Rachana Rimal

Rachana Rimal is a popular Nepali singer who gained nationwide recognition after she was featured in the third season of the reality singing competition show Nepal Idol in 2019. Born on August 13, 2002, in Tehrathum, Nepal, she moved to Jhapa with her family when she was an infant. She took an interest in music at a very young age, as she would sing devotional bhajans in local events in her vicinity. She actively participated in local singing competitions, the first significant recognition coming from a Facebook competition where a video of her singing, uploaded by her teacher, received the most likes. She was awarded a harmonium as a prize for this initial success. Another memory of her initial music life is of winning 500 rupees in another contest — which she has kept intact to this day as a personal keepsake.

Rimal’s professional life started after her stint in Nepal Idol, where she was placed in the top 8 and was the most voted participant for three consecutive weeks. She became extremely popular with the song “Photo Firimma,” which was composed and penned by Shishir Bhandari and came out in 2020. She continued to release a number of other popular songs such as “Unko Preeti,” “Paani Chhamkine,” and “Mineral Water.” Her achievement of recording over one thousand songs within the period of two years — from 2020 to 2022 — is considered an exceptional achievement and testifies to her devotion and work ethic. Still, her career has not been without controversy. In 2022, Rimal faced backlash for her rendition of Nabirse Timilai, a cover of a song originally sung by Anju Panta. The backlash intensified when the songwriter of the song, Bipin Kiran, failed to acknowledge Panta’s contribution to the original. Anju Panta publicly stated that she was initially approached to sing the remake and was even provided with a new arrangement, implying that she had been replaced without being informed.