In conversation
Diwas Gurung with Abhisek S. Mishra

 Transcript

Abhisek: I think I think we're recording that okay I don't know how to start this दाई । but it's good to talk to you then uh hope everything is well everything is good उता। 

Diwas: Yeah everything is good Yeah I just got my vaccinations finally.

Abhisek: Oh perfect, Very good Yeah Yeah very good I'm so I'm still waiting for mine iI I might be too late uh yeah just a little bit under the weather भनुम न अहिले चै। uh so let's start I guess from here all right uh नमस्कार सबै जनालाई whoever is watching this the special Echoes in the Valley edition “Letters to Home” series ma next is the incomparable Mr Diwas Gurung here with us uh Diwas Dai how's everything going how are you?

Diwas: Hello everyone, I-I'm good I'm good just umm keeping busy in this uh crazy time. 

[laughter]

Abhisek: कतिको crazy छ दाई अहिले चै उता ?

Diwas: अहिले अब because I don't live in the city anymore. I moved like upstate New York actually back to Ithaca where everything started.

Abhisek: Oh fantastic.

Diwas: Yeah yeah and here it's very peaceful like. So it's it's much safer much nicer so it's a good break.

Abhisek: What did you decide uh to go back to Ithaca there?

Diwas: I think there's a lot of reasons uh I was on the सब भन्दा first reason चै मेरो बहिनि पनि यहिँ she's studying in Cornell. So, she lives in Ithaca so it's good to be close to her and my father-in-law also lives in ithaca plus we have a lot of history like friends and you it's just something that's just you know apart from Kathmandu like this is like my second home because even when I was in the city like we'd come up every couple of months अनि when he was getting really crazy in New York I felt like this was the best option for us. 

Abhisek: Absolutely best and of course Ayurveda was founded also in Ithaca right?

Diwas: Yeah yeah we started um we I mean most of us met ithaca college. We're all the same same year I mean that's how we started and then along the way um our bassist was also a Ithaca student. I mean our drummer Mike, he was just curious to work at a studio he still does studio in New York. Yeah this is where we all met and started the band. 

Abhisek: Wow fantastic that so हाम्रो यो Echoes in the Valley को जुन theme छ दाई like uh you know “Letters to home”. Basically, you know um it's been a long time since you've been you since you left Nepal personally. I think 21 years now?

Diwas: Yeah yeah 2002, I left almost 20 years.

Abhisek: Wow. 

Diwas: Yeah yeah yeah. Oh I’ve been crazy.

Abhishek: Absolutely दाई हो। तर तपाइको अब recently दाइ you've been described described as the man with the midas touch भनुम न uh you've worked with a lot of upcoming artist हरु you know अब people like Bartika Eam Rai. Have you I think you've worked with Jerusha Rai as well if I'm not mistaken?

Diwas: Yeah, We just I mean not not too much just few songs. She did do um some of my artwork.

Abhisek: Okay.

Diwas: Uh But yeah yeah I mean uh we did uh like “Rain” भन्ने गीत उसको it was just like fun and we have another song actually that we did that we haven't released yet I don't know when I will figure out when we're going to release it. 

Abhisek: But it's busy times with you दाई। You know it's a it's a difficult uh it's a different world भनुम न उता पट्टि जाँदा खेरि पनि but uh um like how how how different do you feel uh if we play the ultimate game of what if like if what if you never left Nepal? What if you were always here during this whole 20 years expense? Do you think uh you would have made this sort of headway or more headway or less? Do you think you would have stayed in music had you stayed in Nepal?

Diwas: I think either way I would still be in music um in whatever shape or form concerning but I don't know what kind of path I would have taken. I don't know if I would be doing like producing and recording. I might just still be just be a guitarist in a band because that's what I always wanted to be with just just play guitar. Because like that's what I really wanted to do like everything just changed along the way um but I it's hard to say I think if I just stayed in Nepal. I would still definitely be playing music uh but i'll probably have a like a like a job job like a serious job like a 9-5 which uh fortunately or unfortunately i've never had a 9-5 ever. 

Abhisek: Give it time.

