In conversation with Kona
Popular singer Kona has branched out in acting and TV show hosting. Her voice has earned wide recognition thanks to several jingles.
Kona’s last album was released two years ago. The self-titled album was her second solo record. The track “Borosha” was an overnight hit and held its position on the top chart for a while. After a hiatus, Kona is busy again with her third studio album — couple of songs have already been recorded. Expectations surrounding the album run high, as three juggernaut composers Bappa Majumdar, Habib and Fuad are involved with the album. Bappa will do the bulk of the work — composing tunes for six songs, while Fuad and Habib will compose three and one respectively. Kona informs that although 70 percent of the job has been completed, the name of the album is yet to be decided. She adds that the album may come out this month. Listeners will get a variety of classical inspired, romantic and semi-rock tunes, along with the first ever collaboration between Kona and Habib.
Apart from her new album, Kona’s schedule is marked with live performances, playbacks and jingles. Her voice will soon be heard in songs of the movies “Chheleti”, “Lal Tip” and “Speed”. Kona also sang for the new Banglalink ad. Her recent work also includes the title song for the TV serial “Terminal”, written by Jahid Akbar.
Audience first heard Kona’s voice in her debut album “Jyamitik Bhalobasha” in 2006. The same year she began acting and hosting a show “Amra Ekhon Unish Kuri” (on ntv) and “Tomader Pelo Bangladesh”. The hosting experience was a wonderful one, says Kona. Her first TV play was “Nokol Poshak”, directed by Shahiduzzaman Selim. Although the initial plan was to appear in one play, praises came as inspiration to venture further into the acting world, Kona informs. The acting journey has seen Kona appearing in 26 productions so far, counting both single-episode plays and serials, the most popular of which are “Danguli”, “Bhober Haat”, “Chhayabithi-Toley”, “Bohemian”, “Society”, “Bhoy”, “Hojoborolo” etc.
Kona had her music lessons from Nazrul Academy and Shishu Academy. The teacher and mentor who groomed her vocal talents is Moidul Islam, says Kona.
Kona’s career in jingles began in 1998 with a tune composed by Emon Saha. In 2003, she joined a female group Angel Four, which included singers Tisha, Rumana and Nafisa.
Kona says that the love of the audience is her main gain. A memorable experience: When she was busy with playbacks for movies “Amar Achhe Jol”, “The Search” and “Jaago”, Kona received a surprise call from seasoned singer Shakila Zafar. Zafar called just to express her appreciation of Kona’s singing.
All of Kona’s dreams surround music as it means the world to her. She feels that live performances on stage are a completely unique experience. Although of late the number of live shows have gone down, Kona says she was up to the neck with around 14 shows a month until recently.
-With The Daily Star input
