Megha Shrestha was raised in a musical family. She grew up listening to her mother hum to the tunes of Lata Mangeskar and Narayan Gopal in the kitchen.

“I believe music is in my genes”, says the 26-year-old singer-songwriter. “I can't remember a time when my life wasn't associated with music.”

In seventh grade Shrestha realized she could hold a tune, much to the delight of her classmates. For her it was a revelation, because until then she had thought that everybody could sing.  

It didn’t take her long to be aware of her musical talent. At 14, when she was in eighth grade, Shrestha entered Nepal Television’s ‘Voice of Teen’. She made it to the top 16 out of 300 contestants from around the country.

The experience was a catalyst for her dream to become a singer. She finally thought music was her calling.

After her appearance in a televised singing contest, Shrestha’s musical talent was no longer a secret. She started being recognized and praised by her schoolmates at St. Xavier’s School, Jawalakhel.

From then, Shrestha started performing with her school band whenever there was a musical event. This would continue throughout her college life.

In 2016, while studying there, Shrestha took part in ‘Women in Concert 2016: Talent Hunt Edition’ organized by Abhaya Subba, frontwoman of the band Abhaya & the Steam Engines. The event, held on International Women’s Day to empower young women through music, was a life-changing experience for her. Shrestha took home the winning title that year. She was 21 at the time. 

“Looking back, Women in Concert led me to where I am today,” Shrestha says. “I had such wonderful mentors and I still live by the lessons I learned from them during the boot camp.”

Shrestha graduated college with a business studies degree in 2018. But the music bug never left her.

In 2019, she auditioned for the third season of ‘Nepal Idol’ aired on AP1 TV. It was another turning point in her life. Shrestha says it was her mother who urged her to audition for the show.

“I didn’t take part in the previous two seasons of the show, but I had a gut feeling that Season 3 was where I would make my mark,” she says.

Her instinct was right. The rendition of ‘Hidda Hiddai’ by 1974 AD Shrestha won the hearts of the show’s judges in the audition round. She was the first and the only Golden Mic winner of that season.

Shrestha made it to the top five of the season, but getting eliminated from the show didn’t deter her.

“During my elimination, I remember one of the judges, Indira Joshi, telling me ‘every mic you hold from this point forward will be a golden mic’. That praise has stuck with me ever,” she says.

Shrestha looks back at her experience as an Idol contestant and feels grateful. She says it taught her everything she needed to know to become a full-time musician.

Nepal Idol opened the doors for Shrestha in the music scene in a true sense. She got to tour different parts of the world for shows following a stellar stint as an Idol contestant. A promising musical career was ahead of her. But then the pandemic hit, and Shrestha had her moment of crisis. When people from every walk of life were losing their jobs, she started wondering if her musical aspirations were naive and misplaced. 

“It was just the start of my career and the odds were suddenly stacked against me. It really made me think if what I was doing was worth it,” says Shrestha.

But Shrestha remained steadfast in her dreams. In 2020 she recorded her debut single ‘Polcha’, written and produced by Lokesh Bajracharya. She then went on to collaborate with artists from Nepal Idol and record some more singles. Moreover, she now has her own band, ‘Megha and the B.E.A.T.S’.

Slowly but surely her determination seems to be paying off. Besides being a full-time musician, Shrestha has also made a foray into television as the host of  ‘Band Champion Nepal’, which is currently being aired on AP1 TV.

“I remember when I first got the call to host the show, it took me half-a-second to say yes,” she says. Transitioning into a TV hosting gig was not at all difficult for her. She is a performer at heart and feels at home on any stage.

“Being on Nepal Idol helped me a lot in terms of confidence-building,” Shrestha says.

So what’s next for this up and coming pop-rock sensation? Well, for now, she is working on her new songs and planning a tour with her band. She also wishes to continue her studies. But, more than anything, her wish is to find a stable footing in the music industry.

“I believe I was born to sing,” she says. “Music is the only thing that makes sense to me.”