Topu released his first solo album “Bondhu Bhabo Ki?” in 2006. Last year the artiste released his second solo “Shey Ke?”. The young singer-musician received a Meril Prothom Alo Award for acting in the film “Third Person Singular Number”. At present the artiste is busy with his third album. The Daily Star contributor Zahid Akbar recently talked to the artiste. Excerpts from the interview:
The Daily Star (TDS): What are you currently working on?Topu: I'm working on a mixed album. Anan is arranging the album. My song, expected to feature in the album, has been penned and composed by me. Apart from this, I'm also busy with Yaatri's second album. We're hoping to release the album later this year.
TDS: When can your fans expect your third solo album?Topu: The third album is in the pipeline. So far two songs have been recorded. One of them is titled “Ei Shono”. Not sure about the releasing date yet.
TDS: You've received an award for your debut acting performance. Have you been receiving a lot of acting offers?Topu: Yes. I've received a lot of offers. But I don't want to pursue acting as a fulltime profession. If I find the story interesting and can relate to the character, I'd certainly consider the offer.
TDS: Updates on your band Yaatri?Topu: After some ups and downs now we are in a steady position. The relationship among the band members is quite cordial. I told my band-mates that they should come up with tunes first and I'd write songs based on the music. I think it would bring some variation. So far six songs have been recorded for the upcoming album. We are expecting to release the album on the coming Eid-ul-Fitr.
TDS: Many complain that the music industry is on shaky grounds. What's your opinion on this?Topu: I think the reasons behind the recent turmoil -- first and foremost, audio piracy; secondly we, the singers, are often too restless and thirdly, there are too many music studios. Because of mushrooming studios, producing an album now is not a big deal for anyone. As a result at least 20 songs are being produced everyday. Many are recording songs only to attain cheap popularity. They are not concerned about the quality of lyrics and compositions. On the other hand, unauthorised music downloads from the Internet is a crime; nevertheless, everyone does so. We need mass-awareness to come out of this situation.