Sadi Mohammad Shahnewaz

It is quite impossible to narrow down a few songs from a library of over 5000 pieces of excellence – that in itself speaks for the impact that Alauddin Ali had on the Bangladeshi music industry.

Trying to embrace the “new normal” during the pandemic, the entertainment industry faces a peculiar challenge. Amidst the drawbacks, artistes in the entertainment industry are trying to innovate and come up with solutions to overcome challenges, speakers said at Youth Skills Summit 2020.

We recently lost one of Bangladesh’s most recognisable voices with the demise of Andrew Kishore. Having started his playback singing career with the 1977 film Mail Train, Kishore went on to lend his voice to thousands of songs, in the span of over four decades.

Writers are usually advised to shy away from words like ‘masterpiece’, ‘classic’, ‘perfect’ – or other bold terms and such, especially in an industry that tries to promote mediocrity as a given. Quite often, the lack of equipment, manpower and investment is cited as a reason.

One of the most recognisable faces in Bangladesh’s entertainment industry, Tahsan Khan has grown tremendously as an artiste over the past decade.

Even though the ongoing pandemic has affected professional artistes the hardest, the rising stars in the music industry also face an uphill challenge, after musical events stopped altogether throughout the country.

Expensive gear, intricate DAWs and state-of-the-art noise cancelling – is what a top-tier musician is used to while recording.

It was, perhaps inevitable for the music industry to see huge losses in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic. Since social gatherings can put one’s well-being at risk right now, live shows have been cancelled, hindering the biggest source of income for musicians and putting their future in jeopardy.

One of the most commercially successful Bangladeshi photographers, Prito Reza had to scratch and claw his way to the top, through hard work and dedication.

Forbes recently announced its fifth annual 30 Under 30 Asia list, featuring entrepreneurs, leaders and changemakers across Asia under the age of 30.

This morning, social media was taken by storm when Raba Khan’s inclusion in the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia 2020 List was announced. The artiste, who made a name for herself with comedic content after launching her YouTube channel, The Jhakanaka Project, in 2014, is elated at her own achievement. “Incidentally, Forbes is the only magazine that my father reads,” said Raba in an interview over the phone. “You can only imagine how happy my family is after the official announcement.”

Eminent Nazrul Sangeet exponent Sujit Mustafa is also one of the finest vocal trainers in the country. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the artiste has taken an initiative to teach his students from home. “Even though the true dynamics of a lesson might be compromised, it is for the safety of my students that I have decided to take my classes online,” says the singer, who has previously offered online lessons to students abroad. “The exercises are student-specific, as the enrolled students can now find lessons that are relevant to their skill cap”.

As the worries of the coronavirus spreading amongst the masses come to a tumultuous rise, the best you can do to protect yourself and your family, is to simply stay home.

This month is an important one for Bangladesh’s history, as the birth centenary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman lies ahead.

As afternoon turned to evening in my chat with Shonar Bangla Circus, it was evident that they had put their heart and soul into their debut album,‘Hyena Express’.

“The greatness of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman cannot be captured in one or two books,” says Shah Alam Shazu, a popular writer-journalist who has authored 45 published books.

It is quite possible that one way or the other, you know Marzuk Russell.

In the 1980’s as the disdain for the establishment became ever more apparent among the youth, musicians started fusing double bass drumming, complex shredding and the aggression of hardcore punk.

You cannot put a price tag on emotions, but you can charge a premium for products that are marketed to manipulate them.

“What camera did you take the picture with?” is a question that Prito Reza, one of Bangladesh’s prolific photographers, hates. “In 2020, what matters more than the camera you’re holding, is your skill,” he says.