Album Release Letter
To all my listeners:
You grew up with me. You’ve been there with me every single step of the way. While releasing the “Sabai Thikai Huncha” album, we were all teenagers finding our way through life, navigating through our first loves and first heartbreaks. You embraced everything I was going through at the time by giving songs like “Gotta Be Love”, “Muskuraye”, “Jhuto Satya” and “Sabai Thikai Huncha”, a loving home in your hearts.
While releasing the “Ma Ek Sapana” album, we were in our twenties, working towards our dreams and facing the reality of the hardships of chasing those dreams. But, we all continued to move forward, heal, grow, and learn from our mistakes, including our disappointments, and head towards exactly where we were meant to be in life. You made me feel understood again by embracing songs like “Khula Aakash”, “Harek Saas Sita” and “Khaali”.
Now, here we are in our thirties, more resilient than ever, with everything that is going on in this world, still persevering, still finding ourselves, trusting fate to lead us to our true purpose as we find deeper meaning in the simpler priorities in life. Some dreams came true, some did not, and some dreams ended but also transformed into beautiful new horizons.
Unintentionally, it seems that each of these albums captures a part of who I am in decade-long time-capsules, with each decade bringing in a range of new emotions and an increased capacity to feel and experience the highs and lows of life.
Now the answer to your most asked question, where have you been Astha?
My answer is that I’ve been exactly where you are…experiencing life in parallel with you.
Sa Re Ga Ma Pa - Album Artwork
Courtesy: Ubahang Nembang
In the last 10 years.. I finished school, fell in love, flew out of my mama and baba’s nest, married the love of my life, built our nest, and became a plant-kitty-and-a-puppy mama. Life feels like it’s constantly changing, but I also feel like my roots are growing so deep as I settle into the nest that we are building. As I get ready to venture into bringing more life into our nest, I’ve embraced my womanhood in its absolute divinity.
Inspired by the circle of life, each song on the album is organized according to the circle of fifths. The 13 songs follow 12 chord progressions as a sequence of perfect fifths in a clockwise direction. [(For all the music geeks like me out there :P ) C major/A min is chosen as the starting point, and the chord sequence for the album is: C/Am, G/Em, D/Bm, A/F#m, E/C#minor, B (=C♭)/G#m, F♯(=G♭)/Ebm (=D#m), C♯ (=D♭)/Bbm, A♭/Fm, E♭/Cm, B♭/Gm, F/Dm. Continuing the pattern from F/Dm, the sequence returns to its starting point of C/Am, hence the album’s name : Sa Re Ga Ma Pa (सा रे ग म प)] #circleoffifths
I’m a little old fashioned in the sense that I still love composing full albums, and my hope is that you will listen to the songs in their intended sequence as well. It is strange that I have always cared very little about the virality or popularity of my songs. Perhaps because I know with full certainty that these songs will reach those who need them the most. I know this, because these songs came to life when I needed them the most.
Circle of Fifths - Sa Re Ga Ma Pa
Artwork Courtesy : Ubahang Nembang
Dedications:
The album would not have been possible without my beautiful mother and writing partner, Susan Maskey, who has been there with me throughout this album in every step of the creative process and as a spectator of everything I have been through in life to date. I am lucky that so many of these songs have now been a way for me to capture the special bond that I have with my mother, and a way for me to relive and reminisce every conversation, every healing moment, and every ounce of love that we have for one another. #aamachhori
My father, Hari Tamang, who has been waiting patiently and eagerly to listen to the whole project, wanted to experience the album in one piece. I’m getting his personalized vinyl record pressed for him right now as I write this, and I cannot wait to give it to him so that he can listen to it in lossless format on his wonderful record player :).
A special thanks to my not-so-little-anymore-little brother, Ozasvi, whose words of encouragement always give me a boost of confidence.
Thank you to my husband, Craig, for being my muse, for loving me so unconditionally for the last 9 years, and for helping me heal and nurture my inner child, without whom I wouldn’t have been able to compose this album.
And last but not least, all my love to my wonderful sisters in the arts community: Sumnima Tuladhar, Nayantara Gurung Kakshapati, Malvika Subba, Abhaya Subba, Sahana Vajracharya, Samriddhi Rai, Subani Moktan, Suzeena Shrestha, and Bartika Eam Rai. What a privilege and a beautiful blessing it is to be able to share a warm, loving, and collaborative space with you all. #sisterhood
My deepest gratitude to the geniuses below:
Producer, Niraj Tamang - for complementing these songs with your wonderful harmonies and beautiful but subtle musical arrangements. Niraj, the songwriter in me, owes you her life. Thank you. Your work ethic and your commitment to this project have inspired me so deeply. #purposedriven
Producer, Sound Engineer, Kobid Bazra - I am glad to have found you in the midst of COVID. You helped me jumpstart this incredible project, by producing the very first song on the album, and you kept this project moving forward regardless of everything else that was going on in the world. For that, I am so grateful. Thank you for Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, Maunta and Bidai.
Producer, Ashesh Rai - Ashesh bhai, what a pleasure it has been to work with you on the songs that we did. Your ability to immaculately work with any instrument in a percussive way, always fascinates me. Thank you for Man Ko Gahan and Chodera Najau.
Sound Engineer, Binaya Man Amatya - From getting all the microphone arrangements perfectly right, to delicately recording and mixing every instrument and fine tuning every frequency, I’m in awe of what you do, and it has been my absolute pleasure to work with one of the best in the scene. Thank you for your professionalism. My gratitude to the entire Project Studio team.
Musicians, Bhushan Man Amatya and Sahil Uprety, thank you for gracing the songs with your artistry.
My dear friend/mastering engineer, Phil Demetro - How incredible it has been to reconnect with you after all these years. Thank you for making the album sound so incredible. It has been an absolute honour to finally have the opportunity to master an album with you.
Visual storytellers, Sudin Bajracharya, Gaurav Tamang, Ankur Singh Thapa, Sashank Thapa, actors; Shanaya Nangia and Amogh Aryal and the entire Kathacharya team: Your help towards curating this album’s visuals is deeply appreciated. Thank you for understanding and carefully executing the vision for the project and for helping me bring these chapters to life.
And finally, a million thanks to illustrator and graphic designer Ubahang Nembang, for the wonderful album art illustrations!
It all feels a little bit bittersweet that all 4 chapters are now out in the universe floating around algorithm to algorithm, platform to platform. #labouroflove A lot of emotions shared from all of you. I’m so happy that to all those who are listening, the songs have found you 💌. Some of you are passionately keeping the songs in loop, on your walks, in your time in nature, in your time spent with loved ones. How thoughtful and moving—could I ask for anything more 🥴? #luckyme
Thank you for all the shares and the deep contemplations, I have faith that these songs will continue to make their way to ears, hearts, and souls for years to come. As for those who have found the 4-chapter music video series, we have some good news, the full feature film “Khula Aakash” by Kathacharya is on the horizon, hopefully sometime in 2025🤫🌅. #staytuned
Beautifully told coming-of-age stories are perhaps one of my favorite film genres, and I cannot wait to find out how this story unfolds myself :).
So, without any further ado, I present to you my third Nepali album, “Sa Re Ga Ma Pa (सा रे ग म प)” accompanied by a 4 chapter music video series! Hopefully, as you listen to the album, you will feel, cry, forgive, love, heal, and reminisce with me. The album is out on all streaming platforms and is yours now.
YouTube full album upload soon!
With love,
Sa Re Ga Ma Pa (सा रे ग म प) out on all streaming platforms!
