Rajesh Payal Rai, one of the busiest and most popular playback singers in the industry today with over 700 songs for Nepali films already under his belt, is considered to possess amazing vocal capabilities. His first recorded song 'Samjhana Ko Kura Nagara' on Radio Nepal to the lyrics by J.G. Rai and composed by Shakti Shrestha and then there has been no stopping this popular singer. However, the first song that gave birth to his meteoric career was 'Failiyo Maya Dubo Sari' which was composed by musician Shila Bahadur Moktan and written by Tri Bikram Pandey. He has numerous albums to his credit. His first album ‘Murchana’ was released in the year 2052 BS, followed by ‘Purba Ma Rang Chadecha’ in 2053 BS, ‘Just For You’ in 2054 BS, ‘Love Letter’ in 2055 BS, ‘Baiguni Raichau Mayalu’ in 2056 BS, ‘Nigaha’ in 2058 BS, ‘Jadau’ in 2061 BS, ‘Kamana’ in 2063 BS and ‘Jadau 2’ has just been released. Him, seriously being ill not long ago was a matter of great concern not only for his near and dear ones and his thousands of fans but also for the whole music industry. Thankfully he has recovered and is now rearing to carry on doing what he does best…making great music. Below are some of the excerpts of my conversation with the man they sometimes lovingly also call the ‘Kirati Raja’. Here we go on the man and his music.You've lost weight considerably, how is your health now?
I'm fine now. Thank you for the concern. It's because of the love and support that I got from all quarters that enabled me to recover really fast. I'm on physiotherapy these days so I have been advised to lose my weight. I have been able to bring my weight down to 65 kgs and believe me, that takes quite a lot of effort!
We were informed that you had a nasty stroke and was even partially paralyzed, what actually happened?
Actually, its got to do with the thickness of my blood, so say the doctors and hence, there was a problem of blood flowing up to my brains. Due o this, some parts of the brain got weaker which is not really paralysis though the doctors said that they were symptoms of paralysis. I'm OK now and again, thanks for the concern!
It is perceived that all this was because of your heavy drinking habit. Is it true?
It's true and I am being honest here! More than heavy drinking it was because of late nights on a regular basis for a long time. I used to smoke a lot too; like 5 to 6 packets a day. Now I've quit drinking and smoking completely. After what I have gone through, I request everyone not to drink and smoke. I am speaking through experience. It spoils your health and you end up spending hell lot of money as well.Being a heavy drinker and smoking constantly definitely takes a toll one one’s health. However, it must have been real tough to get over the habit. Could you tell us about how you overcame it?We all are aware how harmfuladdiction is and how difficult it is to quit the habit. It was very difficult for me as well but it all boils down to will power. I did have a tough time but then again, I had no choice. I was a lazy person back then but there had been occasions when I had to even record 8 songs in a single day which is a record in itself. So, one cannot presume that I neglected my work then. After giving up that bad habit I've become more active and wish to work even harder. I am now open for practically anything in life.
Is there any more bad habit that you wish to quit?
I hate kich kich! It’s something that gets on my nerves very quickly and I sometimes feel like bashing up that person. I want to control my anger and be at peace with myself. I am working on it and have been rather successful so far.
How is life different now that you have quit drinking?
It's totally different. In the past I was just living for myself. It was taking its toll on my health and I was spending a lot. At times I wouldn't even know what I did or what I said. I would say I was unsocial at that time. I would be ready to drink anytime at anytime of day or night. But now, life is more peaceful and I know what I'm talking about. My whole perspective towards life has completely changed.
Lets now talk about your recent just concluded tour to eastern Nepal, how was it?
It was wonderful. It was different from what I had been doing here in Kathmandu. In regards to the crowd, at every show there were no less than 10,000 strong people, Terhathum, Dhankuta, Dharan everywhere. In Beldangi, a place which is near Damak there were almost 1 lakh people. The experience performing for such a huge crowd was simply amazing. (Click here to view the pictures of the concert). It was a show that I shall always remember. It was one of the best shows in my career in terms of crowd presence. I had to stop the show in the middle because of security reasons; it was really hard to control that huge mass and we had a feeling some sort of chaos was inevitable. Right here through fursad.com I wish to thank all my audience who were present at the shows for being so kind and appreciative.
