‘Help Nepal by visiting my country’

SINGAPORE — “Hello, I am Abhaya. Where I am from, Abhaya means fearless,” said the frontwoman of rock band Abhaya And The Steam Injuns. And the rock star — whose full name is Abhaya Subba — truly lives up to her name.

Back in her home country of Nepal, the singer-songwriter, who was in town for this year’s edition of Music Matters, is known not only for her strong vocals and explosive stage presence, but also for co-founding the Women In Concert event, which celebrates female musicians and encourages more women to express themselves through music. Her band, which was formed in 2003, has been invited to perform at major concerts in India, Hong Kong and Australia, and will travel to London in the next few months.

Although Abhaya said she is “unapologetic” about who she is, she has still found it challenging to be a strong, outspoken woman in a society that remains fairly conservative. “Even though they didn’t say it to my face (at first), I could feel the vibes, when people started calling me a b*****,” the singer said. “They said this about me because I had a mind of my own and, believe me, in Nepal, women are supposed to be sweet and sexy.”

This is why Abhaya believes it is her duty, as a public figure, to prove that it is okay for girls and women to be comfortable in their own skin. “One of the things I hate about singers like Rihanna is that they have to strip to their undies and sing. Why do you need to do that? It’s really not necessary. I feel like girls will look (at them) and say, ‘Is that what we have to be?’”

As a singer, Abhaya also hopes she can contribute to efforts to rebuild Nepal, after two major earthquakes in the past few weeks claimed thousands of lives. For instance, she sees her trip to Singapore as a good opportunity to share more about how outsiders can pitch in to help. “If you want to help Nepal, visit Nepal,” she said. “Our country is driven by tourism, and if you don’t come, we are going to suffer even more. Come September, everything will quieten down. If Singaporeans go to Nepal, it would help us. We don’t want to be beggars — we want to invite you to our country.”

Abhaya also hopes Singaporeans will see a different side of the Himalayan nation through the band’s music. “What they will see is a Nepal that will rise again, because, hopefully, we are powerful performers. They will look at us and say, ‘Wow, did they experience the earthquake? Because they don’t look like it.’ We want to be able to present a face of Nepal that shows we are very resilient people.

“We are strong, we will stand. And we, the Nepalese, are known to be very courageous. Besides that, hopefully, you will see that we are very good musicians, too!”