THE YOUTH ICON OF BENGAL.........RUPAM ISLAM

Rupam Islam born in a family of Musicians on 25^th January, 1974 in Kolkata. His Fathar’s name is Late Nurul Islam and Mother Late Chhandita Islam. Rupam's musical journey started fairly under the tutelage of his parents, renowned musicians of their time. His parents was active member of a Choir Group named “Jhankaar Shilpi Gosthi” and Ruapm performed his first stage performance at the age of 4 (four) years with this Choir Group. Rupam became the Child Artist of “Akashvani” and  “ Doordarshan” at the age of 9 (nine) years. In 1986 he got “UTTAM KUMAR AWARD” for the “Best Child Artist”.

Education went hand-in-hand with Music, and he graduated from “Ashutosh College”, Kolkata in English Literature. Later also completed Bachelor’s In Education (B.ED.) and joined “Taki Boys Multipurpose School” where he taught English to primary school students for eleven years.

In 2006 he voluntarily retired from the profession of Teaching to establish his career in Music Only. He was very much influenced bythe music of Michael Jackson, Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain, Gautam Chattopadhyay (Founder of Mohiner Ghoraguli) and James (Rock Singer from Bangladesh). He also started learning Classical Music.

Rupam’s first solo album “Tor Bhorsate” was released by HMV in 1998. The was re-released as “Neel Rong Chhilo Bhison Priyo” in 2003, and on popular demand was again re-released in CD format by “SaReGaMa” in 2007. Download & Listen one of the best song of this album from below :

Ami Tomar Chokher Kalo Chai

In 1998, Rupam formed the band “FOSSILS”. Their first stage show was held on 9^th January, 1999, at Nazrul Mancha for “Gaan 99” organised by HMV. This show had Deep on accoustic guiter, Sayantan Bumba on guiter, Tanmoy on bass, Rajiv on drums and Rupam as vocalist. This line-up was short lived and the very next show it was Chandra & Teno on guiters, Baji on drums, Bumpy on bass, Jatu on keyboard and Rupam as vocalist. Initial audience reaction to the band’s music was not encouraging. During their first few shows, they met with jeering and hostile objection to the Rock style and techniques they employed. Thus, the band name was meant to convey a sense of an “underground” movement that the members felt they had initiated and their belief that they woould be fossilised inti history under the pressure of social disapproval of their music, only to be excavated decades later by musicologists wishing to discover the roots pf Bangla Rock. The band would experience a flurry of line-up changes until the end of 1999, by which a sort of permanency was achieved with Rupam (vocal), Chandra (bass), Allen (guiter), Stephen (drums), Indra (keyboard) and Parikshit (manager) as the members. In spite of the hostile feedbacks, the band decided to stick to their sound and for the first time in the history of Indian Bangla Rock Sound.

In 2000, the band recorded a demo version of their tracks. They faced rejection several times from several record houses. Finally, a contract was landed with Asha Audio and by the end of the same year recording for the band’s first studio album began. The album was titled Fossils and released in 2002. It was not an instant success, but the music caught on once the FM radio stations started broadcasting the tracks. The album’s popularity has increased with time, and today it is called a CULT album. By this time, the band had created a niche audience and dedicated following among the youth.

The band’s second album, titled Fossils 2, was released in 2004. It was then noted as  the Bangla Band Album with the highest budget. The album was partly sponsored by the Thums Up brand. The mastering engineer was Steve Fallone of Sterling Sound, New York. This project rapidly increased the popularity of Fossills.

The band’s third album, titled Mission F, was released in 2006. It was a theme album for the first “Kolkata Police Friendship Cup Football Tournament”. A special track, “Aeka Nauo”, dedicated to “HIV Positive People”, was included in the album. It featured Usha Uthup and was produced in collaboration with the Kolkata Sukriti Foundation. Radio Mirchi collaborated with the band to produce two “Unplugged” versions of previously recorded tracks that were included in the album. According to a survey conducted by Radio Mirchi, Mission F was declared the Best Selling Album in Kolkata for the year 2006.

In the first half of 2007, Rupam launched a separate project named RnB with the bassist Bumpy.

In second half of 2007, Fossils released a music video album, titled Aupodartho. The album was launched in Music world, Park Street, Kolkata. The crowd turnout was so unexpected huge that fans had to be turned out and the outlet’s premises closed.

On 9^th November, Fossils performed live for the first time in Bangladesh at the “Dhaka Rock Fest 2007”, the first ever “International Bangla Rock Festival”.

Fossils featured in the Rolling Stones India Magazine.

In the end of 2008, Fossils began the recording of their 5^th album, titled Fossils 3, which was released on 19^th September, 2009. It was developed as a “Concept Album”. It endeavours to tell the story of a mysterious character known only as “Sada Jama (White Shirt)” through the interlinked audio tracks as well as a separate graphic account contained in the inlay cards. Mayookh Bhowmick on the distortion tabla, Indrajit Dey (Indra) on the keyboard, and a team from Kolkata Music Academy Chamber Orchestra led by Abraham Mazumder were the guest contributors to the album. Fossils 3 won the Anandalok Awards, 2009, in the non-film album category. Later in that year, Rupam won the “National Film Award” (Rajat Kamal) in the Best Male Playback Singer category from the Govrnment of India for his work in the film Mahanagar@Kolkata.

The 6^th album, titled Fossils 4, released on 19^th October, 2013. For the first time, the band has soft launched their album as full length online streaming to te audience, days before physical release of the album. It is also the first time the band holds both copyright & publishing rights of this album while INRECO doing the distribution & marketing. By its online release it was already a superhit.

In 2007, Rupam made his debut in Hindi playback in Vishesh film’s Jannat, where he sang the title song “Jannat Jahaan” and at the request of the producers, Rupam created a Bengali version of that song – “Jannat Takkai”. This version got screened as well in theatres. Another song he sang “Dil Kare” in the film All The Best : Fun Begins in 2009 under the banner of Ajay Devgan Films.

Rupam has done the maximum number of playback singing for films among all the Bangla Band Singers. Some of them are Piyalir Password, Chalo Lets Go, Madly Bangali, Kanchan Babu, Jiyo Kaka, Olotpalot, Shukno Lanka, Dwando, Angshumaner Chhobi, Aleya, Antim Swash Sundar, Mahanagar@Kolkata, Autograph, Baishese Srabon, Ichhe, Bedroom, Hemlock Society etc.

Combining his two loves : Music & Literature – Rupam wrote his first book of songs, Epitaph from AAhir Publication, one of the leading little magazine, which was released in 2006 and became one of the most sought-after books at the Kolkata Book Fair. Rupam On The Rocks, his second book, was released at the Kolkata Book Fair in 2009 and continues to remain one of the Ananda Publisher’s hottest seller. He also wrote a special column for the youth magazine Unish Kuri.

Rupam married his long-time friend Rupsha Dasgupta. On 12^th September, 2010, they became parents ofa baby boy, Rup Aarohan Prometheus.

With the music flavoured by a blend of Blues, Rock and Psychedelia, along with Rupam Islam’svocal renditions of his characteristic psychoanalytical lyrics, Fossils is identified as one of the best Band in India……And Rupam Islam is now highly established as Singer, Lyricist and Composer.

For more update about Rupam Islam, Go to his Official website :

www.rupamislam.com