Life has been a 'rollercoaster ride' for Nagaland singer Imcha Imchen
SHILLONG:
By Aparmita Das
The “end” of 2020 has proved to be a good “start” for 23-year-old pop sensation Imcha Imchen from Nagaland with the global recognition for his music. Featured in Apple music's "Top 100 best songs", Imchen is emerging to become one of Northeast's top artistes to make a mark for himself in the global music arena.
Singer, songwriter and music producer Imcha Imchen hails from a village called Nokpu in Dimapur, Nagaland. His family moved to Bengaluru in 2004 when he was just in kindergarten and it has been 20 years that they have been living there.
Imchen was introduced to music at the tender age of five. He was a part of a choir, played in bands and performed in theatres since his high school days, and all of this strengthened his love for music.
At 18, he released his debut music video “Moving On” - a song about a breakup. He later moved to Mumbai to pursue a career in music after signing with Springboard Records under the mentorship of Ashish Manchanda, a noted music producer, mixing engineer, video and live concert producer based in the US and India.
Manchanda is also the co-founder of Boon Castle Media & Entertainment and Flying Carpet Productions.
Imchen sings in three languages- English, Hindi and the regional language 'Chungli Ao' spoken by Ao Nagas, with English being his strongest point. Apart from singing, he also plays the keyboard and guitar.
So far, he has released five songs - “Sinner”, ‘Melody” and “Spare My Heart” which all gained widespread exposure in various digital platforms.
Recently his song “Spare my heart” earned a spot in Apple music’s “Top 100 best songs of 2020”. Taking to Facebook, Imchen wrote:
Ending this year with a positive note of feeling like I am on my way to the Billboard Charts!
“I feel my hard work and determination is slowly paying off and this is just a start. I faced too many challenges in this journey; (there was) a point where I hit my lowest lows and to be honest it's quite normal no matter what field you’re at, every challenge is a learning point for me, and I learn every day as there’s no limit to learning. One step at a time,” Imchen said.
His music style is influenced by Bruno Mars, Bazzi, Shawn Mendes, Elvis Presley, and Frank Sinatra. His emotive vocals add to the pictorial experience that strikes the listener like a beautiful amalgamation of several genres.
Imchen’s passion and dedication have put him on a path that is already taking him places.
In an exclusive conversation with TNT–The Northeast Today, Imchen said that music has been his purpose in life and he is determined to work hard to reach his goal.
On January 28, 2021, he released his fifth song “She’s a Walking Temptation” which has, so far, garnered 34k views on YouTube.
“The song describes the lover as enticing and alluring, blowing the lover out of his mind as he braces his breath with every move of his lover,” Imchen said.
A seductive take on love, “Walking Temptation” seeks attention from the loved one by showering her with all possessions possible.
Imchen gives a different take from his usual gentle renditions and excites the listeners with great desire.
Speaking on the release, Imchen commented, “Love is a stimulus which excites all senses and arouses deep desires. Walking Temptation is a personification of these emotions experienced and the compelling need felt by the lover to do all in his power to possess the loved one. An intoxicating feeling grips the lover and takes him on a journey of desire as he takes every step with his loved one.”
When asked about his best performance and where he sees himself five years from now, Imchen said:
Every performance I improve and my every last performance becomes my best performance, so basically I consider every performance special as I learn something new every day. Five years from now, I see myself standing on the stage, holding my first Grammy.
He is currently working on his new album and next single.
