Adhishree Dhungana, Musician
Adhishree Dhungana aka Addy, 23, has been living with music ever since she can remember. Beginning with eastern classical singing and instruments like the madal at the age of five, she moved on to the guitar and other western instruments.
Despite being good at what she does, she says she was judged by her gender rather than her talent. It affected her mental health and Addy admits that she struggles with anxiety. Her gigs with Sofar sounds (music events company based in London), Katha Ghera (theatre collective in Kathmandu) and her collaboration with Bartika Eam Rai (Nepali singer/songwriter) helped her to come out of her shell.
She was working towards producing her solo EP (extended play record) in 2020 when the lockdown began. It was a trying time for her and the family - she injured her hand during practice and later got infected with COVID-19. Her mum who was her caregiver also soon contracted the virus. While struggling with her mental health, Addy found an outlet in designing covers for her EP. She also had a new focus - making music.
Addy hopes to continue playing music and has plans to study jazz in the near future. “Jazz is such a vast genre - it's like learning a completely different language,” she says.
