Hello! I’m Takar Nabam. I’m a Singer Songwriter, Guitarist and Composer from Arunachal Pradesh, India. I strongly believe in the idea of zero sum. I like to travel, be around in the nature, try different kinds of food.

I’m always on the quest for new sounds, experiences, which can be heard in my music. I like Jazz, RnB, Soul, Indie Rock music and my music is blend of all these different styles”.

How did you become a musician?

“It was more of a go with the flow kind of a thing for me. Back when I was still in School, I was crazy about cricket, and then came a sutuation where I was struck with a dilemma of choosing between Cricket and Music. I ended up choosing Music and it was the sound of the electric guitar that got me hooked onto the Guitar. I grew up watching a lot of music videos on Mtv, especially all the rock n roll bands, and 90s Pop.

Living in India, where a lot of focus is still given to academics, I made sure that I did my schooling and graduation come what may, while keeping the music alive. Even today, I do a bunch of different things like looking after my family’s business, sessions, composing and arranging for other Artist’s, while writing my own material and putting it out to the world.

I don’t think I can imagine a life devoid of Music. It’s the air I breathe”.

Who were your musical influences growing up?

“I grew up watching a lot of music videos on Mtv, especially all the rock n roll bands, and 90s Pop.

Rock guitar players like John Petrucci, Steve Vai, Paul Gilbert, Eric Johnson Joe Satriani, bands like Extreme, Incubus, Guns N Roses, Porcupine Tree, to name a few,  were on my daily playlist.

A little later, I got into John Mayer, Derek Trucks, and a lot of Jazz improvisors like Charlie Parker, Kurt Rosenwinkel, John coltrane, Robert Glasper, and Singer Songwriters like Simon and Garfunkel, Nick Drake, Damien Rice, etc. It was only during this phase that I got into songwriting, and I started to appreciate minimalism, the idea of space in a song situation.

By 2010-11, I started to  beyond just the guitar and tried my hands at writing my own lyrics and melodies. It only felt natural and I’m happy my music took that direction and didn’t limit itself only to the Guitar”.

What made you want to be an artist?

“I couldn’t imagine myself with a desk job, doing 9-5 everyday. So I took the not so “stable” (as most of us Indians put it) path and just went ahead with what my heart said. The degree of satisfaction that Music gave me couldn’t be matched with anything else.

As an Artist I have a responsibility of putting out the best version of myself and be remembered for my contribution to the Art”.

What has been your best gig?

“My performance at Ziro Festival of Music, 2018 was quite a special one. Not only because of the overwhelming response we got from the people, but also because we played a really tight set”.

Watch the video here –

Can you tell us a bit about your music?

“I recently put out a single that I wrote for my wife for our first wedding anniversary. It’s called Further. You can listen to it here – https://fanlink.to/haSr

I’m currently working on some more new singles, which I hope to put together as a part of a full length Album or an EP. A lot of these song ideas came to during the second wave of Covid. I’m glad I could record these ideas at home. It’s time to build on it and put them out to the world”.

Describe your music in 3 words.

“Dreamy, Romantic, Calming”.

What makes you stand out from others?

“I think my knack for crossing the genre boundaries  is something that makes me stand out from others.

For instance, I wrote a song that blends my western music influences with the Himalayan folk music influences from the North Eastern part of India.

Here’s the song – https://youtu.be/epLi2fVZcpY

In fact one of the Music Magazines, AHH (A Humming Heart) said – “infusing the traditional Himalayan dramyin into what are essentially Western styles of blues and R&B tracks comes across as yet another Easter egg that pays homage to his roots.”

(Full Article here – https://ahummingheart.com/reviews/takar-nabam-delivers-a-guitar-fusion-bliss-on-ep-red-yellow/)

What are your plans for the rest of 2022?

“Get back on the road again, play some shows, create some buzz. Release more singles, collaborate with Artist’s I like”.

If you had to be remembered for one thing apart from your music what would you want it to be?

“My presence being the reason for making someone happy”.

Any gigs coming up?

“I’m working on a pan India tour, as I write this. I really hope that I’m able to put this together, it’s been a really long time since I’ve gone for a full fledged tour with my band. I really want all my new music to reach different demographics”.

By Siân Parker

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