.
It was 13 years ago. But today, Milan Newar is a household name. However, this famous singer says that she is not happy with her performance as she has a deep desire to change the genre and become more classical.
The inflection point
Newar says that he decided to come to Kathmandu because his father always wanted him to make music in Nepal, which was the land of his ancestors. After the decision, she contacted her sister and her brother-in-law who were in Kathmandu and came here to stay with them.
At first, her brother-in-law used to take her to a recording studio while preparing for her debut album, Milan. Your song Jahile Dekhi of the album was a success and the rest is history.
Gala ratai, released in 2015, became the next turning point for Milan Newar in her musical career, as this song from the movie Notebook introduced her to a larger mass. Before Gala Ratai, she also recorded Ma Panchhi Hu for another film, but the song’s release was delayed by five years.
Growing out of trouble
While the graph of his success in music was growing by the day, he also went through some personal problems. However, she believes that those problems helped her grow.
“Without ups and downs in life, one cannot grow. The twists and turns of life help distinguish the good from the bad,” she says.
Milan Newar is a stage friendly singer. She loves performing on stage interacting with the audience. According to her, the study helps the song reach the audience, but the stage examines the real potential of the performers.
One can be a complete performer only after performing live in front of an audience, Newar says, adding that the setting is similar to the exam room. Newar, who has recently performed in different parts of Nepal and South Korea, says his guru has taught him that the stage is the battleground for performers. The artist must go on stage being well prepared on all sides.
The road ahead
Recently, Milan Newar released a lyric video for Sunsan Raat 2, after which he found out about the expenses and unhealthy competition in the making of music videos.
In the same context, when asked if the song is made to listen or to see, he answers that musicians must create according to the demand of the moment. “Music is made to listen, it refreshes the ear”, she adds, “music is made to feel and have your own imagination to enjoy it to the fullest. It is not good to prioritize videos.”
Inadequate budget has prevented commercial artists from making music videos. To overcome the overspending, the singers themselves are seen doing modeling on their songs.
Meanwhile, Milan Newar doesn’t want to limit himself to just modern songs; she says that she also wants to work in classical music claiming that she belongs to the same origin.
She believes that she hasn’t had a proper opportunity to sing classical songs yet and wants to take one whenever possible.
“In classical music, there are rules that must be strictly followed. Commercial songs are relatively easy to sing, so the public also easily accepts these types of songs,” says Newar. “But classical music has a different feel.”
