Bartika Eam Rai (Nepali: बर्तिका एम राई) is a Nepalese born-American singer-songwriter based in New York City.

Bartika Eam Rai
Background information
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Singer
  • songwriter
Instrument(s)
  • Vocals
  • piano
Years active2016–present
Partner(s)Yugal Gurung
WebsiteOfficial YouTube channel

In 2016, Rai burst onto public consciousness with the release of her debut album, Bimbaakash. Rai has released two albums so far.

Musical career edit

Bartika grew up in Lalitpur, Nepal and pursued music informally from the age of six.[citation needed] At around 11 years of age, she was already performing in front of small crowds. She recorded a number of children's songs and was trained by Shreeti Pradhan, Upendra Lal Singh, Roshan Sharma, John Shrestha and Gurudev Kaamat.[1]

It was only after moving to the United States that she began to pursue music professionally as a career.[2] After moving to New York City in 2015, Rai began to work with Nepali-American musician Diwas Gurung, previously of the Ithaca-based progressive rock outfit, Ayurveda.[3] In 2015, they began working on what would become Bimbaakash, a six-song EP, with Rai writing and composing the songs while Gurung produced.[4]

Rai released her first single, Khai, on YouTube in January 2016 to widespread popularity.[5] A review in The Kathmandu Post called the song a "breath of fresh air" and praised the "thrilling aesthetics of its poetry and the simplicity of its delivery".[6]

Rai was nominated for Best New Artist, Song of the Year (for Khai), Best Pop Vocal Performance (Female) (for Khai) and Album of the Year (for Bimbaakash) at the Hits FM Music Awards. She won Song of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Performance (Female).[7]

In March 2018, Rai announced the release of her second album, Taral, once again produced by Gurung.[4] The album was supported by tours across the United States and England[8] and the release of a music video for its first single, Umer.[9]

References edit

  1. ^ "Bartika Eam Rai | Exclusive Interview". Party Nepal. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
  2. ^ Times, Nepali. "Bartika Eam Rai Songs". Retrieved 2021-06-22.
  3. ^ Bartika Eam Rai on Facebook Watch, retrieved 2020-10-05
  4. ^ a b "Bartika Eam Rai on music, inspiration, and her first concert in Nepal". kathmandupost.com. Retrieved 2020-10-05.
  5. ^ "This Song Will Make You Rethink About The Purpose of Your Life In Just Four Minutes". NeoStuffs. 2016-02-01. Retrieved 2020-10-05.
  6. ^ "Now and Zen". kathmandupost.com. Retrieved 2020-10-05.
  7. ^ "HMA Winners 2074 | Hits FM 91.2 | Welcome". Hits FM 91.2 | Hits You Where It Matters !!!. 2018-02-06. Retrieved 2019-07-31.
  8. ^ lexlimbu (2018-03-04). "Bartika Eam Rai Announces TARAL Pre-Release US Tour". Lexlimbu. Retrieved 2020-10-05.
  9. ^ "Bartika Eam Rai Releases First Music Video From New Album 'Taral'". NeoStuffs. 2018-04-20. Retrieved 2020-10-05.

External links edit