Diwas: Yeah yeah I know. 

Abhisek: त्यहि त एकदमै राम्रो कुरा तपाइले भन्नुभयो कुनै न कुनै way मा चै you would always be involved in music because I think that's your calling in life also in one way or the other um and I also wanted to actually तपाइले um you've helped helped so many artists living abroad Jerusha Rai भयो , Bartika Eam Rai, Bikki Gurung. uh so many Nepalese who are living abroad uh have sought you know your council in terms of audio production and sound production and now बिस्तारै you know you're working with uh nepalese यहि बसिराको nepalese हरु संग पनि like fosterings like me um among others that you've worked with uh but i've always wanted to ask that is it is music production uh as fulfilling as your own music or performing on stage how do you um you know how do you gauge uh fulfilment in terms of okay music production oh no I want to perform live?

Diwas: Umm yes, it's it's very it's not very different but it's definitely different different facets of the same thing ultimately I think it's it's about fulfilling whatever like musical itch that you have you know when I'm producing for other people I don't I have to get out of the mindset that um it's like it's like a job or something. sometimes that can also creep in especially if you're working a lot so the main thing is I always feel excited if I'm working on a song and sometimes it's easy to find that excitement sometimes it takes a long time to like find something that I really connect with with the song and then from that point on it's like trying to make the song really sound really good to me and hopefully to the artist as well so I set to find a muse for every song I mean um the thing that's different about production as compared to like working on my own music is uh working on our own music it can be hard to be objective so like you can just keep working and working working to be objective so like you can just keep working and working working you can show it to other people but it's it's hard to get that feedback but if I'm working on someone else's music instantly I am the objective person so they already did the songwriting part so they're sending it to me so I can see it from uh so it's not like I'm working from the ground up like so I'm starting from there's already percent…..

Abhisek: Structure is already in place all…….

Diwas: Structure yeah or is something that I can bounce something something I can start off of so that's that's very fulfilling um plus also I think production and mixing is is a lot of problem solving uh which is an aspect that you don't is is a lot of problem solving uh which is an aspect that you don't many shows live that things are like flying fast and you're like solving problems like on the spot unconsciously and because it's like there's a really there's like a adrenaline involved and all that stuff the production it's like it's a lot of problems that come up but it's more like deliberate you have to take your time right you could try and try and um and it's also a thing that's uh you know like it's hard to feel satisfied uh most of the time because you work you work you work and then you always feel like it could be better so I'm always every song that I'm working on was trying to make it sound the best it can be

Abhisek: Yeah yeah I think I think you do that abundantly dai. I think you make it better than it's supposed to be sometimes [laughs] हजुरको one the greatest I think audio production मा चै हुन त as an musician audio production गर्ने मान्छे हुन्छ। musician ले नै audio production गर्नु पर्दैन त्यसको लागी dedicated मान्छे हुन्छ is how I grew up at least in sunny so I never got into thinking about audio production ever की Logic or Ableton राखेर मै आफै गरुम but slowly with changing times you we've seen that you know uh we are enabling ourselves empowering ourselves to get the sound that we want uh to get you know that that that दिमागमा एउटा जुन त्यो tone with your signature एउटा just take it from here to the mp3 or to the dot wave file which is I think very important um how is it that you approach uh sound production like because uh as you said you work on a structure that's already been given to you but um धेरै जसो गीतहरुमा त तपाइले like even taking tara for example how it started and then where it ended with because I remember in the first 15 minutes of us sitting down you said “I hear tabla somewhere” almost like nostradamus um so यो चै uh what do you attribute this sort of instinct to that where do you get it from?

