For Debosrie Antara, the day she recorded ‘Lage Ura Dhura’ began like any other working day. She read the news at noon, then went to Pritom Hasan’s studio to sing. Around midnight, she interviewed director Gias Uddin Selim in her role as a presenter.
“I thought I would sing four lines and leave. I do this kind of work regularly,” she says. Yet the song, featured in the film Toofan, went on to make YouTube’s global trending charts.
The success brought her voice to a much wider audience, but it did not change her understanding of music. For Antara, singing is a passion she cannot do without, rather than a profession she can depend on for a regular income.
She believes very few singers in Bangladesh can make a living solely from music. Producers and sound engineers can often find steady work, she says, but vocalists largely depend on whether others choose them for projects.
“Music is my hunger, not my livelihood,” is how her relationship with the art might best be described.
Antara has been singing since she was three or four. Her mother danced at the national level before marriage, while her father sang Rabindra Sangeet. Her elder brother taught her to play ‘Bulbul Pakhi Moyna Tiye’ on the harmonium, and her mother guided her early stage performances. She also learnt dance by watching Madhuri Dixit on television.
In class seven, Antara enrolled at Chhayanaut, where she studied Nazrul Sangeet, Rabindra Sangeet and folk music for four years. She learnt songs by listening to cassette tapes and often approached teachers during breaks to learn more.
Her entry into the industry was not easy. In 2016, a video of her singing at home went viral, attracting a UK-based producer who wanted her to record a song with singer Musafir, with Bappa Mazumder as music director. Nervous after seeing Bappa at the studio, Antara could not sing.
Bappa left, and recording engineer Ruhan later recorded ‘Stationer Gobhire’. A dispute between the producer and her co-singer ultimately prevented its release.
In 2017 or 2018, she recorded a demo of an original song with Apel Mahmud, planned for release on 14 February. But a university examination prevented her from attending the final recording. On the night of 11 February, her birthday, she learnt another singer would record it.
“I cried all day,” she says.
Apel contacted her again nearly a year later, having quietly followed her progress. Antara learnt studio singing from him and also worked with Arafat Mohsin Nidhi. “Neither of them talks unnecessarily outside work. They make professional boundaries clear,” she says.
After turning down an offer of Tk15,000 to sing on an album, she decided not to approach producers for work. Her parents, who had no connections in the music industry, had initially been reluctant to let her visit unfamiliar studios alone. Instead, she performed on university stages, gradually securing jingles and playback work for television dramas.
Her credits included an Apex Durga Puja campaign and advertisements for Rin, Lux and bKash.
In December 2023, she created an audio-visual performance featuring Habib Wahid’s songs for the Fuad Live concert. She sent Habib this audio-visual as reference. After reviewing it, he gave her his phone number. Their first studio meeting lasted four hours.
They later released ‘Preme Pora Mon’, followed by ‘Mon Bojhe Na’ in early 2024. She also recorded Frooto and Pran Up jingles with him.
Pritom approached Antara for ‘Lage Ura Dhura’ after seeing her work with Habib. Its success coincided with personal struggles. Her father needed a pacemaker, and repeatedly watching him come close to death left her unable to sleep. She sought medical help and counselling.
In late 2025, she had also fallen on a staircase while returning from a studio, requiring 10 stitches in her knee. Together, these experiences kept her away from music for a considerable period.
Her family never wanted music to become her sole profession, and she now shares that view. For Antara, singing remains a passion rather than a dependable livelihood.
She has recently recorded songs for several films but does not want to reveal their titles before release. She has also been writing original songs since 2022. Her song ‘Sky’, involving Bangladesh, the United Kingdom and Ukraine, is due out this year.
