Others
Young music lovers rejoice as Joy Bangla Concert is back after a two-year gap
One of the most awaited youth events, Joy Bangla Concert, is back this year – following a two-year gap due to the coronavirus pandemic – and this year, music loving youngsters are in for a bigger and better return.
The announcement of the return of the musical extravaganza, on the Facebook page of Young Bangla, has already created a hype on social media with netizens sharing their memorable moments from previous instalments of the concert. Many also welcomed the organizers’ move to bring back this fusion of music and history.
Already deemed as the biggest concert for youths and attended by the Prime Minister in the last instalment in 2020, the event was held every year between 2015 and 2020 – to highlight the historic March 7 speech of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman that set the tone for the country’s independence through the Liberation War.
However, considering the Holy Shab-e-Barat, this year the concert will be held on March 8 at its regular venue – Army Stadium – with registration for free tickets to be opened soon, according to organizers.
Read more:Top 10 Upcoming South Indian Movies in March 2023
Keeping up with the previous years’ unique trend, the concert this year is set to feature iconic and emerging bands of the country such as Artcell, Avoid Rafa, Lalon, Chirkutt, Cryptic Fate, Karnival, Meghdol, Nemesis and Arekta Rock Band.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her sister Sheikh Rehana appeared at the concert in 2020 while Center for Research and Information (CRI) trustee Radwan Mujib Siddiq attended the entire concert.
The concert, making its debut in 2015, has become a part of the country’s pop culture and a household name in the live music industry – stitching the wartime patriotic melodies of Bangladesh with the rock genre.
In 2020, hundreds of thousands of youths at the concert were astounded when a holographic image of Bangabandhu appeared on stage with the same towering figure, baritone voice, and that famous index finger that shook the repressive Pakistan regime half a century ago.
'Same Here': Country song features Ukraine President Zelenskyy
A year ago, country star Brad Paisley watched the news on television as Russian troops invaded Ukraine and, like many people around the world, he felt helpless at the images of people fleeing their homes.
“The world felt like it was in a new place that it hadn’t been in decades,” the three-time Grammy winner recalls.
On Friday, the one-year anniversary of the war’s start, Paisley released a new song called “Same Here,” featuring Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaking proudly about his country and people.
Read more: Ukraine: Zelenskyy seeks more sanctions, fighting grinds on
The song is Paisley’s first from his new record, “Son of the Mountains,” to be released later this year on Universal Music Group Nashville.
The West Virginia native wrote the song with Lee Thomas Miller (co-writer on Paisley hits “The World” and “Perfect Storm”) and Dawes frontman Taylor Goldsmith. It’s a three-part narrative that reflects on universal similarities, despite distance and language.
While it doesn’t mention Ukraine specifically, the song ends with Paisley and Zelenskyy in conversation, recorded during a video call. Zelenskyy talks about Ukrainians’ desire for freedom, adding “There is no distance between our two countries in such values.”
“There’s just no differences,” Paisley told The Associated Press. “You can put us in different places with different flags and different languages, but we have so many similarities.”
Paisley is one of several celebrity ambassadors for Ukraine’s United24 crowdfunding effort, and has donated his time for other fundraising efforts to assist Ukrainians. But even he thought it would be a long shot to have the direct involvement of Zelenskyy, who has traveled the world advocating for Ukraine’s military and recovery efforts.
Read more: Ukraine’s Zelenskyy makes emotional appeal for EU membership
“I think he understands that art is how you reach the most people, especially in the heart,” Paisley said of Zelenskyy, who was an actor and comedian before becoming president.
“He can give as many speeches as he can give, but it’s a lot easier to hear something with a melody maybe.”
Zelenskyy didn’t just sign off on the song; he also suggested some changes to it, Paisley said.
Paisley’s royalties for the song will be donated to United24 to help build housing for thousands of displaced Ukrainians whose homes were destroyed in the war, he said. Using his platform to advocate for causes important to him has always been part of his career, whether it was opening a free grocery store in Nashville with his wife, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, or fighting hunger by donating 1 million meals during the pandemic.
“I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night if I didn’t sort of swing for the fence with things like this,” Paisley said. “For me, I’m happiest dealing with stuff as a songwriter that’s very true and very, very passionate. And sometimes I don’t know if you’d call it risky, but it’s more like it’s bigger than me.”
Read more: People across the world gather to mark war anniversary
Paisley brings his passion on stage during live shows. He’s been changing the lyrics to his hit song “American Saturday Night,” for instance, to replace a reference to the U.S.S.R. to “There’s a Ukrainian flag hanging up behind the bar.”
The new record will be his debut on UMG since moving from Sony’s Arista label, and he said “Same Here” reflects the kinds of big universal themes on it.