Diwas: I think that that has to do like a hundred percent with like your own musical taste and the kind of music you listen to and what you're exposing yourself to so um when I was very young I was I was very very like much of that very like purist you know I would only listen to like a certain genre certain style but uh I think as soon as I came to college I was really exposed to a lot of different style of music but then um as I got get older when I look back in my childhood and the kind of music that I was exposed to even as a kid so there's like a lot of different stuff like not it wasn't just like rock a lot of pop music, 80s pop a lot of like hindi music, a lot of like old nepali songs. There's a mix of lot of stuff that I think resonated with me that at that time I didn't really think too much about but now that I you know now that I'm listening to like because at this point like I don't really have a favourite genre I love listening to any and every kind of music and I think as a producer that-that's like very very key unless you're you know even if you're just someone who like just sticks to one genre it just really helps to broaden your palette like even if it's music that you don't understand when you listen to it first. Like I think it's um as a producer you really have to try to find uh something that's good in every every style of music but they're you know it's some songs I still can't get past but like listen to …. 

Abhisek: Like what?

Diwas: I don't know I mean sometimes uh like when I listen to top 10 like you know on spotify playlist 

Abhisek: Oh no!

Diwas: I mean even in there like I find like maybe three or four that's like okay I like these stuff. 

Abhisek: um I like parts about these stuff 

Diwas: Parts about it but I- I'm really happy that um there was this whole trend of mumble rap you know like really really really like dumb down rap that's that's perfect…

Abhishek: दबा दबा दबा 

Diwas: You know just gucci gucci….I'm really happy that's that that's past now I think that's yeah so that was a but I think a lot of pop music now is very very interesting and uh but I think you need to have a very diverse palette that way when you listen to something that you can pull from all these references that uh because ultimately it's like uh no man is an island you know like uh that's what I think so you you're always being inspired by something and then when you work on something you can you know sort of copy or like try to have your own version of that sound um so with “tara’ like I was thinking uh just like I was like things like they're all like there's like all these um there's a couple of songs that pearl jam did with Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan like very bad just that open tuning sound so that was the first instinct and then you know I put in more like synth elements and then you said like you gave me like a reference of like Michael Jackson and you know so it's like there's all these different influences when you put them together it creates something new and when the listener hears I don't think they're thinking of michael jackson

Abhisek: No, I I think they've created a completely different universe for it for from where we created it 

Diwas: Yeah exactly 

Abhisek: That's a magical thing of music because yeah yeah I remember मैले हाम्रो albatross को दाईहरुको ‘गरिखान देउ’ review गरेको थिए। I used to work in a publication त्यति बेला and I asked डल्ले दाई त्यति खेर what is bull about and uh he said I can't tell you I said why he said because it's your interpretation if I tell you then you know my interpretation he said the beauty of the song is you build your own memories and connection to something and that's the beauty of art absolutely. I agree uh when you look yeah dai like um in in especially the last decade 2010 to 20 uh there has been major advances in Nepalese music in terms of production in terms of how uh even live gigs are done in terms of the uh the sort of uh emphasis that's laid on good live tight music um and I think it's it's something that in the last decade again as I said leaps and bounds नै हामीले लिएको हो 2010 and 20 and also a lot because of the internet as well knowledge हामीले प्राप्त गरेको हो। so uh what do you think by this last decade uh you know the 2010s 10 to 20. How do you see them um like 50 years from now 30 years from now? What would you think, would be the legacy of this time of Nepalese music?

Diwas: Umm I think it's it's the legacy would be like um I think the advent of youtube and uh you know I don't I don't want to use the term youtube star but that's that's like that's just youtube as the medium to like get me get your music heard. Not just you know within the country but outside the country all over I think it was a mix of a lot of uh sorry like migration to nepali people moving into all different kinds of countries. Yeah and then youtube connecting being like a medium of like um you know connecting and and finding that kind of music it's that and also uh just the way that uh technology has evolved to make it possible for people to record their own songs at a lower budget which gave you know so I think I think those two things are a huge advantage thing that really advanced um as far as recorded music ani as well as visibility of Nepali artists within Nepal and outside of Nepal.and um as far as the lives show I think that's also yeah like just the internet is and you can find out anything and everything in internet and just um also I think around 2010-11 maybe there's a lot of people who went abroad that came back maybe or people had a more of a chance of like of seeing like uh foreign bands come to Nepal and play. I wasn't there but you know I would see like oh you know the drummer from Lamb of God came or you know Fellini or there's all these big names or bumble foot or yeah all these big bands were coming you know silence brought a lot of like amazing artists if yeah testament. That's insane right so I think just being exposed to that because I remember when I was a kid the biggest thing we were exposed to was like my first show was Parikrama um way back and that was like a mind-blowing experience because before that my perception of live music was you know like this and then I saw them and it was just like you know like just what's possible became much more bigger त्यहि भएर I think just being exposed to what's possible and like how tight can you be you know because it's all about perception you think you're like really tired you seem really good but then if you compare yourself to like some pro band who've been doing it for like decades and uh in like you know the highest um you know highest mastery of the craftsmanship to be exposed to those kind of things I think it really um really affects you so I think I think yeah like travel and having more artists come to Nepal maybe and also or Nepali is coming back to Nepal or like Nepalis living abroad working on the craft but now you're visible to you know people in nepal I think I don't know if that was a good answer

