“We will give Bangladesh something new” – Laisfita
Shunanda Sharmin, Antora Rahman, Ferdousi Moumita and Mustarin Ahmed Sheetal – are four young singers who fought off intense competition in the marquee show, Sunsilk Divas, to form Laisfita – Bangladesh’s newest professional female pop band. With dreams of reaching for the sky, and mountains to climb in terms of gaining acceptance from the general populi, the divas are up for the challenge, as they have a conversation over coffee with The Daily Star.
Before Sunsilk Divas, you had no connection to the music industry. How do you feel after coming to the forefront as a band, and gaining so much limelight?
Antora: The feeling is quite overwhelming, and we are looking forward to making our presence felt. Honestly, we are all relishing our moment in the spotlight, and will work hard for everyone who believed in us.
What was the reason behind naming your band ‘Laisfita’?
Shunanda: We were named Laisfita, because we want to represent young women in the country. ‘Lace-fita’ is a ribbon commonly worn by school-going girls in Bangladesh, so our management company, Creinse, thought that it was a good fit for us.
Your single, ‘Swapno Akhon Aamar Haatey’, was recently released. What kind of response have you received?
Sheetal: Swapno Akhon Aamar Haatey is the first single that we recorded together, and it was composed by Hridoy Khan. We are very happy with the song, and the response that we have received is overwhelmingly positive. We were very nervous before the recording, but the support that we received from the composer, as well as our producers, helped us give our best. We are also working on an album, as well as a music video for Swapno Akhon Aamar Haatey.
Many have voiced out opinions regarding your group, especially regarding the fact that none of you play any instruments. What do you have to say about that?
Shunanda: We get that a lot. However, I’d like to clarify that we are not a conventional band, but a vocal group. Even though this term is not as well known in the country, pop bands are huge worldwide – take, for example, the likes of Blackpink, BTS and EXO from South Korea. Our diversity comes from the range and texture of our voices, and how we work with it. We hope that in time, people will understand and accept who we are, and the kind of music we make.
What would you like to achieve together as a group?
Antora: We want to create a legacy, and become rolemodels for young girls in the country, whether they are urban or rural. We want to make them believe that through hard work, anything is possible, and that they should never quit on their dreams.
Do you have any message for the readers?
Moumita: I want to urge everyone to support us, and to stay with good music, regardless of the genre. We are still new, but we will give it our all to make good music, and we need your encouragement. As long as we are together, we will give Bangladesh something new.