Gandaki, 9 March: Singer Kulendra Bishwakarma had said at that time, “I never thought that the song would get this much attention.” At that time, his folk song ‘Salko Patko Tapari Huni…’ was trending on YouTube. It became the first folk song to be viewed/listened to on YouTube in a short period of time. The song, which was released on YouTube in Asoj 2075 BS(2019), has so far garnered more than 100 million ‘views’ on YouTube.
After the ‘views’ of the song crossed 100 million on Friday, singer Bishwakarma shared the joy of the song’s success with the audience/listener. He said that ‘Salko Patko Taparile…’ achieved success due to the audience’s love and support for Nepali songs. Singer Bishwakarma considers the song as the benchmark song of his musical life. The song features the vocals of singer Bishwakarma and singer Bishnu Majhi. The song, which has lyrics by Nawaraj Panta, has been composed by Basanta Thapa.
Lyricist Panta said that the overwhelming popularity of ‘Salko Patko Tapari..’ proves that the audience supports good creations until later. “This song gave me recognition as a lyricist, and I am happy that good work is being appreciated,” he said. “I feel proud of my creation when I receive a response as a successful song that gives a new twist to Nepali folk songs.”
Lyricist Panta, who is currently in the US, composed this song while sitting there. While working at a company in Baltimore, singer and musician Basanta Thapa asked for the song, and Panta had prepared the lyrics for the song in a short time.
“I was humming and working, when suddenly the lyrics of the song came out, I wrote the words on a piece of paper,” Panta said. “After returning from work, I cleaned up the song and sent it to Basanta Dai to compose the music. After writing the lyrics first, the melody of ‘Salko Patko Tapari…’ was finally ready.” The song, written in a foreign land, gave Pant more height as a lyricist.
When ‘Salko Patko Tapari…’ was released, there was a lot of discussion in the music community about lyricist Pant. The song was praised for its success, saying that the lyrics, music and voice played a role in the success of the song.
“I created a story based on the ups and downs of human love and relationships, Basanta Dai gave lively music, and the voices of great singers like Kulendra Bishwakarma and Bishnumajhi made the song a favorite of everyone,” said lyricist Pant. Lyrics by lyricist Pant include ‘Dandai Furke Sallo…’ and ‘Mayaluko Sahar…’. Born in Amalachaur, Baglung Municipality-12, Baglung, Pant has composed many songs including ‘Salko Patko Tapari’, ‘Kunni Kasle Lagyo’, ‘Panpate Thuli’, ‘Eklo Simal’, ‘Rani Mahal’, and ‘Aankhi Ghazal’ while living in America.
“There are no boundaries between art and music, nor can any geography stop creativity,” said lyricist Panta. “No matter where I live, the land of my songwriting and other creative works is the same village and environment where I was born, raised, and developed.” Singer and musician Basanta Thapa said that originality, creativity, innovation in presentation, and practice will bring success to a creator. He said that the song ‘Salko Patko Tapari…’ is also an example of that.
“I am satisfied with my creative work, an example has been established that a creator can also make a living as a professional,” said Thapa. He is adept at picking up the original folk language that is dormant in society and giving it a new look. He said that music filled with folk rhymes has now become commercial and new uses are also being made. “Earlier, it was a practice to give a rhythm to a song or to sing that I have composed such a song, but now it is not like that, the singers and producers themselves come saying they want music,” said musician Thapa.
He said that ‘Salko Pat…’ is liked by a lot of listeners and viewers due to its catchy lyrics and touching voice in a jhyaure rhythm. The music video of the song features singer Bishwakarma and musician Thapa along with actress Marishka Pokharel. The music of the song has been composed by Ashish Abiral. The music video has been directed by Shiva BK. The song tells the story of distrust created in love and its suffering. The song, produced by Abhyas Digital Music Pvt. Ltd., was released on Asoj 1, 2075 BS on the YouTube channel ‘Basant Thapa’.
Nearly 16,000 people have commented on the song on YouTube. After crossing ten crore ‘views’, the song is being re-discussed. The success of a song on YouTube is measured based on the number of views, likes, comments, shares, and subscribers. Artists get paid based on that. There is a provision that a specified number of views and subscribers (group members of a YouTube channel) must be reached in order to receive money. The creator says that initially the YouTube account will be in testing mode and money will come only after monetization. The music business is now focused on YouTube, through audio cassettes, CDs, and CRBTs.