[both laughing]

Abhisek: I know what you mean it's almost uh you know uh when you see someone on top of their game it raises your game. uh yeah yeah because I remember when we I can't like now that you're um now that you're talking about it I can't believe that I got an opportunity to open for Parikrama as well because uh it would have never happened um like if it wasn't for the internet if it wasn't for so many things but now that I think about it that just the fact that we were opening for Parikrama all of us brought our A game as asm as well as you remember on stage because it just raises your it just raises your level uh yeah when you when you're playing with those acts I think that is more true than anywhere on Silence festival when everybody you know from all around the world share the same stage and everybody just brings their a game on stage. 

Diwas: Yeah and and even like um shows like um because last night was there I saw like a bunch of sofar sound shows that's also bringing artists like but that's like a different genre but I'm saying like not just in metal I think even in Jazz, Blues, Indie music experimental music so there's a lot of influences coming into Nepal and you know there's such a difference between seeing something online on youtube versus seeing it in live like actual you know people it's it's the experience you know it's it's like yeah it's it's a night and day difference so I think just being exposed to that I is I think that was a big deal for nepal musicians that's been a big deal for me coming to the US uh seeing yeah like like you said like um you know when I get references it's not just I'm only just listening to music I also try to go out and watch like any kind of music you know like even as a classical or like rock metal or indie experimental everything yeah so you know because it gives you context uh to the music if you're watching it live because it sort of fills you into the not just the auditory thing but also like visual and just the culture that music exists and um like so what came before that this band what came after it like who are the peers what kind of how do they dress and what kind of lingo do they use and you know what what are their influences and it's a big thing and when you're seeing someone live like all of those things become like much more clear. 

Abhisek: You see how the magic happens 

Diwas: ​​Yeah exactly yes or or like what what are they doing to make it happen or if it doesn't happen how do they make it happen like-I think live is uh you know it can be terrifying sometimes 

Abhisek: I always uh I always tell people who ask me how is how is Diwas Gurung I tell him he's a man uh who would be singing Asha Bhosle covers if it wasn't for uh for america. [laughing] because diwas दाइ loves the 80s diwas दाइ loves the 80s he loves that old school.

Diwas: Yeah yeah I love it. 

Abhisek: It's I think a part of your building block of your music uh musical career to that uh and it's shown. 

Diwas: yeah of course yeah yeah definitely

Abhisek: दाई, um what's on your playlist uh in terms of what nepali artist are you listening to these days or how you prefer? um you can't say albatross that's nepotism [Laughter] 

Diwas: Yeah i've been listening to like some like nepalese my sister just played me this girl um I forgot her name um Kiru Rana or something like that.

Abhisek: Oh yeah yeah. Kiru is fantastic. 

Diwas: Yeah yeah yeah yeah so I was listening to some of the songs it's really fun um one another artist I really liked was um sorry

Abhisek: Was the invisible man I think and there you go 

Diwas: Hennie Baker भन्ने एउटा baini थियो। 

Abhisek: Oh yeah yeah I think she's related to steve I think steve. 

Diwas: Yeah yeah I mean she hasn't done anything in recent times but yeah I was like a really big fan of her few songs that she released. and uh of course I like um गाउले भाइ that was another band I ​​really connected with um when they released their album I don't know it was like last year and now I'm looking forward to uh they put some of the album he just announced that he's gonna release five songs looking forward to listening to that and uh looking forward to listening to your music too. 

