The Featherheads Haokui is all set to officially release Haonao, a promotional music video (MV) from the Haonao EP (Elapse Playlist) of four tracks. Among the four EP, Haonao (Harva Kuiret) is the only music video.
Directed by Mazanmung AC, the music video is recorded at Kazokza, a studio run by Okchar Kaping and Aleks Vashum. The official MV Haonao will be premiered tomorrow at 5 pm in Ukhrul Town Hall.
Mazanmung AC a young talented artist has directed many other MVs such as Yung Yung’s Mapha luilu, MOC’s Wuklung Tangkhai launched on UTFlix.com, later released on their official YouTube channels, to mention some. Apart from being a director, he is also the leader of the popular Tangkhul dance troop, Generation Squad.
“Haonao MV revolves around the theme of the call for a cultural awakening among the Naga contemporaries. It seeks to remind the listeners about what the true essence of being a Tangkhul Naga is. This connection is made through the lyrics on how the Tangkhul Nagas of yore lived in perfect harmony and peace with mother nature, but how our generation today have polluted the very environment that survives us”, explained Augustine Shimray, the vocal and percussionist speaking to this reporter.
The issue in which the whirlwind of modernisation has left so many youths lost in the deluge of various addictions (drugs, gadgets, alcohol) is also addressed in the song. Haonao calls for all the listeners to once again live firm, truthful, and strong lives which were at the core of every Tangkhul Naga community of the past. It pleads the listeners not to fall away from one’s culture but to seek one’s origin and strive to root oneself, again, in the rich and proud culture of the Tangkhul ancestors.
Haonao, from the Haonao EP which is a sequel to Ihao Thot, a single by Featherheads released in 2018 hit one million views on YouTube.
In the latest MV, Featherheads will be featuring Mayami HV on Tingteila, AR Mathing, Zingyo LS, AS Masoshai and others.
More details on the Elapse Playlist (EP)
Haonao is the titled name of the EP with Harva Kuiret as the title of the MV. The songs on the playlist have been featured in many of the band’s performances, including Harva Kuiret performed in Bangkok.
The EP is a set of four tracks consisting of one English song and three Tangkhul songs. The English titled song was inspired during Ziro Music festival. Since the festival was attended by people from different places, to cater to the audience, the band decided to record an English song. It is tailored with Tangkhul language. There is an original Haola (Folksong) from Hunphun (Ukhrul), reconstructed, redone with modern rendition, a song depicting the loss of knowledge passed down, mainly, by the maternal ancestors.
Making this MV has been a challenge for the band and the production team as it is more time consuming compared to the making of other normal MVs. The thing that kept us going is the self affirmation that the more effort you put, the more challenging it is, the product will be of best quality, said Featherheads.
Haonao, unlike ordinary MVs, is shot in many unexplored locatoins of Tangkhul villages which has great tourism aspect. Places like Kuirei and Huishu villages have picturesque locations not seen by many, unlike Shirui and Phangrei. Through this MV, the band also wants to focus on the tourism aspect, besides displaying art and culture.
All the efforts aside, the band said, the main struggles they face in putting together for this project was funding. The EP is mostly funded by the pockets of friends and families of the band members. Spending of over one lakh came as a huge hindrance to the band. Crowd funding in social media didn’t help either.
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Let’s get to know Featherheads better
Featherheads was formed as a Folk-Alt-Metal music band in 2012 at Delhi. It is an initiative to contribute to the fading Naga culture and tradition in the Northeast. The band had members from different parts of Northeast India. Ali Imchen a guitarist from Nagaland; Charles Darkim, bassist from Mizoram; Rufus Raj, drummer from Manipur; Studi Sud Chauhan, vocalist from Himachal Pradesh and Augustine Shimray, vocalist and percussionist from Ukhrul, Manipur. The band couldn’t pursue their line-up in Delhi. The main reason was that most of them were students and did not have stable financial support.
The band was revived in 2016 when Augustine Shimray came back to his hometown in Manipur’s Ukhrul. He started the band from scratch by singing at churches and local occasions. The new band members he formed in his hometown were talented and passionate musicians. The line-up of the music band was Kuirarwung HA on guitar, Urngayam LS on guitar and vocal, Augustine Shimray on vocal and percussion.
2017 was a productive year for Featherheads with the joining of Soreichon Chiphang Shimray, a female vocalist and Khayingphi L Shimray, a young and talented drummer, their first ever original single Ihao Thot was released.
Ever since the release of their original single, they got opportunity to perform in many events in ShiRock, Naga day in Nagaland, Ziro Music festival and Mechuka Adventure Fest in Arunachal pradesh, North-East Culture Exchange Event in Bangkok, Thailand among others.
Again, in 2019, the band drummer quit playing and travelling due to health issues. She was the most celebrated band member and it was a huge blow for the band. Khayingphi Shimray is one of the few female drummers in the Tangkhul community. She was the youngest band member as she was just 18 years old when she joined the band. She started playing the drum when she was just 15 years old, inspiring women and children.
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Haonao MV line-up are Augustine Shimray, vocal and percussion; Soreichon Shimray, vocal; Somazan Vashai on guitar; Shomi L Shimra on guitar; Shanchui A Samshok on bass, Rizat Zimik on drums and featuring Mayami HV on Tingteila. “I believe many will want to know about the absence of band members in this new MV,” said Augustine.
He wants to let the people know that the band’s line-up will keep on changing as some of them are still pursuing their studies and some have personal problems.
Featherheads is not only a band but also a nonprofit under Arts and Culture. “Within this family, though they are not in the line-up, it doesn’t mean they are not a part of the family. Hand-to-hand collaboration is given and when needed, adjustments are done from time to time”, he added.
Featherheads have weathered the storm in the past few years. With the onset of pandemic, the band has had their share of struggles and frustrations. “It has been a blow many have struggled to recover from”, Augustine Shimray told. There were limited avenues for gigs and performances. The demand for their band had been curtailed, and on top of it, they could not record new music for the past four years.
However, music is something that has kept them going. They have not stopped working on creating the best music in the past two years. As of today, they are all set to premier Haonao, their official music video tomorrow at 5 pm in Ukhrul Town Hall. Be there.
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