Vintage Chord was formed in 2002 by four teenagers inspired by the likes of Guns N’ Roses, Metallica and Iron Maiden. The boys saw dreams of making it big like their idols but after making music together for about ten years, the band disappeared, and everybody thought Vintage Chord was just another ‘hobby band’.

But the boys from Wokha proved they were different.

Now a band of five, Arhomo Humtsoe, Nzanthan Humtsoe, Senkathung Murray, Chipethung Huntsoe and Phyombemo Tungoe made a surprise comeback in August 2021, after over ten years, with the release of their single “I am Free”. They never gave up on their dreams of creating music as a band, to perform for fans and to release albums.

Vintage Chord released their second single “Raise” in July 2022 and recently their third “Fly High Again” on 5 May 2023.

Here is a conversation Nagaland Tribune had with them about their comeback, difficulties faced by musicians in Nagaland and the struggles of having music as a career.

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NT: What inspires Vintage Chord’s music? What is your genre of music?

VC: We are purely influenced by the 80’s and 90’s rock. Such as Guns N’ Roses, Metallica, Iron Maiden, Halloween, Skid Row, to name a few. Our root/genre is rock and we usually write songs reflecting the present scenario.

Our lyrics are solely based on motivating people around the world. And when we write songs, we write it with the mindset to reach both young and old audience. We are also very lucky to get very good response from our fans.

NT: You guys went off for about almost 10 years and came back all of the sudden?

VC: We wanted to keep playing but we were teenagers with no financial support and so we decided to secure it first because we were not comfortable seeking help from well wishes regularly. And also, the music scenario was not open or wide like today. It was our dream, and we are chasing it, hoping our age don’t defy us.

NT: With the Government of Nagaland promoting music as an industry, have you benefitted as musicians from this endeavour of the government? Specially with TaFMA, whose main role is to promote local artists, how can the State government improve and help in growth of musicians?

VC: So far, our band (Vintage Chord) has not benefited anything from the government. Saying that, we had also not asked for any support till date. But we really hope we get recognition one day and get help from the government to expand our band worldwide (that’s our big dream).

The government can help the musicians in many ways through TaFMA. The government/ TAFMA can identify musicians from all the districts and provide technical training or courses so that the musicians or bands can compete in higher platforms.

Financial support is the major challenges that every musician face in the beginning. Not everyone is born with silver spoon upbringing and talent alone will not help us go places. We need financial assistance from someone/ agency. And here the government need to step up and identify real talents and help them.

NT: From a business perspective, what are the major challenges to capture consumers’ interests and build band image? How do you view brand management, marketing strategy for furthering your presence in the music ecosystem?

VC: The band definitely try to develop strong, identifiable perception, unique and creative content that will help us differentiate ourselves from others as we live in a competitive world. Building a website, create social media accounts for our music, online interactive relationships for sharing our music and organize live streams with other artists are few thought in our minds.

NT: From the perspective of music as an industry what are your thoughts on the supporting aspects like recording, production, platforms for promotion in Nagaland?

VC: If Nagaland wants to build a music industry, the government has to initiate or create a separate and stable music department in the education system and encourage the younger generation by making music a core subject in the primary and secondary level. The government can also open full-fledged music schools offering courses in recording where students can pursue diploma, degree in music. Courses in recording and music production is much needed in our state.

We do have private institutions but not many has the financial stability to access them. As such the government must take the initiative in opening such institutions which will provide employment to the future generations.

NT: What are the main platforms you use to promote your music and what are your thoughts on using such platforms to sell your music?

VC: We use social media platforms like YouTube, Instagram, Facebook. Since we had been inactive for more than 10 years, we are yet to see any positive feedbacks till now. But now that we are back in track, we are hopefully waiting for more responses from the crowd.

NT: In which states/cities/music festivals have you performed and what are the upcoming events your fans can look out for in the coming months?

VC: We had been performing in and around our state till now. Our fans can expect live concert performances during Christmas season and more single videos.

NT: What are the main goals you hope to achieve in the next 5 years?

VC: We had set our goal to perform in as many concerts and in different places. We also hope to come up with an album and to land with a record deal with one of the renowned recording companies.

NT: What are the major challenges musician face in our society?

VC: Lack of support from the parents/relatives because our society is obsessed with government/ permanent job. Insufficient platforms and lack of financial assistance are the other obstacles. Vintage Chord started as a hobby, but we would love to make music our career.

NT: Any message you would want to get out to our readers through our platform?

VC: Give your best in whatever you do. Always keep in mind that 10 percent is talent and 90 percent is hard work in order to achieve one’s goals. Remember to work hard because there is no substitute for hard work. It always pays off in the end.

Read more: Vintage Chord’s single Fly High Again sends out encouraging message