Nepali Times

Every time Natasha Shah aka Nattu comes on stage – which is quite frequently these days – she immediately cracks a joke to calm herself. But if there are nerves, the audience wouldn’t know. Everything about the 23-year-old singer, song writer, comedian, and aspiring director - the dapper blazer, perfectly spiked gelled hair, and that impish smile - exudes confidence. And when she starts crooning the latest single from her new album or a rendition of Maroon 5’s One More Night, hearts begin to flutter.

Growing up in a musically inclined family, Natasha remembers how she loved being the centre of attention at family gatherings; turning the living room into an impromptu stage, strumming her miniature guitar and belting out her all-time favourite Nepali Babu-Made in Nepal. The young singer would often accompany uncle Deepak Thapa of Bidesh janey mayalu fame to his studio where she says she began to understand the intricacies of the business.

In school she bagged lead roles in musicals every year, winning the talent competition in Grade10 being one of her most cherished memories. As the lead singer of her college band, she would always be the first person to get her group registered for gigs and competitions around town where she mainly played metal and heavy rock for the first year and later shifted to more calming rock and roll.

Like most young artists today, Natasha began her musical career on YouTube. In 2004 she posted an original number called Ma dherai maya garchu (Nattu’s song) which went viral and racked up close to 200,000 views. But she only found out about her celebrity status four years later when she was in London studying for her diploma in music.

Encouraged by the positive response, she uploaded more acoustic covers as well as original numbers like Pahilo maya, one of her most popular songs. Within a year, Nattu had enough hits to make her a local celebrity among the Nepali diaspora in the UK. Performances at Nepali charity events and gatherings like Nepali Battle of the Bands where she came second and weekend gigs at Fusiliens Pub followed.

By the time she completed her degree and returned home in 2011, Natasha had built a small but loyal following in Kathmandu with more than one million views and 4,000 subscribers to her channel. “Performing in London was definitely easier because Nepalis there always cheered me in unison. I was one of them,” she admits. “In Kathmandu, I am judged, sometimes unfairly, by a small number of music lovers and critiques, it is difficult to please all of them.”

Natasha released her self-titled debut album in May this year. The seven tracker, an interesting hybrid of English and Nepali pop ballads on love, heartbreak, friendship, escapes the derivative nature of the genre through her sheer conviction and individuality of voice. “I don’t like following the crowd, that’s not my style. Even though I am most comfortable performing acoustic, I experimented with a lot of different instruments for the album,” she explains.

You can catch Nattu on Friday nights at popular hangouts in the Valley jamming with band mates Ajit, Kishor, Birat, and Pema. And when she’s not practicing and performing, you’ll find her riding her Suzuki DR around town or writing scripts for comedy videos. “I have been singing for as long as I remember, but I feel my real calling in life is to make movies. I want to become the Farhan Akthar of Nepal. I adore his talent and versatility,” she says about the Indian actor, director, singer as she breaks into a wide grin.

Watch nattu's video

---

Tube toppers

Promise Tamang

Promise Tamang is the second most subscribed make-up artist on YouTube. Although not formally trained, her fine skills have earned her subscribers virtually from every corner of the world. Tamang is known for her chameleon like personality, transforming into famous celebrities and charactersin just a few strokes of the brush.

1,610,453 subscribers

190,424,505 views

Most watched: Fairy Barbie Princess (12,738,309 views)

www.youtube.com/user/dope2111

Shreya Rai

Twenty-year old singer and artist Shreya Rai from the UK, has been uploading covers of her favourite songs on YouTube for the past three years. She is known for her perfect rendition of old classics. Her cover of Yo Jindagani originally sung by Amrit Gurung of Nepathya was shared by the man himself on Facebook calling Rai’s version ‘beautiful’.

2,112 subscribers

177,704 views

Most watched: Lag Ja Gaale (45,020 views)

www.youtube.com/user/dryroti

Parcha Productions

Besides organising dance parties and other social events, Parcha Productions (they recently co-organised Nepathya’s concert at Wembley) are also the makers of twisted, if somewhat loud, parodies and music videos that appeal to the Nepali diaspora living in the UK and elsewhere.

1,941 subscribers

548,666 views

Most watched: Om Shanti Om - Parody (159,058 views)

www.youtube.com/user/ParchaProductions

Yama Buddha’s Rap Battles

Taking his cue from American freestyle rap battles, Yama Buddha gathered (mostly) pubescent Nepali boys to see if there was any gangsta among them. Verbally at least, because in its initial stages the battles were limited to ‘yo mama’ jibes. But some of the artists are revelations as far as Nepali rap is concerned and have already spawned imitators.

36,624 subscribers

4,667,815 views

Most watched: Raw Barz Laure vs Unik Poet (559,600 views)

www.youtube.com/user/thelyricalsoulja

Lex Limbu

According to the grapevine, all you need to do to keep abreast of the latest happenings and gossip from Nepal, is to simply call up Lex Limbu in the UK. Limbu’s popular blog is now the one stop destination for Nepalis on all things Nepal. On his YouTube channel, he shares everything from music videos to his views on a diverse range of subjects.

2,094 subscribers

3,718, 263 views

Most watched: Akha Akha- Kohi Mero Nepali (136,685 views)

www.youtube.com/user/lexlimbu

Yeshi Dolma Lama

Based in Germany, Yeshi Dolma aka Yeshigaga is best known for her Sir and Student parody skits, a comical take on Nepali school teachers. Besides collaborating with boyfriend Tenzin Tsele for these videos, Yeshi is also an aspiring make-up artist who regularly transforms herself into K-pop stars on her channel.

8,606 subscribers

1,162,966 views

Most watched: Sir and Student Part 2 (177,325 views)

www.youtube.com/user/yeshigaga