Angarag Mahanta also known as - Papon has had us swooning to his voice & music from the early 2000’s and is one of the most iconic figures to have emerged from Guwahati in recent times. He is definitely the reason why Assamese folk & fusion finally get it’s due in the Indian Music Industry. With his roots in Assam’s rich folk and classical traditional music, he broke the boundaries of genres and soon his music became a testament to his father’s legacy - Assam Khagen Mahanta who was a renowned Assamese folk singer and is also known as the 'King of Bihu’. via GIPHY He soon became one of the most sought-after artists in the country and won the GIMA in the Best Pop Album category, 2012 for his acclaimed debut album ‘The Story So far’. He went on to win two awards at the JD Rock Awards - ‘Best Male Vocalist’ and ‘Best Song’ for the feisty folk track ‘Boitha Maro Re’. In 2015, Papon won another GIMA for Best POP Album for his mind-blowing episode of CokeStudio Season3. While rightly deserved, no amount of awards can quantify Papon’s constant urge to make honest and beautiful music and his enormous contribution to the Indian Independent Music Industry.

Editor's Comments On Papon's Cult Fan Following!

Been following his music for a while now. Papon is a musician who is so culturally driven, a true folk artist! Despite all of his music with Bollywood, it never felt like he sung a song which wasn't the natural him. Infact, his music with Bollywood has continued to bring freshness in the film music industry. His honesty towards his fans and his style has over the past 10 years built a CULT Fan Following. Papon might look like serving a very niche audience by his sound but, appeals the masses! He's so real and a wonderful person too! He is a prodigy from Assam, came all the way to steal everyone's heart! The emotional connection built between Papon & his listeners has resulted in creating a cult-like fan following for himself resulting in Brand Creation! Happy Birthday Papon! - Aparajita Misra, Editorial Lead, Founding Member, Loudest.in

Today being Papon's birthday, Loudest takes you through Papon’s soulful tunes and his journey and wishes him a happy birthday! 

What strikes us the most is how Papon has managed to get everyone’s attention & affection, whether it’s MASSIVE Bollywood hits like Jiyein Kyun (Dum Maaro Dum, 2011) or his honest and moving compositions like ‘Baarish Ki Boondein’ (The Story So Far, 2012). [embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CmyegqD1dU[/embedyt]

Check out the MTV Unplugged version of ‘Jiyein Kyun’

Papon’s initial training in Indian Classical, Borgeet (devotional) and folk music shines through his performances and is an extension of who and where he comes from. He has always talked about the beauty and diversity of the North Eastern states and the unbelievable forms of art and music that hail from the region. Honestly, he is the first musician who has successfully managed to start a dialogue with the youth about cultural appropriation and we thank you for that, Papon! [embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00GyKSyXU-I[/embedyt]

Listen to one of our favorites - Bihu Naam(Pak Pak) “A medley of romantic Bihu songs sung in parts of Northern Assam, usually during the time of Assamese New Year”

via GIPHY In 2007, He founded the folk-fusion band called ‘Papon and The East India Company’ and there was no looking back for the band since then. The band has performed live almost at all the major music festivals in India, like the SAARC Bands Festival, October Fest, NH7 Weekender, Sulafest, MAD Fest Ooty, and SO many more. [embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAH2SUXE2Uc[/embedyt]

Papon and The East India Company Performing Live at the goMAd Festival, 2012.

Papon and EIC have toured globally and performed at countless international music festivals such as Paleo Music Fest, Switzerland, Java Jazz Festival in Jakarta, Oslo World Music Festival, Norway and the list goes on. Check out this video we found of Papon performing at  Assamese Get Together, New Jersey, USA, 2014. He’s singing the same song that his parents performed there in 1993. Full circle! [embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROrUG82fPoM[/embedyt]

Papon's parents sang this song in an Assamese Get Together, New Jersey, USA, July, 1993. Papon also sang the same song in July, 2014 (21 years later!) in New Jersey.

He is also the only artist to have been a part of all three seasons of MTV Coke Studio and with every season you can see him grow as an artist and composer. Coming from a rich folk music background, Coke Studio embraced Papon’s authentic creative process and truly gave him a chance to display his versatility as a multi-instrumentalist, composer and singer. His Coke Studio sessions are truly timeless and no wonder we find ourselves going back to it again and again. [embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KT2D-L283k[/embedyt]

Listen to the beautiful ‘Khumaar’ performed at Coke Studio India, Season 3.

Papon has also featured in the critically acclaimed original TV Series The Dewarists with music icons like Rabbi Shergill in season 1 followed by a breathtaking collaboration in season 2 with Karsh Kale, Carl Barat from Britain, Scottish musician Ross Ainslie and guitarist Warren Mendonsa and honest to god, it’s a true testament to his multi faceted flair as an Indie musician and a mainstream artist. [embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lr9kw0-Z6WM[/embedyt]

Listen to ‘The Minstrel's Tale’ from Season 2 of The Dewarists.

One of the most amazing projects he’s done is The Red Bull Tour Bus Hometown Heroes documentary. “Hometown Heroes, takes Papon back to Northeast India, traveling through various cities in the region on the Red Bull Tour Bus, meeting old friends and family and introducing fans to a side of his life that remains largely unexplored.”  You’ll be blown away by how the usually private Papon takes his fans on a personal journey which is almost like a video journal.

Don't miss the seven-part documentary series about the Guwahati folk star - Papon. Watch it here!

I had the pleasure of witnessing Papon live at the ASEAN India Festival 2017 in New Delhi and seeing Papon perform was such a fulfilling experience. He’s constantly engaging and interacting with his audience and I remember him saying something about living in the moment and logging off from our smartphones and social media updates and just taking the time to connect with people, in real life. I could see the twinkle in people’s eyes, singing and swaying to his music and that was beautiful. Thank you for being so true to yourself and your music, for talking about things that matter and for showing to the world that you can’t always put people into boxes.