“One way to judge the impact of Narayan Gopal in Nepali music is by questioning what came after him,” explains Jangam. Narayan Gopal’s meticulousness and earnestness in music making raised the whole industry. The overall quality of music would have decreased.” “It’s not that there would be no progress in Nepali music, but the standards would probably be lower. The effects of Narayan Gopal’s absence from the music industry would be hard to calculate, says Jangam, but he is sure that the level of maturity of Nepali modern music would be far lower. “I made a total of 28 different tunes for the song before Narayan Gopal selected one,” Jangam says. Jangam was the only outsider approached to compose for the Queen’s lyrics. In the mid-80s, Jangam was already under pressure to work for then powerful Royal Palace, which usually roped in musicians from either Radio Nepal or the Royal Nepal Academy. “Narayan dai had a strong artistic temperament and it was not very easy to work with him,” says Jangam, recalling the time he was roped in by the Royal Palace to compose the music of “Euta Manche Ko”, the lyrics of which was written by the late Queen Aishwarya under her pen name Chandani Shah.
FAMOUS NEPALI SONG MOVIE
Narayan Gopal’s body of work also features Nepali movie songs like “Mohani Lagla Hai”, a duet he sang with India’s first-ever Grammy-nominated singer Asha Bhosle. He was known to work in a closed circle with musicians Gopal Yonzon and Dibya Khaling and lyricists Bhupi Sherchan and Ishwar Ballav among his contemporaries. In his career as a singer and music composer, Narayan Gopal collaborated with a very limited number of people.
They have the richness that is hard to replicate.” “He was selective in choosing who to work with and all his songs are lyrically and musically sound and weighty. “In terms of volume, the number of Narayan Gopal’s songs that became hits is higher than the hits of any other singer in the Nepali music industry,” says Jangam. The modern Nepali music rested completely on Narayan Gopal’s shoulders, he reckons, and took it to unprecedented heights, so high that singers even to this day are building prosperous careers in his shadow. Veteran musician Deepak Jangam who composed music for Narayan Gopal in the latter part of the singer’s career-producing hits like “Euta Manche Ko” and “Timilai Ma Ke Bhanu”-also credits him for lifting the Nepali music industry as a whole. His contributions to Nepali music are unmatched. “I can’t imagine his not being there in the industry. That’s how I learned music,” Shakya says.
“I grew up following Narayan dai and trying to copy him. Shakya, who shared the neighborhood of Kilagal with Narayan Gopal and is friends with his younger brothers, calls the singer his “indirect guru.” A music enthusiast who has also recorded and released his own music, Shakya has put up a number of Narayan Gopal covers on his YouTube channel. “To be fair, there were other talented singers at the time including the recently departed Prem Dhoj Pradhan, as well as Bhakta Raj Acharya, but Narayan dai’s voice has its own charm.” “Without Narayan Gopal, the modern Nepali music would not have reached the same height,” says Bhupendra Man Shakya, a 67-year-old engineer and musician.
The list of his evergreen songs and the highest awards and recognitions he received also keep his rich legacy alive.īut what if the Narayan Gopal we know never existed? What would be of the modern Nepali music (adunik sangeet) without the golden voice of the Swor Samrat? Also recognized as the “King of Tragedy” for his melancholic songs, Narayan Gopal’s three-decade-long musical career (1960 to 1990) saw him reign over the Nepali music industry and set a bar, which his followers argue can never be reached.ĪpEx talked to many musicians and music enthusiasts who gave their own reasons behind why Narayan Gopal is the king of Nepali music-a king who can never be dethroned. Tune into any Nepali radio station, any day, and you are bound to meet the soothing voice of Nepal’s Swor Samrat (“Emperor of Voice”).Įven three decades after his untimely demise at the age of 51, Narayan Gopal Guruwacharya’s voice resonates with Nepali households and his songs are among the most played in the music industry. Listen to a group of friends singing Nepali songs at a party, a picnic or a social gathering and you’ll no doubt hear at least one Narayan Gopal song. Ask any Nepali, millennial or older, to name five of their favorite Nepali songs and at least one of them will be by Narayan Gopal.
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