By Mannu Shahi

Bartika Eam Rai is one of the most popular singers/songwriters currently active in the Nepali music industry. The singer has bagged numerous prominent awards including the Hits FM Music Award of 2018 in the Song of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Performance (Female) categories for her track ‘Khai’ off her debut album “Bimbaakash” followed by a Song of the Year win in 2019 for ‘Aasha II’ from her secondalbum “Taral.” 

The US-based Nepali artist has a staggering 188,000 subscribers on her official YouTube channel. Rai’s poetry-like lyrics and luscious vocal timbre captivates her followers who dearly adore and generously embrace her artistic output that comprise two full length albums and one EP: the six-tracked Bimbaakash (2016), eight-tracked Taral (2018) and the 5-tracked Si/Ma- [Na] (2019). 

Born on April 26, 1991, in a joint family residing in the outskirts of Lalitpur, Bartika started to develop an interest in music at the tender age of six. By 11, she was involved in musical groups with her friends and performed at small gatherings, school events and also recorded a few children’s songs. During her teens, the singer took some lessons with her mentors Gurudev Kaamat, Shreeti Pradhan, Upendra Lal Singh, Roshan Sharma and John Shrestha. 

However, it was after her departure to the US in 2015 that the stars started to align and she got a chance to collaborate with Diwas Gurung. Already an established musician in New York at the time, Gurung with his musical wizardry further enhanced Bartika’s stunningly crafted pieces and together, they moulded an almost otherworldly sonic realm that many Nepali youths turn to to escape from the world.

The songstress today has a career in accounting but also pursues music with full passion and dedication. On occasions, Bartika recounts her time in an American college as lonely, a thrust from being constantly surrounded by familiar people to an environment filled with isolation. To process and accept this shift in her life, Bartika turned to writing and today openly acknowledges that the reason people connect to her music could be because they feel the same isolation and displacement that she felt.

Now though, the singer is in Nepal and geared up to perform shows in and outside Kathmandu Valley. Last Wednesday, she performed at the Lord Butwal Club, Butwal with her tour band composed of Adhishree Dhungana on guitars and back vocals, Sushant Roy on drums, Rohan Thapa on bass and Yuvash Vaidya on keys. In association with kgarira.com, Rai is scheduled to perform on Monday at Calm Restaurant, Pokhara and Wednesday at LOD, Thamel. So catch her live at the dates convenient for you and keep a look out for further announcements on her
social handles.