Rhythm of Love: in conversation with Alika K Achumi

The freedom of creativity in music is what drew civil engineering graduate Alika K Achumi towards it.

The talented songwriter/singer is the recipient of the 12th Music Awards of Nagaland 2020 Best folk fusion song for her song “Imaginary ocean”. Achumi feels strongly about changing the state’s perception towards music, as it is currently not considered a preferred profession due to lack of opportunities or wider platforms.

The singer/songwriter gets candid with Rhythm of Love and shares her musical aspirations. Read on to know more about the passionate artiste.

EASTERN MIRROR: Tell us about yourself. What made you want to become a musician?

Alika K Achumi: Hello, I am Alika K Achumi. I am a civil engineering graduate and a singer /songwriter from Dimapur.

Music, just like for a whole lot of people has been the perfect getaway for me. Coming up with new tones and word structures always intrigued me from an early age and I learned that music has the freedom of creativity that I desired, this triggered me to become a musician. 

EASTERN MIRROR: Do you have any hobbies or interests outside of music?

Alika K Achumi: Yes I do. I keep myself busy with sketching and journaling. I also have a mind ‘decluttering mantra’ i.e. Sky gazing although I am not sure if that would be considered as a hobby.

EASTERN MIRROR: Tell us about your song ‘Imaginary Ocean’

Alika K Achumi: ‘Imaginary Ocean’, is my very first released original song. I wrote it for a very close friend of mine who lost her father at a young age. A person never fully recovers from the pain of losing a loved one but they learn to grow with the pain. Imaginary Ocean is like a nonexistent vessel for containing the lingering emotions of the past. The first and second verse of the song shows the protagonist lamenting for the deceased one, as the song progresses to the bridge, the lines ‘Wolo Wolo no’ which translates to ‘Farewell’ in Sumi  portrays the sign of setting oneself free.

EASTERN MIRROR: What is it about music that makes you want to do more of music? What type of musician would you prefer to collaborate with?

Alika K Achumi: Music in general is very diverse. Like a preacher never running out of sermons, a musician can never run out of content. This very trait of music keeps me going on and pushes me to experiment new musical ideas.

As far as collaboration is concerned, I actually have no preference. I would be humbled and delighted to collaborate with any artist if ever given a chance.

EASTERN MIRROR: Tell us about your favourite and least part of being a musician.

Alika K Achumi: The best thing about being a musician is being able to bring to life our words and thoughts and connecting with people through our songs. In addition, every individual has a different music taste, so having the freedom to create the kind of music I personally like is a different kind of euphoria I experience as a musician.

In Nagaland, people in general do not consider music as a profession, ultimately resulting in lack of opportunities or wider platforms, which I would deem as the major drawback of being a musician.

EASTERN MIRROR: Your most regrettable performance. What did you learn from this experience?

Alika K Achumi: The most common problem we musicians face is the mid performance technical glitches. I also have a fair share of such experiences and have learnt that at such times confidence is the necessary back up kit. Eventually people will talk about how you dealt with it instead of what went wrong.

EASTERN MIRROR: What is the best piece of advice another musician has given you?

Alika K Achumi: A senior musician once told me that punctuality should be the core asset of a musician because it reflects ones commitment and I think those words resonate so much power.

EASTERN MIRROR: What do you do when the audience react negatively or when you find any unconstructive opinion on social media?

Alika K Achumi: My experience on criticism, constructive and unconstructive both has been very limited. With that being said the audience so far has been very supportive. However, I have a long way to go and for if and when I do come upon unconstructive opinions in any form, I am preparing myself to apply the rule of ‘ignorance is bliss’.