Sharmin Sultana Sumi, a well-known singer, songwriter, composer, communication specialist, businesswoman, and frontman of the hit band Chirkutt in Bangladesh, has received an invitation to an international music conference in Norway.
The Kristiansand Roundtable Conference (KRC), organized by the University of Agder, Kristiansand, Norway, is set to take place from November 1–10, and Sumi will participate in three sessions.
The three sessions are entitled “Student Event – Music for Climate” on November 9–10, “Role of Women in BD Music Industry” on November 7-8, and “Scientific Conference – Strategy and Sustainability in Music Business” on November 3.
During these sessions, Sumi will discuss her path as a trailblazing female artist in the Bangladeshi music scene and speak, present, and exchange opinions with the students and teachers.
“After working with Bangla songs on a regular basis for the past 21 years in Bangladesh and the last 11 years internationally, people all over the globe want to hear from me and us about our music – and I believe this is an enormous shift and a huge opportunity for us,” Sumi said regarding this invitation.
“The world is much bigger than we think and there is a wide range of work opportunities for all of us. Taking advantage of that opportunity and speaking on the world’s stage for your country is a matter of peace, honour and pride for me as an artist,” she added.
When asked about her plans for the sessions, she said, “I will try to share my experience of working in the music industry for a long time as a female artist, to be specific – which I think may inspire many.”
“Also, the talking points will be about the music of Bangladesh, the collective journey of our band and our ‘Nodi Rocks’ project which I conducted from the place of responsibility of an artist on the issue of the negative impact of climate change,” she continued.
The aforementioned “Nodi Rocks” project, which aimed to raise public awareness of climate change and its effects on Bangladesh’s rivers, started in February 2022 and concentrated on seven different rivers: the Kushiyara, Padma, Sangu, Chitra, Pashur, Dahuk, and Buriganga.
These seven rivers were the setting for seven bands’ music videos. Padma was subjected to Arbovirus, Chitra to Smooches, Kushiyara to Cryptic Fate, Dahuk to F Minor, Pashur to Bangla Five, Buriganga to Ashes, and Chirkutt to Sangu.
Along with the songs being fan favorites and the project bringing up an exclusive concert in September of last year, these videos became popular on social media. Sumi, the original vocalist of Chirkutt and the founder, CEO, and creative director of Salt Creatives, was the driving force behind the project.
