As the sound of Nyishi tunes reverberated in the halls of New York earlier this month, Takar Nabam became the first artiste from the state to ever perform in the United States.
“No one had ever heard about Arunachal Pradesh. I told them it borders China, Myanmar and Bhutan,” said Takar.
“They were quite surprised to hear about such a place and the long journey I took.
“Honestly, I was quite nervous to perform there, but the American audience was very receptive. It didn’t take me long to adjust and do what I do best,” Takar added.
Takar enthralled the US audience with his two solo performances at New York, Sofar Sounds in Brooklyn and Rockwood Music Hall in Manhattan.
He enthralled the listeners with his songs, written both in Nyishi and English.
Two of his songs ‘Hello’ and ‘Receding’ are regulars on the English Music Channel, VH1.
Takar’s debut Nyishi single, ‘Nyokum Sokhi To’ was well received by the American audience.
He plans to release another Nyishi single and a few other English songs in the months to come.
The Nyishi community is the largest ethnic group in the northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh.
Nyi refers to ‘a human’ and the word ‘shi’ denotes ‘a being’, which combined together refers to a ‘human being’.