Yabesh Thapa’s Barcode on the way.

Nepali Singer-songwriter Yabesh Thapa’s first ever album “Gham Chhaya ” is on the way. He kicked it off in early 2020. Yabesh Thapa, our voice and underpin for many reasons and one of them being that he writes his songs on behalf of all of us as well as our emotions. We either think about love or heartbreak or at least some sort of emotion when we hear this name. Everyone had and has an obsession with Yabesh’s first debut “Lakhau Hajarau.” Let’s accept the fact that we all played this song 5 times a day and felt like we were so in love. Then came “Jhari” which we silently cried to more than 3 million times collectively. “Mayalu”, “Ae mutu”, “Aakhale” etc which we rested our hearts on. Then comes his “Alapatra” with Sajjan Raj Vaidya which broke our hearts again. And many more that we play to sleep peacefully.

After getting back from the tour to Australia and UK with Vek not long ago, where they absolutely rocked the show as usual. “Tour was an experience with all ups and downs, Highs and lows.” Yabesh explains it as an absolute rollercoaster ride. The enervation that every artist feels with all the traveling and shows is undoubtable, including our diligent Yabesh Thapa. But, he informs us that it’s the crowd that actually pulsates him and keeps him alive and burning on the stage. With all our love to him and his dedication to us, he is ready to take us in the first step of his journey “Gham Chhaya.”
Ambitious and passionate singer, Yabesh Thapa acknowledges and accepts our enthusiasm for his heart-wrenching or heart-fixing work of art, magnum opus. After all of his beautiful creations in the past several years he stated that he had dreamed of making an album since he was a kid. He sees it as one of his achievements and the beginning of his radiant journey.

“Everything has an end and it’s sad but also beautiful at the same time. I wanted the album to sincerely incorporate the feeling of this. The sun sets somewhere, it has to and there is no escape from it. It’s the way nature is aligned.” He says.

This was how he ruminated on the name of the album with the iconic eye-catching cover image. He shares that his “Gham” is 2059, the year we should all be grateful for. According to Yabesh, the slight barcodes and the gaps between them represent how his “Gham” has already started in 2059 and “Chhaya ” doesn’t exist yet, meaning the gaps in the barcode which is to be filled inevitably. Astonishing thought, isn’t it? He also elaborates that the album will start with “Gham” and end with “Chhaya.”

Whatever the outcome, we will be entering the album with warmth, joy and light and can’t predict the ending as we all know the power Yabesh’s lyrics hold. With the album coming along with smiles, heartbreaks, midnight dances and more, we must prepare ourselves for a good healthy cry. Let’s also twiddle our thumbs and cross our fingers together for what’s coming for us this March.

Kasis Shahi.