Growing up in Kathmandu, little did Arpana know that even the smallest nuances of her life would one day influence her craft, first as an accessory designer and now as a musician. Or maybe it was the other way around? ‘I can now confidently say that I am a musician turned jeweller (merch maker) who has returned to being a musician,’ she reflects.
The winding roads and busy markets of Nepal first led her to the underground metal and punk shows in Kathmandu. Often, Arpana found herself as the lone headbanger or dancer at these shows. Deeply immersed in rock and punk music, she also cultivated a diverse range of musical interests that matched her unique style. Her music is hard to categorise; it’s subversive yet distinctly punk, influenced by the Western sounds she grew up listening to. There are also elements of jazz shining in her album rooted in her time at Jazzmandu shining on stage, making everyone drop everything and listen to her. More about her below.
MUSIC SENSIBILITY
What I love and what I end up making seem very different at times. I am really into artists driven by their need to create their world visually, via sound or any other medium. The ‘pop music’ I grew up listening to includes the likes of Bjork, Ramones, Sonic Youth, Hendrix or even Nirvana, Neil Young, NIN, Portishead etc. At some point, Jazz and Blues were the standard. Can we even call them pop anymore in the current context? My music sensibility is varied but I have always been drawn to Western sounds, predominantly punk or anything subversive. I like anything that doesn’t conform. I haven’t changed much in that sense since I was a teenager.
IMPERATIVE GROWTH AS AN ARTIST
Unlike jewellery making which for the most part allowed me to be on my majority of the time, music is much more collaborative. I am working with my producer and dear friend Giullian Yao, who has not only allowed for a very comfortable space for me to be vulnerable but also helped me envision the songs in ways that I wouldn’t on my own. The album cover couldn’t have been possible without Herring and Herring who photographed and conceptualised the image, and the result turned out to be better than I could’ve ever imagined. Rodney Cutler who is one of the best hairdressers in the industry and Gabriel Barse, who did the most incredible make-up. My first music video (in the making) is in collaboration with Monica Sanborn, an actress and filmmaker. As much as I would like to regain some type of solitude in this practice, the collaboration has forced me to grow and learn which I think is imperative as an artist. Music making much like filmmaking is a giant beast. A beautiful beast but can be extremely intimidating nonetheless. It has, in a very natural but gentle way, gotten me out of my comfort zone and forced me to be less of a hermit. But one thing is for certain, whether you are a solo artist or a band, there is no way to do this without a village of people and when people come together for the right reasons, we reach our full potential which for me is beautiful.
ABOUT TIME
I like the sound of it because it plays with multiple meanings. There are (as of now) 9 songs, and I think I will keep it that way and maybe release the rest as singles. I have written about 12, and I’m sifting through them. The album is a mix of old-school American folk-like music, with the other half inspired by 90’s English Trip Hop/ electronicsounds. It feels like a wild mix, but it makes sense in my head, and I am trying not to judge it too much. Despite the two opposing genre influences, I feel what connects the songs is that they are in many ways very quiet, intimate and personal and in my words, I am not holding back, but I am not baring myself completely either. I am finding my balance. What I hope is that people can connect to it, not based on socially constructed identity or a certain packaging but on a raw human level.
Words Hansika Lohani
Photography Herring & Herring
