Rhythm of Love: In conversation with Imna Yaden

Imna Yaden is a passionate artiste from Nagaland, who despite being in the Police department, did not give up his love for music. He has released many music videos and has also worked with various renowned local artistes like Alobo Naga, Sunep Lemtur, JPolland, and others.

Before stepping into solo projects, Yaden was also a member of the bands ‘Intune’ and ‘Wonder Waves’.

Read on to know more about him….

Eastern Mirror:  Kindly introduce yourself.

Imna Yaden: Hi!! Imna Yaden here.

Despite being in the Police department which demands 24×7 commitment, my love for music has been a constant motivator to undertake the challenges. Keeping a balance between my profession and my passion keeps me occupied and helps me to bring out the best in me and my music. I would like to thank God and all those who have been there for me in my musical endeavour.

Eastern Mirror: Who introduced you to music?

Imna Yaden: Music was all around me like any Naga individual and when I tried my hand at it,I felt that this is something which I would love to do for the rest of my life.

Eastern Mirror: What is your new music video ‘Rainbow of my life’ (feat. Mensemnaro) about?

Imna Yaden: This project evolved when I wanted to feature my cousin sister who was on a musical hiatus. I wanted to create a beautiful melody to suit her beautiful voice and that’s how “Rainbow of My Life” was born.

Eastern Mirror: You have worked with various local artistes. How was your experience working with them?

Imna Yaden: I always feel that we must have the knack to assimilate if we want to grow as an individual. So even for an artiste it is always a learning experience to collaborate with other artistes. Be it Alobo Naga, Sunep Lemtur, Tiameren Aier, Yanger Toshi, J Polland or Mensemnaro. It has been an enriching experience for me as, while exchanging our musical approach and the directions during the projects, has helped evolve me as a musician.

Eastern Mirror: You compose as well as write lyrics for most of your singles. What are your main inspirations while writing lyrics?

Imna Yaden: I get inspiration from the surroundings, the beauty of life and my understanding of the blessings of life. It is “the moment” which activates the artiste in me to start the musical process.

Eastern Mirror: How have you evolved as an artiste since your debut in music?

Imna Yaden: It has been an amazing experience so far. Starting as a novice in my musical journey with “Intune” , a boy band in the late 90s, and getting to perform beyond our state was an enriching experience. We had the privilege to open the first edition of “Hornbill Festival on December 1,  2000”.

After Intune disbanded due to the commitments of band members for further studies, “Wonder Waves” , another boy band, was born. We had a great time performing across the nation and also won contests like “summer jam” under pop category during the mid 2000s. We also released our first album “Friendship” in the year 2003 which was recorded at Guwahati. After a hiatus from the music scene, Wonder Waves released some projects in 2017. On a personal front I released my first solo project in 2020 and till date it has been a beautiful journey.

Eastern Mirror: Do you see yourself in the music industry 10 years from now?

Imna Yaden: As I have said earlier, this was something which I wanted to do for the rest of my life and with the love and support shown to me so far in my musical endeavour, I would try my best to share my music to all the listeners.

Eastern Mirror: You must be feeling the pressure of expectations from listeners. How do you deal with it?

Imna Yaden:  Every project is a challenging venture for me personally as I always strive to create a benchmark for myself musically. So while keeping in mind the aforementioned parameters it becomes natural to satisfy the listeners and till date I have been blessed to receive the love and support from my listeners.

Eastern Mirror: Do you have anything to say about the perception of people towards musicians in the state?

Imna Yaden: Every one of us in Nagaland loves and appreciates music, however music is an expensive passion and a career. So as an artist, I would like to urge all the listeners and music lovers to support and give us the space so that we can continue to share our music in days to come.

Eastern Mirror: Any project in the offing?

Imna Yaden: I am planning to release a couple of projects by the end of the year.