Smashing traditional female's gender barriers

Music has always been a means to raise one’s voice and express dis­satisfaction. Women, once confined to their homes, are also starting to break social chains. Now they rock. Here are the thoughts and experiences of five women of different ages and backgrounds who have done so and made a name for them­selves as professional live musicians.

Rina Giri, 22, performs with the band Melody.

Tenzing H/yolmo, 26, is pas­sionately active in the field of music.

Irina Giri, 23, goes by the stage name Flekke and plays electronic music.

Ashra Kunwar, 23, is the front-woman of the all-girls band JOTs, and is also the win­ner of “Miss Heritage Interna­tional Nepal.”

Yankey Ongmu Lepcha,29, whose band April Rush won the Hits FM Awards for its debut single Tyo Hawa in the ‘new artist’ category, has 15 years of experience in music.

The beginning

Rina: I used to perform in school and college events, and one thing lead to another. I met a band member of Mel­ody while I was in grade 12 and from there I began my live-singing career.

Tenzing: I never thought of being a singer and I have never received official training in music. But I used to record songs as a chorus singer. I consider myself lucky that I started singing with the pop­ular band ‘The Electrix’. The opportunity presented itself and I grabbed it.

Irina: I started with the help of my friend Pranav Manand­har. I was casually asked to play at an event my sister organized. I used to perform in school and even during my stay at Norway. When I was in Vancouver, I attended a live music show, which opened up new avenues for me.

Ashra: It began with the school choir, eventually leading to a performance in the ‘Women in Concert’ in 2014. I was the only art­ist without a record­ing whose audition was selected. The experience encour­aged me, and it kicked off a series of concerts. In 2017 I joined the JOTs band.

Y a n k e y : Coming from a Christian family, I had a strong church and choir background. I also went to a Scottish missionary school where music and singing were an important part of the cur­riculum. I was in grade 10 when I performed in my first stage show.

Inspiration

Rina: Ram and Laxman Dangol, whom I consider my brothers. They encouraged me to perform on stage.

Tenzing: I really don’t know. As I said, I never thought of being a singer and I haven’t thought of what inspired me.

Irina: My family, especially my brother and sisters. They were interested in music, and when I was young they used to buy cassettes and play music, which I also listened to. And movies. I watch a lot of them, and the soundtracks inspire me.

Ashra: From my childhood, I used to listen to the gothic band ‘Evanescence’, whose singer Amy Lee I really liked.

Yankey: All my fellow musicians. I don’t follow or idolize anyone. Every­body is different good in their own ways.

Besides music

Rina: I’m pursuing a bachelor’s degree at the Lalit Kala Campus.

Tenzing: It’s mostly music for me.

Irina: I am a freelancer. I like writing, making music and creating videos.

Ashra: I am pursuing a mas­ter’s degree in Environmental Science. I’m also a founder and project director at an organization that works on women empowerment.

Yankey: I work at a travel and trekking company.

Acceptance

Rina: It’s obviously difficult for a girl to work late nights and expect her family to support her. The first day I remember I came home at 10 pm, my mom got scared and told me to never go out again. I argued with her, and my band members convinced her that they’ll be responsible for my safety.

Tenzing: It was difficult in the beginning—late nights and Thamel. But my parents knew about my passion for music, and when my relatives visited Thamel and heard me sing live, they proudly shared it with my parents.

Irina: My mother will always be worried when I’m not home by a certain time. But I’m also lucky that my family is liberal and under­standing.

Ashra: The difficulty fades away with time. It was a dif­ferent story when I was in school, but now that I’m doing my master’s, my family under­stands and supports me. Usu­ally, my father picks me up after my gigs.

Yankey: It has never been difficult for me to convince my family as they all appreci­ate music and everyone sings and plays an instrument. Plus I started performing and touring from an early age; I didn’t leave them with too many options. Now I’m not only a performer and musi­cian but also the mother of a five-year-old daughter, so I have to consider her mood as well.

Future plans

Rina: I want to focus on non-commercial songs and organize and perform in char­ity shows. I also want to start an all-girls band.

Tenzing: I don’t have any specific plans as such. I will go with the flow and grab any opportunity that comes my way. But music will always be there in my life.

Irina: I don’t have any spe­cific plans either. I will keep pursuing my interests like writing, making music and creating videos.

Ashra: Our band is plan­ning to release an original soon. I’ll be working part-time at ICIMOD. I want to combine my passion for my studies and music to organize a ‘Climate Reality Concert’ every year.

Yankey: Who knows what the future holds? I’ll continue singing as long as my vocal chords support me