By Aparmita Das
Post-pandemic, 2022 is the beginning of a new era for many, but it is also the year that opened new avenues for musicians all around the world, especially for a band called, The Prophets from Mizoram, who recently won one of the biggest rock festivals in India’s northeast, ShiRock 2022, and took home a whopping Rs 10 lakh as prize money.
The dictionary defines “Prophet” as someone who makes predictions about the future but did the Mizo band predict that they would be bagging the first prize in the coveted competition? Well, before we dive into the experience of The Prophets at ShiRock 2022, let us know their musical journey.
“The name, The Prophets, is kind of cool, don’t you think?” laughs Ronnie, the vocalist, when The Meghalayan asked them about the story behind the name of the band. “For us, the name of the band doesn’t signify anything. At the time of scouting a name for the band, we thought of the name The Prophets and it sounded dope to us,” he added.
Originally formed by Ronnie Hmar (vocals), Gordon Hnamte (bass), and Mamaoia Colney (drums) in 2010, the band underwent quite a few lineup changes over the years. In 2011, The Prophets was joined by guitarist Eric Renthlei and in 2016, Samuel Chawngthu filled the missing keyboard link. Acknowledging the former bandmates, Buddy, Albert Peka, Nelson, Mawia, and Tluanga, Mamaoia says, “We had a few line-up changes due to academic and personal reasons.”
The band primarily sings in English but also has a few numbers in their local language, Mizo. “We try our best to make music and write songs from our heart and that, I think, is the beauty of our music. We fuse progressive music with metal and still keep our Mizo identity intact,” Mamaoia says.
The Prophets is known for songs that speak of Christian beliefs, world crisis, abortion, pollution, corruption, folklore, et al. Being believers of the Christian faith, the members believe that the band needs to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ. “Also, if we look at the world, not only in Mizoram, abortion, pollution, and corruption have destroyed and ruined mankind. So, we often touch upon these sensitive topics. Well, about folklore, as Mizos, we are born with different kinds of music, so we want our Mizo music to reach the masses,” says Ronnie.
While Siamtu Pathian was the band’s last original music video release, The Prophets are all set to rise yet again with a few new songs. The members are currently working on a new album. “It’s difficult to explain, but we are planning a ballad for our next official music video,” informs Gordon.
In the post-pandemic 2022, a period when every musician is clinging to any opportunity to showcase their talent, the ShiRock 2022 festival came as a welcome chance and The Prophets grabbed it with both hands.
“ShiRock 2022 was like finding water in a dry desert,” says Eric. “In our state, soloists are more welcomed in public than rock bands, especially bands with original songs. From my point of view, I believe the concept of bands is starting to sink in the minds of people. But winning the Shirock 2022 helped us regain our momentum,” adds Ronnie.
Touching upon the topic of different platforms that Northeast offers, the band believes that the region has even more potential for growth. “The Northeastern states are doing great – especially Nagaland with its Hornbill Festival, Manipur’s ShiRock, Ziro in Arunachal, and last but not the least, Meghalaya, where every musician has an opportunity, but there is still a lot of room for improvement,” Gordon says.
Sixteen bands from different Northeastern states of India participated in ShiRock 2022, with Symphonic Illusions from Shillong and 1BHK from the native Manipur being adjudged 1st and 2nd runner-up, respectively and The Prophets took home the top prize. The competition was not a cakewalk for any of the bands, believes the band.
“We nearly had a nervous breakdown watching them,” says Mamaoia, adding that they were lucky to be the winners. But was it sheer luck for them? The band had planned on participating in ShiRock since 2018 but due to unavoidable circumstances, they could not. “2022 opened new doors for us. We had been waiting for that moment, that one chance for almost four years so we were ready to win the contest. We worked really hard for it and finally here we are, it’s a dream come true!” says Ronnie.
According to the band, their experience at the festival was magical. “We’re always excited when it comes to such events. The vibes, the energy and most importantly, the food! Be it culture or people, we love exploring new things, and ShiRock has been one of the best till date,” adds Gordon.
The weather conditions were harsh when the festival kicked off. But instead of pushing audiences off, the competition turned out to be a wonderful experience for The Prophets. “We were mesmerised by the response of the audience. The weather? Well, we didn’t feel a thing. Playing our original music in front of twenty-five thousand people was totally insane!” says Mamaoia.
ShiRock is one of India’s biggest annual rock musical festivals, especially in terms of prize money. The competition offers a prize of Rs 10 lakh for the winner, Rs 5 lakh for the 1st runner-up, and Rs 2.5 lakh as the third prize with six individual prizes of Rs 25,000 each. So, what is The Prophets planning to do with their prize money?
“We’re planning to spend most of the money to upgrade our gears and also invest in our upcoming album,” they say.
Mizoram is a state which is well-known for its music, however, the state does not hold concerts or rock festivals to promote its artistes. “Mizos love rock music but to have such a huge festival in our state, we need to push our government a bit,” adds Mamaoia.
When asked about their key takeaway from ShiRock 2022, the band says it’s “unity”. “Experiencing the crowd, management, everything was so perfect! Unity is the key!” says Ronnie.