Bhallagena: Arnob's tenth after ten years

Shayan Chowdhury Arnob is one of the most influential names in the Bangladeshi music scene after the 2000s. His melodies and heartfelt lyrics have resonated deeply with listeners over the years.

Although he released several albums in the early years of his career, no new album had come out in the past decade. Now, after ten years, the curator of Coke Studio Bangla has returned with a new album, 'Bhallagena'.

"Even though there has been no new album, I have always been involved with music," Arnob said. "Coke Studio has kept me busy, along with many other projects. For various reasons, I could not manage the time to make a full album."

"Amid all this, I finally found the time to experiment and have fun creating something new; and hopefully, the next album will not take so long," he said.

The album was released on 30 October under his own record label, Adhkhana Music, with support from Eastern Bank PLC. The launch event took place at a café in Banani, where the first song from the album, Dushtu Chele written by Zahid Haider, was unveiled.

The evening also featured a preview of a few songs and a live performance of Arnob's timeless hits.

The album features a total of eight songs written by poet Zahid Haider, Srijato, Taufiq Riaz, and Arnob's late friend, poet Rajib Ashraf.

Arnob's Kolkata-based friend Taufiq Riaz, known for Bhalobasha Tarpor, Tor Jonno, and Somoy Kate, and the late poet Rajib is the lyricist of some of Arnob's most iconic songs including Hok Kolorob, Naam Chilo Na, and Protiddhoni.

"It is my first solo album in ten years, and I am genuinely thrilled about this work," Arnob said at the launch. "I have always wanted to work with poetry, so I have set three beautiful poems by three different poets to music. Alongside Dushtu Chele, I have worked on Srijato's Uronto Sob Joker and Jibanananda Das's Haay Chil, which is also my first collaboration with The Seesaw Band's arrangement."

The title track, Bhallagena, sung by Arnob and his partner, Sunidhi, was the last song Rajib handed to Arnob, and the album is dedicated to his memory.

Tracks from Bhallagena will be available on Arnob's official Spotify channel, with music videos on YouTube for select songs, including Uronto Sob Joker, Dushtu Chele, Haay Chil, Tomar Mati, Okale Brishti, and the title track previewed at the launch.

Arnob's last full-length original album, Khub Dub, came out in 2015. Since then, he has released Ondho Shohor and Arnob and Friends 2 — one a remake and the other featuring older songs. Before Khub Dub, Arnob gifted his listeners with a string of beloved albums, including Chaina Bhabish, Hok Kolorob, Dub, Arnob and Friends Live, Rod Bolechhe Hobe, and Adhek Ghume.