Aman Karna, 31, guitarist and producer for the Nepali band ‘Phosphenes’, got into music at a young age and since then he has been passionate about using his talents to create impactful music. Though he has been a part of the Nepali music industry for over a decade, Karna says he is constantly seeking new ways to connect with his audience. Bollywood music has had the biggest influence on him since his childhood. Born and raised in Bhairahawa, he says that Indian music, especially songs of the 90s, was what he heard everywhere, at home and the stores nearby. He says he was fascinated by the diverse genre, catchy melodies, and emotional lyrics. His musical journey when he was 14 when he first started playing instruments and was a part of his school band. He says he taught himself to make his own sounds using a computer, and preferred performing in front of a live audience. When he was growing up, Karna spent a lot of time working for a production company, before coming  across Phosphenes. He was approached to join the band in 2016, and immediately fell in love with the music they created. “I joined the band because I believed we could accomplish a lot if we worked together,” he says.

Rather than vocals, Karna is more into making music. He loves eastern instruments and has always wanted to work with them to create western styled music. Listening to the songs Phosphenes has released so far you can tell it has worked out well. Most of their songs fall under the indie genre.

It took a while for the band to gain some recognition, he says, because of the limited resources they had for promotions. “But we slowly started having a full house during our live shows,” he adds. Despite the fact that the band had and has been doing well, Karna wanted to work on his own career on the side. He believes having a successful individual career is equally important. With that thought, Karna produced and launched his first Extended Play (EP)—a record that contains fewer songs than in an album—‘Mixed Bag’ in 2021. But he says that was an experimental work he dabbled in during the Covid-19 lockdown. “I wasn’t satisfied with my first EP. I knew I could do better,” says Karna. But he apparently got a lot of ideas from that EP to get started on the next one called ‘Bollymood’ that was launched in Dec 2022. This one, he adds, largely came from the influence Bollywood music had on him as a child. The songs have elements of the 90s Bollywood music. It even begins with an intro that features a dialogue from a vintage Bollywood film. “I believe that to become a good musician it’s necessary to work on challenging tasks,” he says. So, he constantly pushes himself to do things that seem impossible. For instance, he once challenged himself to write five songs in four days. “It took a lot of hard-work and dedication, but I succeeded. I’m very proud of those songs,” he adds. As an artist, he says, performing live has always been a thrilling experience. “There is nothing better than the energy and excitement I get to witness during a live performance,” he says. One of the best experiences he has had so far is while performing in London, UK. The number of people that came to see him perform was mind blowing. “I never thought I would have such a huge fan following outside Nepal,” he says. Karna believes family support plays a major role when it comes to creating music. “You need someone to have your back,” he says. It was because of his family that he felt motivated to work through the hard times and not give up. “They told me to trust myself and that affirmation was everything I needed to remain calm sometimes,” he says. Besides music, Karna is interested in fashion. He claims he is always looking for new ways to express himself through his appearance. It’s important for him to dress in a way that reflects his personality. Whether it’s dressing up for a special occasion or simply putting together a casual look, he enjoys the process of creating unique and fashionable ensembles. The 31-year-old feels content knowing that indie music has an increasing fan base in South Asia. However, he adds that it’s not so easy for Nepalis to have that level of recognition on an international platform. “I wish to have international recognition for my work, but we lack proper resources for promotions,” he says. “The majority of my audience are Nepalis,” he says, adding that he will be continuing the work he has been doing as a solo artist and as a band member, and hopes that one day he will get the opportunity to collaborate with South Asian artists. “I believe that would be the first step towards getting a larger audience. I know it might be difficult for a Nepali musician to reach that height of success but I will try my best.”