Could you tell us about your recently released album ‘Jadau 2’?
The market response of ‘Jadau Part 1’ was good. The album contained 'Purbeli Bhaka' from places like Khotang, Terhathum, Pachthar. It also contained Hakpare and Palam. Now the different thing with this ‘Jadau Part 2’ is, I've also incorporated 'Paschimeli Bhaka'. It's not only me, Sunita Subba didi has lent her voice too along with Sindhu Malla, Kavita Rai and Tara Ji. To sum it up, the album can be categorized totally as lok album, it contains only lok flavors.
Many say that the music industry is going through tough times and it's on a decline. Any opinion on this?
I can't speak for others but I disagree with this. Actually, the market is growing and artists are more busy than ever. I agree that artists aren't getting proper royalties from their respective sources. There is no concrete procedure regarding royalties here in Nepal and that has been a great difficulty for artists and a major drawback for everyone involved in the industry. Most of the countries have a clear cut royalty management and institution in place. There are many sources of royalties such ring tones, but we have to go through a lot of hassle for that and we get very less for what we've invested. There are other sources too but it's not yet properly outlined and managed.
Few years back you also tried your hands in movies as an actor, how was the experience?
I had done a few movies, ‘Daibasanjog’, ‘Dautari’, ‘Pare Ni Mayajalaima’ in some character roles before I did 'Gundaraaj' as a full fledged actor. It was definitely a different experience because I had to go through action and cut sequences and all those dialogues, all those camera angles and crying, emotions, fights and action… that was new for me and it was much more difficult than singing but I enjoyed it. Director Uday Subba offered me the role and the film was complete and pretty well received as well. Even today, the vcds of the film are selling in the market.
Why didn't you continue as an actor after that?
After ‘Gundaraaj' the same director offered me a role in a movie named 'Kanoon' which had famous casts like Rajesh Hamal and Dilip Raymajhi but because of my previous commitments and obviously time management failures, I couldn't do that movie but I did do the music for the film.
Have you thought of doing more movies in the future?
These days I'm very busy with my concerts and recordings which is my main forte. Honestly speaking, I've also not been offered any films in recent times but if I am approached with any significant roles, I am more than open to it.
You are one of the most busiest playback singers today, how did it all begin?
I started with the movie named 'Garib' and I want to thank the producers of the movie Ashok Sharma, Kiran Sharma and music director Shambhujeet Banskota for that. After the first song I did for the movie, Ashok Sharma also wanted me to do three more songs and after that, I didn't have to look back. Offers kept rolling in.
How is singing in films different from singing for your personal albums?
Ya! It's different. While singing for films it's important to consider the cast and what suits a particular person… who is singing the song in the movie and so on. I also need to be very aware of the concept, story line, different characters, situations the song is being pictured on etc. as well as how it is being presented on screen. Whereas, while in my album it's just me and I sing the song being myself!
To something personal now, do you have a girlfriend and when are you planning on getting married!
I don't have a girlfriend. My fans might be curious about when I'm getting married on the similar lines like when Salman Khan or Rajesh Hamal getting married! There is no definite age to get married. Right now, I have been very much focused on my career and my responsibilities as an artist. I have to do a lot for my music and country still. I have no plans right now but I will definitely later. Lets see. Hehehe!
Could you name some of your favorite singers?
I like Narayan Gopal, Bachhu Kailash, Deep Shrestha, Arun Thapa. Talking about singers from the younger generation, I like Nima Rumba, Raju Lama, Khem Raj Gurung, Sujil Karmacharya, Dibya Subba and as for international singers, I like Elton John. When it comes to Indian singers, I like Sunidhi Chauhan, Udit Narayan and Sonu Nigam.