“We do deal with stuff going on in the world,” Paisley said. “How do you sing about things that are truly big — a big deal right now — that also don’t feel like maybe they’re the type of thing that you would be singing about typically? And yeah, on this album I have kind of really dug deep and tried to say something.”
Paisley, who has visited U.S. troops in Afghanistan, said he’s been invited to visit Ukraine, which he’d like to do. In the meantime, he hopes the song’s message will bolster the country now facing down year two of the war.
“That’s where it gets really rewarding... feeling like maybe the heart of this helps paint the picture they want to paint,” Paisley said.
Cats strut their stuff on the ramp for first time
First-ever cat ramp show was held in the capital on Friday.
The show started around 3:30pm in the capital’s Jamuna Future Park and continued till 7:30pm. Before that, more than 3,000 cat lovers – mostly from the capital -- registered to participate in the event, said Md Alamgir, a key organiser of the event.
Apart from this, two more contests namely “Jemon Khushi Temon Sajo,” and “Khadok Biral” were organised on this occasion, he added.
Artcell releases third album after 17 years
Popular Bangladeshi progressive metal band Artcell has finally released their much-anticipated third album after 17 years on Thursday.
Primarily, the band has released the album exclusively on GAAN app, and revealed that the entire album will be available on Artcell and G-Series official YouTube channel, Spotify and other major streaming platforms from March 9.
Artcell fans can purchase the album through the app for Tk 300, and the album features six brand new songs of the band.
"OTRITIO" is a very special album for us, like many of our fans out there. After a long gap of 17 years, our third Studio Album is finally coming out on 23.02.23 (Early Access)," Artcell recently announced on its official Facebook page.
Read: Mexican musician finds refuge in saxophone after acid attack
Marking the long-awaited album release, Artcell also announced an exclusive limited edition box set for their fans, featuring a number of goodies such as t-shirt, wristband, keyring, flag, poster, album booklet and more, alongside the album. "We really wanted to mark this occasion with something very special. That's why we produced the "Otritio Limited Edition Box Set"! If you're a collector you might want to buy one of these as soon as we've really made a very limited quantity of these boxes," Artcell recently announced on its Facebook page.
The current line-up of the band features George Lincoln D'Costa (vocals, guitars), Kazi Faisal Ahmed (lead guitar), Saef Al Nazi Cézanne (bass), Kazi Shazzadul Asheqeen Shaju (drums) and Iqbal Asif Jewel (lead guitar and music producer).
Artcelss's second studio album 'Oniket Prantor' was released in 2006. Since then, fans of the band across the home and beyond have been anticipating the third album.
Mexican musician finds refuge in saxophone after acid attack
María Elena Ríos has conflicting feelings about her saxophone: She once blamed the instrument for bringing her to the brink of death — but it also has been her salvation.
Ríos, 29, thought her career as a musician and her devotion to her saxophone were what led her former boyfriend — an influential politician — to hire the men who splashed acid onto her face and body, disfiguring her. Later, she learned he simply couldn't accept that she had broken off their relationship.
Some of the attackers and the ex-boyfriend are in jail, but Ríos still had to come to terms with her instrument. Her love of the saxophone, in the end, is helping heal the psychological scars left by the terrifying attack.
“We are reconciling, little by little,” Ríos said of the musical instrument. “I hated it, because I thought it was responsible” for the 2019 attack in Mexico's southern state of Oaxaca. She's performed live since then, but still wears a mask covering her lower face.
“It bothered my attacker a lot that I was a musician," Ríos recounts, "because he said we musicians were vagrants, poverty stricken, that we just took drugs and that when I went to concerts I probably participated in orgies.”
The ex-politician who allegedly ordered the attack is being held in jail while awaiting trial, as are two other men, but another remains at large.
Meanwhile, Ríos has joined a movement calling for greater punishments for acid attacks and says the saxophone is her “sword” in that battle on behalf of victims.
Mexico City legislators have proposed a bill bearing her nickname, “Malena,” which would classify acid attacks as a distinct, serious crime equivalent to attempted femicide. Currently they are treated as simple assault or bodily injury.
Acid attacks are most common in South Asia, but also have been documented in many other parts of the world, including Latin America.
The Carmen Sánchez Foundation, started in 2021 to highlight the issue in Mexico, says government health data from 2022 suggests more than 100 women were attacked by chemicals or some kind of corrosive agent, though only 28 were reported to authorities.
Ríos remembers having to choose, at age 9, between playing soccer and joining one of the musical bands that are a popular community activity in the rural villages in Oaxaca.
