From a young musician who left home chasing a passion for music to one of Bangladesh’s most celebrated rock figures, James has spent decades turning that passion into a lifelong career. Known affectionately to fans as “Guru”, the Nagar Baul frontman still shows no sign of stepping away from the stage.
James has spent nearly two months touring Europe, performing in Portugal, England, Cyprus and Italy. He is now in Sweden, where he will perform for expatriate Bangladeshis on 6 September. Speaking at a press conference ahead of the concert, the singer said he wants to keep making music until the final day of his life. He also urged younger musicians to pursue music for passion rather than material gain.
James began his musical journey in Chattogram in the early 1980s as guitarist and vocalist of Feelings. The band released its debut album, Station Road, in 1987. Since then, James has captivated several generations of listeners with his music.
Reflecting on his long career, James said the passage of time never felt obvious while he was performing.
“Whenever I stand on stage, I feel that everyone is the same audience as before. I never noticed that time was passing and generations were changing. Now I realise that I may be able to sing for several generations,” he said.
James said he never entered music expecting to gain anything from it. Love, emotion and passion kept him going, he said. He offered the same advice to younger musicians.
“There is no point in making music to gain something. You have to make music purely out of passion, out of obsession. If someone makes music expecting to gain something, I would say, stop right now. I don’t think music should be made to gain something. You have to make music for your own peace of mind. If you achieve something through it, that’s a different matter. Even if I had gained nothing today, I would still have continued making music,” he said.
For James, music remains a lifelong companion. He said he has no separate plans for the future other than continuing to sing.
“I have no separate future plans regarding music. I will keep singing; I want to sing until the end. Even if, at the end, I see that there is only one audience member, I will sing for that person too,” he said.
The Sweden concert will bring James’ European tour to an end. He will then travel to Australia for a special concert in New South Wales on 12 September. West Bengal’s Fossils frontman Rupam Islam will also perform at the event.
