Last time I wrote about the National Music Awards, I cheekily ended it with,

“I hope they introduce a rap category in the next edition.”

And guess what? THEY DID!
We finally have a Best Rap & RnB Artist category. Not that I take credit (okay, maybe a tiny bit), but hey, I’ll still take the win.
Progress, people!
Now, whether the nominations are spot on or not is… let’s say, up for discussion.
Chill, just kidding.
Or maybe not. ¯\(ツ)/¯

Anyway, this year, Radio Kantipur is taking things up a notch. This time, they’re doing it with the fans, at the Godavari Sunrise Convention Center. A full-on concert for 3,000 fans, live performances by the likes of Kuma Sagar, Durgesh Thapa, Swoopna Suman, Asmita Adhikari, and many more; along with comedy from Sundar Khanal and Sujita Shrestha.

And now to the awards — 14 categories, a Lifetime Achievement, and I was confidently picking favorites… until this one came along

Best Band.

No exaggeration here — Best Band is hands down the most fiercely competitive and downright exciting category this year.
Let’s break it down:

Kuma Sagar & The Khwopa – A Mai Re
The perfect blend of folk and funk. Kuma’s vocals paired with the tight arrangement from The Khwopa? Pure magic on repeat.

Swar Ft. John Chamling Rai – Badal Sari
Okay, okay — I know Swar is more of a duo than a band, but listen… the music they make? Deserves to be here. Love this song!

Rockheads – Bhawana
Rock that hits you right in the feels. If raw emotion had a guitar riff, this would be it.

Abhaya & The Steam Engines – Sadhai Bhari
Legends. Still evolving, still powerful, still rocking. Such a good song this is.

Purna Rai & Dajubhai Haur – Sparsha Geet
A gem of a band that brings so much heart and soul into the scene. Purna Rai’s sincerity shines through every lyric.

I would’ve shared the song here like the others, but embedding’s been disabled by the uploader. No worries though — you can still watch it directly on YouTube. And you should, it’s lovely.

If you ask me who’s going to win? I’ll say… I don’t know. And I’m okay with that.
Because for once, I don’t want to root for just one.
All of them deserve it.

Honestly, this is one of those rare categories where I won’t be mad no matter who wins — I’ll probably just cheer, hum the song, and immediately replay the others.

So while categories like Best Song or Best Female Vocal might feel easier to decide for me, Best Band is where it gets really tough — especially for someone who’s been listening, re-listening, and falling in love with all their songs over and over again.

So, who are you rooting for?

Here is the complete list of nominations:

Best Singer (Adhunik Male) – Shiva Pariyar, Satyaraj Acharya, Prabin Nepali, Bishow Nepali, Sashi Gurung
Best Singer (Adhunik Female) – Rachana Rimal, Tika Prasain, Laboni Chakraborty, Babina Bhattrai, Samikshya Adhikari
Best Playback Singer (Male) – Roman Bajracharya, Sanup Paudel, Ashish Aviral, SD Yogi, Nishan Bhattrai
Best Playback Singer (Female) – Samikshya Adhikari, Jhuma Limbu, Sunita Thegim, Shanti Shree Pariyar, Salina BK
Best Music Director – BB Anuragi, Sanjeev Baraili, Sunil Maskey, Suraj Pandit, Kriti Neupane
Best Hiphop and R&B – Omg Spark, Vek/Jamsey, Dmitri, Brijesh Shrestha, Yabesh & Bizen
People’s Choice Award – Kuma Sagar & The Khwopa Band, Sushant KC/Indrakala Rai, Durgesh Thapa/Samikshya Adhikari, Shanta Rani Pariyar, Shanti Shree Pariyar
Best Debut Singer – Subhod Sagar Dhakal, RC Rimal, Subash Sundas, Neeru Budha Magar, Karan Pariyar
Best Singer (Pop Male) – Sushant KC, Sujan Chapagain, Sajjan Raj Vaidya, John Chamling Rai, Swoopna Suman
Best Singer (Pop Female) – Astha Tamang Maskey, Rachana Dahal, Trishala Gurung, Samriddhi Rai, Sajja Chaulagain
Best Lyricist – Sambhu Jamarkattel, Bhushan Kharel, Damodar Regmi, Dinesh Adhikari, Abeeral Thapa
Best Singer (Lok Female) – Rita Thapamagar, Anju Bishwakarma, Purna Kala BC, Devi Gharti, Shanti Shree Pariyar
Best Singer (Lok Male) – Shirish Devkota, Mausham Gurung, Khem Century, Prakash Dutraj, Bishwo Dong
Best Band – Kuma Sagar & The Khwopa Band, Swar Ft. John Chamling Rai, Rockheads, Abhaya and The Steam Engines, Purna Rai & Dajubhai Haru
Lifetime Achievement Award – [To be announced at the event]

P.S. Best Pop Male and Female categories also have some of my absolute favorite artists nominated. But unlike Best Band, I do know who I’d pick — not saying it here though. I don’t want the smoke. Let the jury do their job.

The National Music Awards 2081, organized by Radio Kantipur, will take place on July 12th at the Godavari Sunrise Convention Center. Can’t wait to see who takes home the awards!