“I am not her anymore. I am not the beautiful young woman who played the saxophone anymore,” said Ríos. “Today I can say I have been forced to become a defender of my own rights, and a defender of the rights of other fellow women survivors.”
She was hospitalized for five months after the attack, and still recalls the sadness in her parents’ eyes when she awoke in hospital.
She now attends musical classes in Mexico City, where she has taken refuge since the attack. The federal government has provided her with bodyguards because her attacker was wealthy and influential.
Ríos said she and her family were harassed before the attack, when she tried to break off the relationship. She says the harassment continues, and that she lives in constant fear for her life.
The man accused of ordering the attack, Juan Manuel Vera Carrizal, was a local legislator and businessman. He has declared himself innocent and his lawyers deny he had any involvement.
Even though he was jailed and expelled from his political party in 2020, Ríos says he still has influence.
In January he was almost released to house arrest after a judge tried to reclassify the crime, applying rules for a lesser offense. But because her case has gained has gained national attention, the attempt failed.
Music is now a refuge for Ríos. “When I begin to assemble my saxophone, I feel like I am putting myself together,” she says.
Last year she was invited to play on stage for the first time after the attack. It was at the annual Vive Latino music festival in Mexico City with the rock group Maldita Vecindad.
She says it made her feel “eternal."
14 cultural platforms receive patronage from Youth Global Foundation
Youth Global Foundation, one of the largest organizations working for the youths of the country, is providing patronage to 14 arts and culture platforms.
Dr. Seema Hamid, chairperson of Youth Global Foundation, made the announcement on February 16 while speaking at an event, titled “Ashun Alaap Koriye Dei”, in Dhaka.
The 14 arts and culture platforms receiving patronage from Youth Global Foundation have developed under Gurukul Online Learning Network. The platforms are: Sitar Gurukul, Violin Gurukul, Bansuri Gurukul, Amar Rabindranath, Amar Nazrul, Acting Gurukul, Film Gurukul, Fine Arts Gurukul, Recitation Gurukul, Dance Gurukul, Tabla Gurukul, Classical Gurukul, Folk Gurukul, and Music Gurukul.
These platforms are working in 14 specialized disciplines of arts and culture.
According to the organizers, Youth Global Foundation will provide scholarship to one student or researcher from each of these platforms. In addition, every year the foundation will facilitate the 14 platforms in honouring individuals and organizations making special contributions to relevant cultural fields.
“Youth Global Foundation will act as an accelerator for these platforms. They have been working on the educational aspect of the fields. Now, they will work to strengthen and expand the base of these fields under the auspices of our foundation,” Dr. Seema Hamid said.
‘Murir Tin’: Coke Studio Bangla launches season 2 with nod to local dialects
The much-acclaimed Coke Studio Bangla returned to enthral music lovers with its second season on Tuesday with its maiden track ‘Murir Tin’, featuring a unique amalgamation of three local dialects in the month of International Mother Language Day.
Released with festivities all over the country with multiple launching events marking the celebration of both Pahela Falgun 1429 and Valentine’s Day, the song is made in Sylheti, Chattogram and Khulna's dialects with vocals and rap by Riad Hasan, Pollob Vai, and Towfique Ahmed.
The song was launched at around 6 pm with launching ceremonies at six locations across four divisions - Rabindra Sarobar and American International University Bangladesh (AIUB) campus in Dhaka; Khulna University of Engineering & Technology (KUET) in Khulna, CRB and Chittagong University in Chattogram, and Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) campus in Sylhet.
At the launching event in Rabindra Sarobar, singer and Coke Studio Bangla Curator-Producer Shayan Chowdhury Arnob and singer-actor-music director Pritom Hasan joined an influx of festive crowd.
The song was streamed live simultaneously at all the launching venues and Coke Studio Bangla’s Facebook page and YouTube channel at the same time.
“#MurirTin is a melting pot where the cultures and the people of Bangladesh come and go. Amid a crowd of common people, there lies #RealMagic,” Coke Studio Bangla describes the rhythmic and funky-upbeat track in the YouTube video of the track.
It added, “The clunky local bus used to roam the streets of Bangladesh back in the ’80s. Even though the lyrics are sung by people from different regions in their native language, they all unanimously call it “Murir Tin” because of the rattling sound it used to make.”
“This is a unifying factor for the people of Bangladesh – where even in different languages, they all share the same experiences - the journeys we take, the people we meet, and the situations we encounter. It is about the people and cultures in transit, it is the mix of all the colours that fill up our beautiful country.”
‘Murir Tin’ is written and composed by Riad Hasan, while the song’s Sylheti Rap part is written and performed by Pollob Vai and the Khulna Rap is written and performed by Towfique Ahmed.
