“An emotionally inspired songstress with a graceful and versatile acoustic sound..”

Born in Kathmandu, Nepal, singer-songwriter-sound engineer, Astha Tamang-Maskey is known for her charismatic voice and unique sound, backed by her acoustic guitar and carefully crafted beats. Astha’s music is melodic, direct, and emotional, with lyrics that explore the depths of the human psyche: spirit, mind, and emotions. Her music echoes the influence of various genres such as pop, folk, and R&B. With 3 studio albums under her belt, Astha is currently working on her fourth full-length album, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa.

Early life and education

After finishing her primary education years in Kathmandu, Astha relocated to Canada with her family at the tender age of 12. Raised in a musical household, she learned to play the acoustic guitar at the age of 13. At 14, she started songwriting and performing her original songs at her local high school’s talent shows, recording her very first studio demo by the age of 15. After completing her high school diploma, she graduated from the Independent Music Production Program at Seneca College in 2008, where she was nominated for the Ontario Premier's Award for her accomplishments in music. With an interest in furthering her education in audio engineering, she attended the Harris Institute for the Arts in 2010. She graduated from the Audio Production Program and was awarded the 2011 Canadian Music Publisher's Award. With an interest in pursuing a career in music business, Astha also attended Sheridan College and graduated with a diploma in business administration in 2014, where she was the recipient of the Nelson Education Award for academic excellence. Astha is currently pursuing a degree in Business Technology Management at Toronto Metropolitan University. She has earned a spot on the program's Dean’s Honour List for 2020–2023 and believes business technology to be the future of the new music industry.

Singer-songwriter-sound engineer, Astha Tamang-Maskey

Career

Astha has been continuously writing music since the age of 14, and has an array of songs that hold strong meaning and deep truth for herself and her fans. At the age of 19, Astha decided to travel back to Kathmandu and reconnect with her roots. She recorded her Nepali debut album, titled Sabai Thikai Huncha at Kathmandu-based studio Rec Records and independently released the album on January 21, 2009. Her first radio single, Gotta Be Love was an instant hit and charted #1 on all major Nepalese FM stations. Her second radio hit, Jhuto Satya received a nomination for “Best Rock Vocal Performance” at the 2009 Image Awards. Astha was awarded the “Best Pop Female Vocalist” award at Radio Kantipur’s Music Honours 2010 as the most airplayed artist of the year. Released prior to the rise of the YouTube era, the album sparked the growth of a viral and organic cult following for the young singer-songwriter. Co-founded with the album’s music producer Rohit Shakya , the creative and marketing efforts associated with the album’s release gave birth to the company Fuzz Productions (present-day Fuzz Factory Productions) which embodied the true essence of the independent DIY music movement at the time.

Ma Ek Sapana Tour, Astha Tamang-Maskey - Live in London, 2014

Following up the independent release of her English EP 11:11 in 2011, Astha launched her second Nepali album, Ma Ek Sapana in June 2012 at the Rashtriya Naach Ghar in Kathmandu. The sold-out event featured live collaborations with two prominent Nepali acts: Kutumba and Jindabaad. Her single Khula Aakash from the album received airplay on MTV Roots India and charted #1 on all major Nepalese radio stations. Her second single off the album, Harek Saas Sita charted #1 on Hits FM radio station and was nominated for “Best Female Pop Vocal Performance” on the Hits FM Music Awards 2013.

Astha followed up with her 2014 single, Gham Ko Saano Tukra, an awareness song for CWIN (a child rights organization based in Nepal that she passionately supports) released to raise funding for the children of the CWIN Balika Peace Home. The song was well received by her fans, and 100% of the proceeds were donated to the children of CWIN.

Her English single, Where Have You Been (in collaboration with The Author) premiered on VEVO and took home first place in the People’s Voice Award category at the International Songwriting Competition. The song received worldwide attention and airplay on Pepsi MTV Indies while also earning a feature on MTV’s Just Arrived playlist in 2015.

Astha’s 2018 English single, Muse got featured on the Toronto-based, Spotify curated playlist Just Vibing, garnering attention from tastemakers and various music blogs in Canada. The title track lives on the album Muse and showcases the bilingual singer-songwriter’s versatility and ability to bend and flow through different genres of music. The full album was released on January 25, 2020, and features the work of Toronto-based music producers Losh and Captain Cl!ck.

In recent accomplishments, Astha’s 2018 Nepali single Chodera Najau, charted #1 on Hits FM 91.2 and was nominated for 5 awards at the 2076 Hits FM 91.2 Music Awards which included Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Arrangement, and Best Pop/Rock composition, while taking home the “Best Female Pop Vocal Performance Award”.

Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, the title track from her upcoming album, exclusively premiered on July 27, 2019 and secured the win for “Best Pop Singer (Female) Award” at Radio Kantipur’s National Music Awards 2078. Aesthetically and sonically, Astha has been writing with an authentic songwriting style that takes her back full circle to her acoustic roots. Working closely with production genius Niraj Tamang and audio maestro Binaya Man Amatya at Project Studio, the singer-songwriter is gearing up to release her next full-length Nepali album, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa. To further reconnect with her acoustic beginnings, the singer-songwriter is also in the process of recording and releasing a series of acoustic renditions of her original songs backed by her acoustic guitar.

Aside from her solo projects, Astha frequently collaborates with her mother, a talented and accomplished writer, singer/lyricist Susan Maskey, co-writing songs and uploading acoustic performances under the moniker Aama Chhori. Their patriotic tribute of Baneko Chha (Gopal Yonzon) has garnered over a million streams on YouTube.

Tour

Over the years, Astha has had the opportunity to work with prominent Nepalese event promoters such as Parcha, 3D events and K Garira performing internationally in concert venues all around the world, such as The Metro (Sydney, Australia), The Coronet Theatre (London, UK), The Hi-Fi (Melbourne, Australia), Café Live and Loud (Sikkim, India), The Horseshoe Tavern (Toronto, Canada), The Opera House (Toronto, Canada), and The Hard Rock Café (Boston, USA). She has also performed at music festivals such as Toronto Indie Week, Fete de la Musique, City Roots Festival, Nepal Music Festival, the Chevrolet Miles Music Festival, and the Himalayan Blues Festival. She is currently getting ready to embark on her subsequent promotional tour for the release of her new album, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa.

Aside from being a musician, Astha is also an entrepreneur in spirit. She is a passionate dreamer, a risk taker, and a pursuer of knowledge. She dedicates her time to various artistic endeavors, with a particular focus on music, her greatest passion. Astha—her name itself means “faith,” and her faith is in music.

“i want to capture complex human emotions in stripped down minimalistic songs and create a sonic space of intimacy withmy listeners. by welcoming them into my world of emotions, i hope that they will be inspired to express and discover their emotional freedom. after all, isn’t that what we are all searching for? deep and meaningful human connections?” — astha