Abhisek: ​​Once you drop this call I'm gonna make you download and buy the album. 

Diwas: Yeah yeah I will I will for sure for sure. 

Abhisek: Uh so this uh it goes without saying that there must be a part of you must miss nepal uh yeah I don't know if there is much to miss her but your mom and dad are here of course your house is i've been to your home also um do you still have that uh do you still get homesick.

Diwas: Um yes I mean it's it's it's uh it's one of those things like um it's like an open wound huncha ni like um so if I don't pay attention to it like it kind of dulls yeah but then if I think about going home then it just becomes more painful I don't think that's something that's ever gonna go away it's not as severe as it used to be. I remember the first couple of years in the US was like very very hard for me just in terms of homesickness I mean there are now yeah like the covid has been really tough because I have been going back every year and it's been almost more than two years at this point so yeah um I was planning on going coming your summer time but you know like globally everything is pretty messed up again so I don't know um what's going on with that…so yeah I definitely miss home I miss uh you know my parents of course my house and my friends but also miss just belonging in that way like um where there's no question about you know sorry…. so there's no question about where you're from and you know I don't have to speak english yeah I can I can the way I am in Nepal like I I'm not like that over here or anywhere else like there's a there's a side of my personality that comes out just because I'm speaking Nepali and I mean just how I know the way I'm speaking it it's not and the kind of people that I'm interacting with so it's not just always like you know like super like liberal uh college-educated people or whatever it's like you know you have to talk you know something if you talk.

Abhisek: Yeah I know I know what you mean when you're speaking english in America you always have to be a little conscious of I shouldn't sound dumb.

Diwas: Exactly yeah yeah.

Abhisek: You feel like you know पाखे भनेर नासोचोस जस्तो लाग्ने के because that person might not even think that but it's you judging how that person will judge you. 

Diwas: Exactly yes I you want to feel like you're in control of not in control but like you know just yeah you you have like some kind of reputation they don't see you as yeah I know yeah yeah I  ended up getting a texas twang when I was in texas just so to fill in “hi y'all.” 

Diwas: Yeah that happens in the south i've noticed that even when I was deaf for like two three weeks one time and it was you just surrounded it just happens. 

Abhisek: I uh I had a fantastic time in the south southern hospitality it was that's that's a true thing I found out um yeah 

Diwas: Southern food…

Abhisek: Southern food oh fantastic but I i didn't get a chance to go to Louisiana and try out all the the seafood and the crabs and all that stuff but nick I was trying to come in this year but I think I have to postpone it again for another year…

Diwas: Uh yeah yeah the situation yeah um

Abhisek: That also what's coming up what what can we look forward to in terms of Diwas Gurung production and Diwas Gurung music. 

Diwas: I mean production is like rolling right now it's I'm swamped with a lot of projects um I'm sure yeah yeah especially since  since Covid and everything and it's not like I i don't um really advertise my services. I think it's just i've been fortunate to work with artists who are naturally talented I mean their songs are already good yeah which which I think you know a lot of producers will just tell you that it's it all comes down to the song and the singer absolutely if that's not great then you know the chances are very little that the production is going to help so i've been yeah fortunate to work with a lot of free talented people and that in turn you know pays forward and a lot of people wanting to work with me and so yeah I'm like very very busy nowadays with that and which you know the flip side of that is it gives me less time to work on my own music which seems weird because um you know because because it's one of those things that I never thought was possible sometimes I do get like a little sick of music because I'm just doing it every single day 24 7. so like when I do have time off like I just like I don't want to think about music but then it's more honestly like if I take a day or two off then next day I'm just like itching to go you know it's like yeah it's not that I hate music it's just like I need to take breaks. 

Abhisek: Just gonna take a little bit of a break. uh I'm just I'm I'm just trying to connect the charger because it just showed me that I'm almost out of juice that so give me just one minute to fix these things i'll be done in no time just in five four oh it's not gonna happen five four three two all right I have to get another one like I think we'll edit this part or we can still keep this part that's all right we'll still keep talking.

