Rhythm of Love: In conversation with 28-year-old Kheito Y Asumi

Meet multilingual singer Kheito Y Asumi from Hovukhu village in Niuland district.

A postgraduate in English, Asumi is currently pursuing music at Bridge Music Academy, Purana Bazaar, in Dimapur.

A self-described ‘musicophile,’ his interest in singing Chinese and Korean OST songs can be traced back to 2017 when his female classmates introduced him to Chinese and Korean dramas. Over the years, the artiste has performed in over 9 languages including Korean, Chinese, Thai, Filipino, Spanish, Indonesian, Hindi, English, and Sümi. Interestingly, he shared that he has composed one original Korean song which he plans to release in the near future.

Asumi, like many young people, is a big fan of BTS, and his love for the band grew when he discovered that the band member ‘V’ and he share the same birth year and day, so he refers to V as his ‘twin.’

In today’s Rhythm of Love, Asumi shares with Eastern Mirror, his love for multilingual performances.

Eastern Mirror: An introduction about yourself.

Kheito Y Asumi: Hello everyone! I’m Kheito Y. Asumi, popularly known as ‘Oppa,’ and formerly known as ‘SJU Oppa’ and ‘NASU Oppa’. I am an upcoming pop artiste from the small village of Hovukhu in Niuland district. I’m the youngest of four sons. I completed my PG degree in English from St. Joseph University, Sovima, in 2019, and I am currently pursuing my Music Education from Bridge Music Academy, Purana Bazaar, in Dimapur.

Eastern Mirror: Assuming that you do mostly covers, do you plan to release any originals soon?

Asumi: Yes, of course! Aside from covers, I’m planning to release an original Sümi wedding song by the end of this year. With this, I have composed many Sümi songs and one original Korean song, which will be released in the future.

Eastern Mirror: In how many languages have you tried doing covers? What are the easiest and hardest languages to cover?

Asumi: When it comes to studio-recorded covers, I have uploaded two cover songs in Chinese and Korean languages to my YouTube channel. But for shows, I have performed in 9 languages in general: Korean, Chinese, Thai, Filipino, Spanish, Indonesian, Hindi, English, and Sümi.

The easiest language is Korean because aside from C-drama, I often watch K-dramas during my leisure time. There’s no hardest language, I should say, because once I like the song, the language is not a problem.

Eastern Mirror: What are the challenges you face while learning to sing in different languages?

Asumi: Time, interest, and dedication are what keep me going. As a musicophile, everywhere I go and anything I do, I mostly listen to Korean and Chinese songs. And with every new favourite, I write the lyrics, then correct them and rewrite my version of the lyrics as per my understanding.

Eastern Mirror: How and when did you start singing Chinese and Korean songs?

Asumi: I started singing Chinese and Korean songs in 2017, after being introduced to C-dramas and K-dramas by my female classmates. And as a singer, I got attracted to the original soundtracks (OSTs) from the dramas.

Since then, I started learning those songs, and my love for OST songs never stopped.

Not long after, my first public performance of an Asian song was on Nov. 7, 2018, at Tokhu Night, Agri Expo, where I performed ‘Just One Smile Is Very Alluring’ by Yang Yang which is an OST song from the C-drama ‘Love O2O.’

This was later recorded and released as my first OST Cover MV on Jan. 5, 2022, as my 26th birthday special.

The following year, I released a cover of ‘Start’ by Gaho, from the OST of the K-drama ‘Itaewon Class’ as my 27th birthday special on Dec. 30, 2022.

Eastern Mirror: Any special reason behind covering BTS songs often?

Asumi: Before 2020, I had a mindset of typical Naga men, disliking BTS for their flamboyant behaviour, and was never interested in them. I just heard that it’s a famous boy band from South Korea. It was until I came to know Kim Taehyung, a.k.a, V from BTS on December 30, 2020, when my female friends posted birthday wishes to V on their WhatsApp statuses. So I asked them who he was, Googled him, and found out that we share the same birthday, month, and year. I think it’s very fortunate for me to be his twin.

Since then, I started to listen to some of their songs and perform them in public to gain a larger audience. I didn’t expect that one day I would be performing their songs.

Eastern Mirror: Top 5 songs on your playlist

Asumi: There are many favourite Korean and Chinese songs in my playlist. However, if I have to rate the top 5:

Standing Egg: You’re Precious

Chanyeol ft. Punch: Stay With Me

Yang Yang: Just One Smile Is Very Alluring

Gaho: Start

Coldin: Rainbow

Eastern Mirror: Favourite musical instrument

Asumi: The piano is my favourite musical instrument because it covers all 88 notes of the musical scales and teaches us maximum coordination from mind to hands to feet. It is the foundation of musical instruments in general. The rich sounds of the piano bring incomparable pleasure to my ears.

Eastern Mirror: Being a K-drama fan, what good thing have you learned from Korean culture that you think suits well with Naga culture?

Asumi: Being a K-drama fan, I have learned many good things from them. Korean dramas often portray social and cultural norms such as respect for elders, importance of education and hard work, strong family ties, friendship and loyalty, and most importantly, following one’s dreams. These are some aspects of Korean culture that I think will suit Naga culture.

Eastern Mirror: Where do you see yourself 5 years from now?

Asumi: Praying and working harder to flourish in the music industry in Nagaland as a mixed-culture artiste.

Eastern Mirror: What, according to you, are the top five good reasons why people should visit and explore Nagaland?

Asumi:

1. Rich and diverse culture.

2. Several scenic trekking routes with picturesque landscapes.

3. Land of festivals.

4. Many historical places to visit.

5. Visit mystical places.

Eastern Mirror: Three things you cannot live without.

Asumi: Music, food, and singing

A childhood story the artiste shares:

The artiste shares his most memorable and amusing childhood tale with his closest childhood friend, Aghali K Chishi, who is also a musician currently pursuing her Bachelor’s in Music from MSSM Patkai.

He narrates: We are June and December babies. Aghali is one of the most amazing singers and was my next-door neighbour.

Back in our childhood days, we never let any day pass by without fighting and quarrelling.

There used to be a hibiscus plant planted in between our houses, and we would stand on each side of the hibiscus border, bickering and taunting each other daily.

As kids, we would also sing songs to taunt each other, not even knowing what they meant. It is only after we grew up that we realised the words of most of those songs were not the most appropriate for kids our age.

We also used to draw and write angry phrases on cardboards with charcoal, each of us trying to it to outdo the other and assert dominance.

Despite the bickering, when it was time for lunch and dinner, she would always joyfully call me.

‘Khemboooo,’ she’d yell from her house, to which I used to respond ‘Hao! Afo Aghaliiii!’ running happily to her with my plate full of delicious curries cooked by my mom despite knowing that she would finish all the curries from my plate.

Our childhood was marked with childish fights, yet it strengthened our bond, turning our fights into fond memories.

‘Forgetting fights and quarrels of the previous nights, we became best friends like fish and water the next day.’