Rani Banaima

In Episode 6, we introduced an original song by singer/songwriter Rijan Giri, who has been doing music for a long time now. His previous work includes an exquisite musical film “Sandhya”, and various other songs that showcase his mesmerizing voice which most definitely revives authentic parts of our Nepalese identity. His voice has a familiar sensitivity to it, which is undoubtedly a breath of fresh air, blending both folk and modern influences in his music. 

In the featured song, “Rani Banaima” — written, composed, and performed by Rijan Giri — his energetic yet serene voice integrating with a musical composition gives vibrancy to the overall delivery of the song. 

The musical production has an evident resemblance of vintage sounds with a playful melody. Finely strung, rich lyrical verses, Hemanta Rasaili’s tranquilizing sarangi segments, and an upbeat sound of a madal, unanimously puts the musical composition together, giving the song a very traditional feel with a touch of contemporary elements.

The production management was done by Prince, while the video was shot and directed by Sayun Shakya. It augments the song to convey a folk depiction of Nepali music and Nepali countryside in its crude form, with verdant hills of Kavre and a picturesque atmosphere in Sikali. Actors Nikhil Dangol and Renee Gurung paint a scene where a guy fantasizes about spending time with a crush in the peaceful outskirts of Kathmandu, connecting the visual storytelling to an amusing lyrical description that the singer expresses through his fervent vocals. 

We hope that our ongoing series of Class X spotlight has introduced our listeners to a lot of new artists along with their original songs. So far, there have been 7 different episodes, featuring seven new talents, each coming from very different musical journeys but with a shared passion for music.

Do stay tuned for the upcoming episode and stay safe!

Author: Riti Shrestha