Kiran Shahi

Biography

Kiran Shahi (born September 10, 1989, in Patan, Kathmandu) is a Nepalese drummer and founding member of Kathmandu-based progressive art-rock band Jindabaad and the MadJazz Quintet. Kiran is widely known to be an exceedingly versatile and adaptive drummer, which he has demonstrated in receiving Outstanding Performance Awards at the Jazz For the Next Generation competition in 2011 as well as from the Academy of Music and Sound, UK, in 2018.

Growing up in a highly culturally diverse locality of Kathmandu exposed him to a kaleidoscope of styles and performance practices. From jazz to progressive rock to hip-hop/rap and traditional music, Kiran plays it all.

Over the course of his career, Kiran has played with a highly eclectic variety of musicians. He feels that young musicians should be open-minded and unafraid to take risks, learn music history, listen to the masters, and expose themselves to as much music as possible.

Carmine Appice (Vanilla Fudge), Tico Torres (Bon Jovi) and John Bonham (Led Zeppelin) were some of Kiran’s earliest influencers. As he transgressed stylistic boundaries, he began to draw influence from Mike Portnoy of Dream Theater, Neal Peart from Rush, and Gavin Harrison of Porcupine Tree.

In addition to his band Jindabaad, Kiran has been actively gigging around Kathmandu with Le Piro Quintet and recently played for 10 stylistically-diverse local artists for the Tuborg Sessions Season 2. He also fulfils his passion for teaching drums at Music Circle in Kathmandu and has taken on a number of talented diploma students at the Kathmandu Jazz Conservatory.

“Yamaha drums are very powerful, expressive and versatile both in live and studio setting so it has always been my dream to play Yamaha drums”

Absolute Hybrid Maple

The answer to the question is drums that give you the sound you need, whenever you need it.Tonal requirements vary among drummers, differ with dynamics, and change, from band to band, song to song, moment to moment. With the Absolute Hybrid Series drums, Yamaha has succeeded in addressing this, with a drum set that possesses an extraordinary degree of expressive power, allowing drummers to pursue a level of expression that perhaps they've not experience before in their other drums. These drums offer a wide dynamic range that allows them to respond accurately to each and every stroke, and follow changes in dynamics, nuance, and touch, letting you play what you want to play.