Kathmandu, November 4
Ekdev Limbu may not have a long list of songs to his name, but the success he has achieved through music is remarkable. He is still young, yet one song in particular has taken him far beyond what many artists can hope to achieve.
That song is Jhim Jhimaune Aankha, a major hit that Limbu himself considers a stroke of luck. He believes some things can exist both in dreams and in reality. For him, the song has been a superhit in both.
Today, the song is available not only in Nepali but also in Hindi and Chinese. Indian singer Neha Kakkar has recorded its Hindi version, while Chinese actress and singer Zhao Lusi has sung it in Chinese.
The success of Jhim Jhimaune Aankha is the kind many artists can only dream of. Limbu is living that experience. In recent years, Nepali artists have increasingly been releasing versions of their hit songs in other languages. Limbu is among those leading this trend.
He released the original Nepali version around two years ago. Before its official release, he had shared short excerpts of the song on social media. As people began making videos using those snippets, the song gained traction and went viral. He later added more lyrics and released the complete studio version.
Not long after its release, he received a call from India with an offer to acquire the song’s complete rights. He was open to discussions, which eventually led to an agreement to produce a Hindi version.
Then came an unexpected question.
Who would you like to collaborate with?
Ekdev Limbu began naming rappers whose music he had been listening to. However, the Indian team insisted that the song needed a soft female voice. The names of Neha Kakkar and Shreya Ghoshal were then considered, and Kakkar was eventually selected.
What followed became a milestone in Limbu’s musical journey. Just as the song had resonated with Nepali listeners through its lyrics, it found a wide audience in India. It was played on Indian singing reality shows and gained popularity on digital platforms.
At one point, Limbu had hoped to collaborate with popular rapper Badshah. Badshah himself had said he would send him a musical beat, but the collaboration never materialised. Limbu says he no longer regrets that it did not happen. He accepts that everyone has their own journey, a lesson he says his own experience has taught him.
He initially had some anxiety about his Hindi pronunciation and wondered whether listeners would accept his singing in the language. But when the song was released, those worries gave way to success. It also opened doors to relationships and collaborations with artists he had admired since childhood — connections that money alone could not buy.
Ekdev Limbu has a special affection for his mother tongue, Limbu. That is why he has included words from the language in some of his songs. Even when listeners do not understand their meaning, they sing along. He wanted Hindi-speaking audiences to share a similar experience, and Jhim Jhimaune Aankha gave him that opportunity.
These days, Limbu is also appearing in the public eye as a judge on the eighth season of the musical reality show The Voice of Nepal.
Those who know him closely say he enjoys surprising people. Perhaps he is preparing a few surprises beyond his professional work as well.
