Aband turning 25 with its popularity intact cutting across almost two generations is a Herculean task indeed. And Fossils, led by musician Rupam Islam, is still standing strong after nearly two and a half
decades. On their 25th anniversary, they recently showcased a live music concert, Fossils Ponchobingshoti, organised by Whats In D Name and PayTM Insider, with their variety of songs, ranging from mellifluous ballads to angsty teeth-grinding headbangers. We got chatty with the band to find out more.
How did you manage to hold the baton high even after so many years? Aren’t Bangla bands getting redundant slowly?
We don’t have any such news, and if you talk about Bangla bands, there’s only one that I know of, and that’s us. And we are absolutely going strong. Our popularity is increasing.
Do you feel that your listeners/fans are still going back to your most popular tracks that you had done some years ago, or are they being equally loyal to your new tracks?
If we talk about a ‘flying audience’ they probably aren’t loyal to anyone. FM radios have been a big source of introducing new songs, or you know playing songs in general. But now, only those producers, who can pay a hefty amount, can play their songs on the radio. There is no guarantee that even film songs would be played, let alone independent music. But again, independent music will be played all
over and even flying audiences will get converted into loyalists, we weren’t expecting that either! So we’re not at a loss. But once a loyalist, always a loyalist. We can see how our concerts are getting sold out and not just old songs, as you had asked, but they are singing along to our newest tracks too. There have been instances that even our unpublished songs have garnered lakhs of views on YouTube and that someone else has sung as a cover.
Been there, done that. How easy or difficult would it be for upcoming musicians?
While we aren’t facing any problems, the newer bands or independent musicians will go through issues if they do not get film branding, or are launched under a film’s banner. Back when we started, we got FM radio to support us, but then again they have social media platforms and YouTube. They are making music and releasing it on social media and through that, they are able to create an audience base. So, while there are difficulties, it isn’t so that all their doors have closed. So, even after 25 long years, I am
really hopeful about the future.
How has the music scene changed in all these years?
We have indeed seen a lot of changes in the industry. My parents had records. We started with cassettes, then CDs, then Mp3s and piracies and now social media, YouTube, Spotify and so on. There was also
an instance when one of our albums wasn’t promoted much here, but got pirated in Bangladesh and was one of the most popular albums there that year. Neel Rong Chhilo Bhishon Priyo became an immense
hit. We have started doing small concerts, where only our friends used to join us, to official concerts, to even digital concerts during the pandemic. But even after all these years, what remains the same is the
way our listeners and fans relate to our philosophies towards life.
Are there any global music trends that you have been listening to or following?
We listen to everything. Not that we use any global music trend in our music completely, but have taken inspiration and used it in our way. The collaboration we did with Purna Das Baul, that’s global in itself.
The music that we created for our track Guru, a collaboration with Mayookh Bhaumik was experimentative where we used the electronic tabla and microphones to create a distortion.
How was the pandemic for Fossils? How did you cope?
We didn’t perform as a band. If it so happens that the world becomes virtual one day, Fossils wouldn’t probably exist. We will make music together. If we cannot meet, we won’t make music as Fossils.
Pictures by Anindya Saha