‘Irregularity is my routine’

Popular singer Nancy has launched a new business, dedicating it to her mother. She also sang a new song composed by Habib Wahid. Like every other year, she is going to help the poor this winter.

Singer Nancy, Bangladesh, Prothom Alo
Singer Nancy, Bangladesh, Prothom Alo

Prothom Alo: You have worked with Habib Wahid after a long interval...

Nancy: Yes. Last time we sang a duet, ‘Golaper Din’, during Eid-ul-Fitr. We’ve worked together again after a long interval. We sang two duets in a day. Habib bhai made a phone call to me on Sunday to sing with him in another one. It might be next week.

PA: Winter is near, you will be asked for more stage shows. Are you ready?

Nancy: I rarely perform on stage, but the demand for stage shows increases in winter. However, it doesn’t require any special preparation. I cannot follow a regular routine neither for practice nor in any other aspect of my life. Irregularity is my routine. Sometimes I stay in Dhaka, sometimes I rush to Mymensingh, and then again from there to Netrokona. That's the way it is.

PA: But don’t you lose good offers due to this running from Dhaka to Mymensingh or Netrokona?

Nancy: Yes, obviously. Sometimes my professional track loses its rhythm. Despite my interest in good work, I sometimes lose opportunities due to family reasons. I feel lonely and helpless then.

PA: What are you busy with now other than singing?

Nancy: I started working for people right from the day I started earning. I had learnt this from my mother. For about six years I have been distributing quilts every year among 1000 helpless people in Netrokona, Mymensingh. I am planning to do the same this year.

PA: We heard you have launched a new business. Where is it?

Nancy: My mother’s house is in Pashchim Satpai, Netrokona. It is a mansion with a fountain, lawns and a small field in front. I have used this to start a community centre. I thought of doing this to keep my mother alive. I named it Jostna Community Centre. It has been inaugurated on 26 November.

*This piece, originally published in Prothom Alo print edition, has been rewritten in English by Nusrat Nowrin