2016 was a good year for Nepali music. A lot of prominent singers and bands came up with their new albums and some others released their singles. We also saw a number of promising new artistes who debuted well. And when we are talking about songs, how can we not talk about music videos as they have become an integral part of any song these days. Without a music video, even a good song can just get somewhere lost in the crowd of hundreds of songs that get released every year. And a good music video can make the song stand out.

Nepali music videos have made a lot of progress in recent years. There are young people who are not afraid to experiment and come up with ideas that may or may not work with the audience. Among literally hundreds of Nepali music videos released in 2016, we’ve handpicked seven videos that we think are the most creatives ones. Fuzz Factory Productions have done it this year as well and they proved to be the best in the business yet again. Three out of seven music videos in this list belong to them. Here’s the list in alphabetical order.

1. Aaja Kina

The music video for Bikash Chamling’s ‘Aaja Kina’ has actor Saugat Malla and model Muna Gauchan. The story written by ‘Bijuli Machine’ actor Abhishek Subedi has been directed and edited by Rohit Shakya. Actor Malla can be seen time traveling through a door to relive his good old days. Make up artists Sukriti Yakthumba and Dorje along with stylist Karishma Subba have done a terrific job with the looks of the characters. Overall, this is a brilliant piece of work by Fuzz Factory Productions.

Watch the video here.

2. Dadhelo

Bipul Chettri’s first music video, this one by Polka Studios is a result of eighteen months of hard work. ‘Dadhelo’ music video captures Chettri’s journey from the days he started to dream big and got inspired by his father, Late Narendra Mohan Chettri, a ledendary musician from Kurseong. The sketches used for the making of the animations have been hand sketched by Asis Rai. Shot and edited by Shahanshil Rai, the music video does complete justice to the song that first brought fame to the singer who recently released his second album ‘Maya’.

Here’s the video.

3. Hawaijahaj

Another work by Fuzz Factory Productions, this one’s for Sajjan Raj Vaidya’s ‘Hawaijahaj’. Starring theatre actor Hemanta Chalise in the lead and ‘Bijuli Machine’ actress Reliza Shrestha in a cameo, this one is written and directed by Nhooja Tuladhar. The 6-minute video has a man trying to build a flying machine that he can use to go to his beloved one. Pramesh Sherchan is another person who deserves a pat on the back for his work on illustrations, animation and VFX. Beautiful is the word for this music video.

Watch.

4. Pahilo Maya (Acoustic)

Asif Shah did an acoustic version of his popular song ‘Pahilo Maya’ and released its music video this year. But it was not just an ordinary but Nepal’s first ever 360-degree music video. Starring Sanjog Koirala and Swastima Khadka, the music video shot and edited by Andy Taylor Smith is directed by Asim Shah. It’s a good one.

We recommend you to watch the video on your smartphone for a better experience. Watch it directly on YouTube HERE.

5. Pardeshi Nabhana

Starring Nischal Basnet in the lead, this one for Manish Dhakal’s ‘Pardeshi Nabhana’ is probably the most emotional music video of the year. Directed by Nikesh Khadka and edited by Nishan Ghimire, the video tells the story of a common Nepali man who goes abroad to be able to do something for his family. The climax is so powerful and heart melting that it will give you goosebumps. The saddest part is that it’s a real story of thousands of Nepali men who return home in coffins.

Watch.

6. Pragmatic Delusions

The next one on the list is by Jazz Productions for Kamero’s ‘Pragmatic Delusions’. Directed and edited by ‘Bob’ fame Aneel Neupane, the one word that comes to our mind for this music video is – INSANE. The video only has one actor, Anjesh Shrestha, and it’s the story of his new evolution. VFX is extremely good and we can easily figure out what amount of hard work must have been put in by the entire team to make this music video possible.

Watch it now.

7. Sannani

Remember the first music video of Rohit John Chettri? The ‘Bistarai Bistarai one. Towards the end of the video, you can hear the director say, “Low budget ma banne video yestai ho.” Well, looks like after three years, Rohit finally has got a good budget to invest on his music video and that’s why his latest one is an animated one for ‘Sannani’ by of course, Fuzz Factory Productions. The 8-bit animated video quickly reminds us of the popular games from 90s – Mario and Contra. The video that has the hard works of Rohit Shakya, Pratik Shakya, Prasit Sthapit, Rajan Shrestha, Ramesh Sherchan, Nhooja Tuladhar, Bandana Tulachan, Prabal Bikram Shah and Aneel Neupane has Rohit himself and Astha Chitrakar in the lead roles. It’s a fun video.

Watch.

So, what do you think of this list? Is there any music video from this year you think we should have included here? Let us know in the comment section below.