The winners of the first Nepal Star talent hunt, were honored amidst an event held at the premises of Nepal Tourism Board Office, Exhibition Road today. Bishnu Chemjong, the winner from Dharan, bagged Rs 240,000 as cash prize along with a music assignment worth Rs 260,000. First runner-up Nisha Atal was awarded Rs 50,000 as cash prize along with Rs 250,000 worth of assignment. Similarly, the third runner-up Almoda was honored with an assignment worth Rs 50,000.

The star-studded event had big names from the music industry with Phatteman Rajbhandari being the chief guest. Some of the other music artistes present on the occasion were Nirnaya Da NSK, Ananda Karki, Yogeshwor Amatya, Kranti Ale, Jems Pradhan, Sapana Shree, Satya Raj/Swarup Raj Acharya and the band members of 1974 AD.

Bishnu Chemjong, a B Ed II year student at Kaushiki College in Dharan, was recently crowned the first Nepal Star. Along with the title, she received an award worth Rs 500,000 on Saturday. CityPost caught up with the young lady for a brief chat about her success. Excerpts:

How did you know about Nepal Star?

I learnt about it from my friends. They had read it in newspapers.

How was your experience on the day of audition?

The primary audition was in Biratnagar and all of us had gone together. I arrived very late for the audition. When I reached there at seven in the morning, people were already in queue since five and I thought my turn would never come. I had to wait for 12 hours before I finally got the chance.

Had you participated in any music competitions before?

I used to take part in various functions in Dharan and I was third in the modern song competition held in Biratnagar two years ago.

Is musical knowledge or singing talent alone sufficient to win a contest like Nepal Star?

No. Sweet voice or personality or performance alone is not enough. You need to have a complete package of all those elements in you to succeed. Thanks to my teacher Anushree Banerjee in Dharan who's been teaching me classical music for the past four years.

Amongst all the judges, who do you think was the best?

Sukmit Gurung! Her positive words always inspired me.

What are the essential qualities of a good song in your view?

The first and foremost quality is voice and then comes good lyrics and composition.

What have you done to Nepali musical field after being Nepal Star?

This is where we make the mistake. We always want hard and fast results but music is a field where consistent and hard work pays off in the long run.

What about your future plans?

I am looking forward to releasing my album soon, probably by the next month.

source: http://www.kantipuronline.com/kolnews.php?&nid=65309