Season one’s much-acclaimed song ‘Bulbuli’-famed composer Shuvendu Das Shuvo composed this song alongside arranging the music, while Adit Rahman assisted with additional music arrangement.
Chief Sound Engineer for the song is Faizan R Ahmad (Buno) who also mastered the song, mixed by Ifte Khairul Alam Shuvo. Jannatul Firdous Akbar, Shanila Islam and Rubayat Rehman collaborated as the backing vocals for the track.
The video production of the song was presented in a new format, inspired by the other international and regional versions of Coke Studio. The music video is made by Dope Productions Private Limited, and the video was directed by Krishnendu Chattopaddhyay.
Coke Studio Bangla is produced by Grey Advertising Bangladesh Limited, with Syed Gousul Alam Shaon being the Creative Producer. Grameenphone is the official telco partner of this season, while international streaming platform Spotify is the season’s official audio streaming partner.
Boi Mela, Pahela Falgun & Valentine's: Visitors around DU campus spoilt for choice
Amar Ekushey Book Fair 2023 has doubled the festive mood and joy among the students and the people who came to celebrate Pahela Falgun or Valentine's Day or both at the Dhaka University campus area on Tuesday.
Since the morning students, people from different professions and irrespective of colour, creed or religion started gathering in the Dhaka University area wearing colourful Panjabi and Shari as the area has traditionally been a venue for Pahela Falgun and Valentine's Day celebration, while Boi Mela takes place at nearby Bangla Academy every year.
Besides the huge arrangements of Bosonto Utsab Udzapon committee at the Bakultola of Fine Arts faculty of Dhaka University, several programs have been arranged in Dhaka University area like ‘Somogit Bosonto Utsob' at the historical BotTola of Dhaka, three-day cultural festival at the department of political science and Sangit Utsab at the faculty of Business Studies of Dhaka University to welcome Spring, the king of all season.
Marking the special day, various floating stalls of flowers and food almost everywhere in the campus area have been set to meet the demands of visitors. Lower markets are busy stocking red roses for the day.
Abid, an eleven-year-old boy who is selling flowers and floral bands walking around busy areas of campus, said that he came in this area from Mouchak of the capital in the morning to sell flowers hoping for better profit.
“My mother sent me here to sell flowers as many people from different area came here to observe the day and they buy flowers from us. From the morning I have bagged around 800 taka,” he said.
Besides, flower sellers are also waiting to celebrate the day with massive stocks of roses and bouquets for people who are eagerly waiting to celebrate the day with their loved ones. The flower shops at the Shahabag crossing were seen very busy and filled with the traffic of customers.
Rihanna is pregnant again, rep says after Super Bowl show
Rihanna was pregnant with her second child as she performed her Super Bowl halftime show Sunday.
The singer’s representative confirmed the pregnancy shortly after she ended her 13-minute set at Super Bowl 57. She hovered high at times as she performed a number of hits including “We Found Love,” “Diamonds” and “Work” during a halftime break between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles at the State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
The baby bump that was visible in the tight clothes she wore under her baggy red jumpsuit set off a wave of social media speculation that she might be pregnant again.
Rihanna, 34, has a 9-month-old son with rapper A$AP Rocky.
During her media preview Thursday, Rihanna said she was initially unsure about taking on the challenge of performing during a time when she was three months postpartum and wondered “should I be making major decisions like this right now? I might regret this.”
“But when you become a mom, there’s something that just happens where you feel like you can take on the world, you can do anything,” Rihanna said. “The Super Bowl is one of the biggest stages of the world. As scary as that was, because I hadn’t been on stage in seven years, there’s something exhilarating about the challenge of it all.”
Rihanna said had to figure out how to fit some of her biggest songs into her 13-minute set.
“The setlist was the biggest challenge,” she said. “That was the hardest, hardest part. Deciding how to maximize 13 minutes but also celebrate — that’s what this show is going to be. It’s going to be a celebration of my catalog in the best way that we could have put it together.′
A nine-time Grammy Award-winner, Rihanna has 14 No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 hits, including “We Found Love,” “Work,” “Umbrella” and “Disturbia.”
How a heartbreak story inspired the next Dhaka Art Summit theme
Something incredible has happened. Dhaka Art Summit, now in its sixth edition, is incredible – that has already been established through the excitement demonstrated by hundreds of thousands of art connoisseurs, collectors, practitioners, enthusiasts and just curious general public from Bangladesh and beyond. But what’s more incredible is getting the inspiration for the theme of the next Dhaka Art Summit from a visitor.
Diana Campbell Betancourt, artistic director of Samdani Art Foundation and chief curator of Dhaka Art Summit, shared more on this with UNB in an exclusive interview.