Diwas: Yeah

Abhisek: Um this uh this this whole uh uh persona that you have of being an introvert person let's talk about that that you are a very shy guy you don't talk too much um yeah uh how true is that?

Diwas: I was actually talking about this with my wife um when I was when I was a kid I was extremely extroverted uh like um I think things really changed of course you know puberty happens and people change and I changed a little bit then but I really changed I think when I came to the us because I came to such an isolated part of the country um because um okay yeah it's like I thought new york so I thought it was new york city and I was just so dumb and then I came up a and it's like you know I'm in the middle of nowhere but now this is home but uh but I think I don't know I the older I get I think I realize that I'm just comfortable in like certain situations in which I can like um feel not introverted but uh just more freer to talk I know I'm definitely not an extrovert because I'm married to an extrovert so I know ​​what that looks like I don't think I was because extroverts just have this um unconscious energy you know this you just want to connect with people like uh I feel I'm like very selective about. 

Abhisek: Like if there is silence they want to break that silence because it gets awkward. 

Diwas: Yeah yeah yeah and I'm I'm pretty comfortable with silences anyways but I think yeah when I came to came to the US in my freshman year for college that sort of you know it was a it was kind of like a traumatic experience in a way because before that i'd never left home and all of a sudden you're in a different place not that many friends very cold climate and being very homesick and not being able to. 

Abhisek: What age were you there were you 18 17?

Diwas: No I was uh 19 I think I mean. 

Abhisek: Okay so young to come and live uh even back there there was not much internet you know a phone was still yeah ISD back then.

Diwas: Yeah I had no cell phone um and then also just not being able to connect to like also I also came to a college where there's not a lot of nepali students there was only one other nepali in my class usually a lot of people went to like more in Nepalese community so you like you so you like ease into the process of you know being in this country so I was like thrusting and that was sort of my decision because um I thought that'd be good for me to just be like um you know in a place that was more secluded but that that definitely took a while just because the only thing I knew about American culture was um you know that to movies and music and that's not how it was and uh you know and I was just too young and maybe like too immature to like just um be okay with that and I think it's like we treated a little too much the first couple of years and um.

Abhisek: You are comfortable.

Diwas: Yeah I got comfortable in that scene and uh but nowadays I think I'm I'm like uh in between how introverted I was then and like how extrovert I was as a kid. where you know I'm not like I don't I hope I don't make people like uncomfortable when I'm like some I met like true introverts like you know you just feel like kind of just nervous just being around them because.

Abhisek: Yeah you're not like that

Diwas: Yeah no no yeah yeah yeah you're not like so I just don't I just don't speak too much um in a very chatty way unless I know someone then it's just like it's easy.

Abhisek: I know because I saw you uh I remember when you came to nepal and then you were touring with albatross and with Sanjay dai and with with Dalle dai and then the person you are with them is very different from the person that uh that you know normally that people would associate because you were laughing you were cracking jokes you were pulling legs you you know because you met your old school friend so I think you went back into that you went back into before you went to the US uh almost sort of unlocked that.

Diwas: Yeah yeah with those guys it's like um you know we're like old friends like you know every time it's like a party with them and also they're they're all extremely extroverted people so it really helps make me feel comfortable just being around and yeah yeah and and we have history and a lot of things references we can make that make sense and we all sort of missing age group too so that way also

Abhisek: absolutely I absolutely agree to the fact that um yeah you are you are not the most introvert person that I've ever met that's for sure people keep asking me that I'm like “he's not introverted he just yeah he just doesn't like you” [Laughter] yeah yeah fantastic.

Diwas: I think I think it's also in like uh social situations I don't really speak that much like because I'm much more more entertained listening to people most of the time uh if it's like a new situation but uh yeah I don't yeah.

Abhisek: You don't depend that that's that's such a that's that's such a great insight that you just gave uh to the fact I'm moving everywhere so this is going to be a fantastic interview somebody's going to get a seizure just looking at me um it's it's great though because I think this is the first time you ever told this story is that you were actually a very extrovert person in school and then you know it was the time and circumstances basically that made you become self-sufficient and island to yourself uh you know yeah because you were in a foreign land can't speak you know you could speak the language but you know you want to be accepted speaking the language as well which is another hurdle.

