It was a cloudy evening when I was wrapping up at work. I called it a day with a hangry attitude as I packed my trusty laptop into my raggy backpack. My sliver of hope to make my tummy happy and my night more interesting was having a bowl of ramen with the hip and chic musician Pritom Hasan.
That night was planned at least a month ago while discussing our same enthusiasm towards ramen, anime and the Hideo Kojima’s famous franchise Metal Gear Solid over a video call. After having our geek moment, it was only natural for me to bug Pritom out his home for a bowl of ramen.
Pushing through the traffic of Banani and following through the google map link, I finally ended up in front of the country’s most adored Khoka’s door. Anyone who has listened to his eponymous song, which garnered a staggering 12 million views on Youtube, knows how it cemented Pritom’s position in the music industry. “You look exhausted,” he said while greeting me, “and you look like a zombie,” I replied, smiling back. Without wasting any time further, we headed out for our bowl of ramen.
We hopped into his car and started discussing the future of his music and his mantra of making unconventional music videos. “I thrive on telling meaningful stories to my viewers. Entertaining them is what I do,” Pritom replied. The musician believes that if listening to his music or watching his videos can make someone’s day better, then that is all the steam his engine needs. “I believe in seizing every moment life presents. I don’t believe in delays; everything should be done at the right time. It’s this belief that really pushes me to entertain the best I can,” the musician adds.
Halfway towards our destination, we came across yet another traffic jam, which invoked the notion of how things were getting back to normal despite no virtual change in the ongoing pandemic. Following that chain of thought, Pritom expressed that the pandemic changed everyone’s lives for good. “I feel that the ample amount of time I got through working from home and staying indoors has made me more focused.” The creative individual maintained his creative juices by reading up on the latest issues to understand where the world stands. “I caught up with some fantastic music videos and songs out there that I felt really inspired me and will help me in producing more original work.”
After missing many turns and roads, we eventually reached the doorstep of our desired restaurant. Finding our way through the empty corridors, we sat at a table and ordered the famous beef ramen right away. After that, we resumed speaking about his secret behind his unconventional content. “The kudos goes to my team. They are my strength,” the team player didn’t shy away from giving the much deserving credit to his crew. He added that once they synchronised and realised what makes them tick as individuals, they gelled together and vibed as a whole. “I can officially say they are my muscle power as I operate as the brains behind every piece! We produced some of our best work yet during this pandemic and the emotional investment they put in, particularly in editing Bhenge Porona Ebhabe, has been great,” he stated.
The musician also addressed how technology has changed the world of music. He orated that with digitalisation and content moving online, making revenues through YouTube has been a problem. CPM (cost per 1,000 impressions) has been really low for local musicians like himself. And, so, he and others have been struggling in making larger-than-life content because of region-based CPM. “But sponsors can play a huge role in resolving this limitation. The future of Bangladeshi music lies in contemporary, modern sounds, and that’s a fun prospect to look forward to!”
As we were about to move on to discussing his inspirational guide, the waiter served us with two hot bowls of beef ramen. The next moment, I forgot for a second that I was in the middle of the conversation, and started slurping on the savoury broth. Not to my surprise, my company was having a similar moment with his extra hot ramen. It was as if he was flexing his tolerance against spicy food. I interrupted him by resuming the discussion of his confidant.
Pritom expressed that there have been a few key people who played an instrumental role in him being the person he is today. “One of my greatest supporters has been Habib Wahid, or Habib Bhai as I endearingly call him. Habib Bhai has always kept me going. Him encouraging me in keeping up my reputation for creating ‘unconventional songs,’ as he calls it, has played a significant role in establishing me as a composer,” he shared while reminiscing his memories. The composer hopes to collaborate with his confidant, Habib Wahid one day. Other than that, Pritom added that he would love the opportunity to work with international musicians and collaborate with them on something exciting, which has never been done before.
My bowl almost ran out of the broth, and I figured that it was time for the big question “What’s next for Pritom?” The singer explained, “Phase 1 of my career has been about creating the image I’ve cemented with the kind of music I began my career with like Local Bus. Having spent five years in this industry already, I’d like to go ahead and begin Phase 2 of my career.” Pritom wholeheartedly believes that as an artist, it’s all about growing and evolving and having your music reflect on that change. “I want to create more than wedding songs; I want to pave the way for other artists and leave a blazing trail for them to get inspired by,” the singer expressed.
We slurped the last noodle while the night was coming to an end, and Pritom insisted on dropping me off, a kind gesture I couldn’t refuse. As we came closer to the crossroad where we called it a night, I could sense that his next day of work has already begun. I asked him “what pushes you to work nonstop?” the driven individual replied, “I feel like I’m running behind; I should’ve done a lot more by now. I hope to be consistent and bring about at least an ounce of joy to my audience by waking up every day and doing what I do best.” Getting inspired by his words, we bid adieu after setting a day for another hangout.