A man with a thousand dreams…..

On a fine Thursday afternoon in Nagaland, a place where people are known for their passion in music, I caught up with a very talented and devoted Christian singer-Alobo Naga. A person who believes that ‘music is where he belongs’ and who sold out 1000 copies of his debut solo album, “ Road of a Thousand Dreams” ,released in February 2010 in just 3 days and is also one of the winners of the prestigious ‘Sunscane Skale International Music Festival’ North-East India auditions, can mesmerize anyone with his amazing voice . This itself speaks a lot about this young singer. But, how did it all begin for him? Well, Alobo stepped into the world of music at the tender age of 5 and by the time he was 12 years he began performing his original compositions. During his formative years he was part of the rock bands ‘Nice and Ugly’ as well as ‘Spark’ enthralling audiences both at home and outside. He was also adjudged as the best vocalist and best performer in ‘Summer Jam 2003’.He even plays the keyboard, guitar and piano with competent ease.

 

A former student of the Patkai Christian College, Dimapur, Alobo carried his music along with his education and is a graduate from Delhi University. He is also a post graduate from the Indian Institute of Travel and Tourism Management, New Delhi. During his days in New Delhi, he performed a number of gigs and was also featured in some of the radio stations. But ‘Music’, he says, ‘needs pure dedication and has always been a part of my life.’ This even made him give up his one year old job to take music as a full time profession. His total dedication to his passion has paid him really well and today, he is one of the best singers in Nagaland.

 

He also recently got into a marketing tie up with UM Pro Touch, the entertainment and marketing wing under UM Pro Records. A very humble person, Alobo remarked, “This is just a small dream come true in a road of a thousand dreams.” He likes to define his music as soulful but he also believes in experimentation in order to bring out compositions of international standards. He is currently trying to mix different folk music of the North-Eastern region specially Nagaland with western tunes and sounds in order to create something unique yet beautiful. Alobo is also working as the worship leader in Sumi Baptist church Dimapur and continues to perfect his musical skills at Hope Centre for Excellence under the tutelage of Nise Meruno, as he feels “learning is a never ending process”.

But what is it that inspires this young singer to move on? He answers, “There is a Divine Connection between God and me, I guess, which inspires me to move on and on.” Apart from his skills in singing, he has culinary skills as well; cooking being his passion next to music. “ Music and food go together!”, joked the young singer. Also a fashionable person, Alobo, with his funky hairstyle and a cool dressing sense regards presentation of a singer to be as important as his singing. “It is not just about holding the mic and singing”, he says. According to him, the performance starts as soon as the singer sets his foot on stage. On the scope of solo singers in India he feels that the Indian market is lagging behind mainly because of the Bollywood bug. The singers here get carried away by it. As a result, they do not remain true to their music. He advices upcoming young singers to remain true to their core and their music. Alobo likes to work hard and also dreams of winning a Grammy someday as he reckons that there is no crime in dreaming big.

Interviewed by Pooja Chakraborty for Eclectic Vibes (June 2010 Issue)