Diwas: Yeah because uh that was the funny thing when I first came here it was very hard for me to speak in english although i'd grown up um writing learning english english was actually my strongest subject in school your mom was a teacher yeah yeah but when I came here it was extremely hard to speak in english and I think that also like made me quiet for a long time because there were like times where I just didn't speak for like long periods of time because I just it was like hard for me to translate my thoughts into english exactly um I think yeah yeah it took me like a long time like more than more than two years actually to feel totally comfortable speaking in english.

Abhisek: That's it well I mean this whole series uh letters to home is basically you know um at least from what I understand and what uh I inebriated Rizu dai told me was you know that it's all about your stories of your connection uh to the people here to the music here to what you feel about home living abroad as well and तपाइको music मा त दाइ नेपालको best qualities हरु झल्किन्छ। you are truly uh truly a gem among among gem because आज मात्र एउटा Purbanchal rocks भन्ने page मा चै there was your photo and there was a meme below it that says look son of legend [Laughter]

Diwas: Flattered

Abhisek: So like in closing um what do you want to say to everyone every one of us here who admires your music who loves your music who's looking forward to more of your music uh what message would you have for us. 

Diwas: Just you know a big thank you for supporting what I'm doing and being being open to you know whatever styles and sounds that I do or I try to do and uh just you know being being with me all the way from the start to now because you know my music has taken so many twists and turns and and you know I really appreciate people supporting um all of my creative even creative adventures and just stay safe we're not over this crazy time and you know try to make as much music if you can make music or try to learn something new a new skill something you know with your time indoors if you have it and I miss you guys I hope to see you soon. 

Abhisek: We hope to see you we have to see you soon today because uh yeah it'd be it'd be great to have you here um lastly दाइ um i'd like to thank uh the echoes in the valley team uh uh Rizu dai, Angela everybody who's part of the team Rajan of course who is the first person to message me and uh yeah he was the first one for me to yeah for us to do this because uh again it's always a pleasure for me to talk to you दाइ whenever I can have the opportunity to and um 

Diwas: Yeah yeah likewise. 

Abhisek: And uh I'm looking forward to more things from you that I am looking forward to the album that you talked about I think uh you promised us an album. 

Diwas: So, that album has now turned into three separate uh albums [laughing] this is like uh that's the that's the I guess that's the curse of being able to make your own demos and stuff because you know you keep writing new songs and you know how it is like your new songs are always your like best songs . Yeah yeah yeah like oh this is but I do need to I have a very clear plan now of what needs to be done uh and also like this thing of releasing one song at a time. I think that really messed with my head because I've never done that before. Okay. Because you know you release one song and then you gauge and then and then the next releases are sort of guided by like people's reactions to it which I think is really really bad it's a very horrible way of doing music. Yeah. so I don't think i'll be doing that anymore releasing one by one. Maybe i'll use like one or two from the album just release it off because that that model just did not work for me. 

Abhisek: Yeah I expectation is the thief of joy . 

Diwas: Yeah yeah yeah it's too many people with too many opinions. 

Abhisek: What can anybody tell Diwas Gurung? [Laughter] Thank you dai uh Thank you for your time I think I don't know what uh what mark we've hit so far but i've changed multiple positions trying to get the best internet and connect to the adapter as well. But I think um we've got something special here i think we've got uh a part of your story that कसैले सुनेको छैन कसैले अहिले सम्म चै थाहा पाको छैन . Especially about your school life and how it is difficult starting a life especially 20 years ago in the U.S but it's safe to say that that we will look back in quite a few years from now. And we will see you as one of the biggest contributors to Nepalese music industry and our generation-my generation is blessed to have. Thank you so much. 

Diwas: Thank you for talking to me. And thanks to Echoes for having me for this amazing like um series.

Abhisek: Thank you so much dai take care. 

Diwas: Okay. 

Abhisek: Thank you. okay

Diwas: Bye bye.