United News of Bangladesh

Alliance Française de Dhaka is going to celebrate “Fête de la Musique 2023” which is globally known as 'World Music Day' with a series of musical performances in its La Galerie on Saturday from 4.30 pm to 9:00 pm. Read: AI has enabled a 'final' Beatles song, Paul McCartney says The Fête de la Musique is open to any participant—be they amateur or professional musicians— who wish to perform in this joyful event. All the participating musicians are asked to perform for free, and all of the concerts are free to the public. Read: The 'Beyoncé effect': Singer's tour blamed for inflation surprise in Sweden? Like every year, Alliance Française de Dhaka is organising several musical concerts — both solo and group performances.  Fête de la Musique brings about a great opportunity to immerse and participate in a musical expedition by offering thousands of free concerts all over the world.

Sir Paul McCartney has revealed that he used artificial intelligence (AI) to assist in the creation of "the final Beatles record." He told BBC Radio 4's Today show that the technique was used to "extricate" John Lennon's voice from an old tape so he could finish the song, reports BBC. "We just finished it up and it'll be released this year," he explained. McCartney did not name the song, although it is most likely “Now And Then,” a 1978 Lennon tune. It was suggested as a possible “reunion song” for the Beatles in 1995, while they were putting together their career-spanning Anthology series. Also read: “Nodir Kul”: Coke Studio Bangla’s tranquil ode to Polli Kobi Jashimuddin Yoko Ono, John Lennon's widow, had given McCartney the demo a year before. It was one of several songs on a tape titled “For Paul” produced by John Lennon shortly before his death in 1980, said the report. The tunes, which are lo-fi and embryonic, were mostly recorded onto a boombox while the musician sat at a piano in his New York residence. Two of those songs, “Free As A Bird” and “Real Love,” were finished and released in 1995 and 1996, respectively, by producer Jeff Lynne, marking the Beatles' first “new” work in 25 years. Also read: Pop-music sensation Tina Turner dies at 83 The band also attempted to record “Now And Then,” an apologetic love song typical of John Lennon's later career, but the session was short-lived. "It was one day - one afternoon, really - messing with it," Lynne recalled. "The song had a chorus but is almost totally lacking in verses. We did the backing track, a rough go that we really didn't finish." Later, McCartney stated that George Harrison refused to work on the song because the sound quality of Lennon's singing was "rubbish." Also read: Concert,  documentary to raise awareness against human trafficking in Cox's Bazar "It didn't have a very good title, it needed a bit of reworking, but it had a beautiful verse and it had John singing it," he told Q Magazine. "[But] George didn't like it. The Beatles being a democracy, we didn't do it." There were also said to have been technical issues with the original recording, which featured a persistent "buzz" from the electricity circuits in Lennon's apartment. A bootleg CD containing a fresh version of the demo without the background noise was published in 2009. Fans have theorized that this recording may not have been available in 1995, implying that it was stolen from his residence after his death, along with other personal things. Sir Paul McCartney has regularly stated his wish to complete the Beatles song in the ensuing years.

Celebrating the increasing craze for pop culture in the country, the first-ever Dhaka Summer Con 2023 will be held for three days on July 12, 13 and 14 at International Convention City Bashundhara (ICCB) in the capital.  Event management and public relations company MediaQuest Bangladesh is going to organize this festival with segments including cosplay competitions, concerts, comic books, experience zone, kids zone, games, hip-pop, K-pop, food zone and panel discussions.  According to the organisers, Dhaka Summer Con is being organized with the vision of creating a globally inspiring experience and setting a footprint on International platforms in the respective communities.  Also read: “Nodir Kul”: Coke Studio Bangla’s tranquil ode to Polli Kobi Jashimuddin The festival will feature cosplayers onstage portraying their favourite comic, superhero, and movie characters and will showcase costume plays through which they will entertain the audience with freestyle performances. Dhaka Summer Con will be a gathering of several popular characters such as Superman, Spider-Man, Pikachu, Naruto and more, the organisers informed.   There will be a dedicated zone for comic lovers which will include a huge collection of comics, especially the vintage classics. The organisers aspire that this will bring nostalgia among comic lovers.  As per the offerings regarding music, concert enthusiasts will get enamoured through the performances of their favourite heavy metal, rock and pop bands and solo artists at the event. There will also be performances by various pop music groups including Hip-hop, K-pop, and J-pop. Also read: ‘Deora’: Coke Studio Bangla’s latest featuring Pritom and Islamuddin Palakar is an instant hit   At the three-day Dhaka Summer Con, local and foreign companies will display their products and services in the pavilions. There will also be an ‘Artist Alley’ where various action figures and rare toy collections will be displayed.  The Experience Zone will also be packed with VR experiences, fan ‘meet and greet’ sessions, comic and cosplay merchandising outlets and get-togethers among the pop enthusiasts. There will be a dedicated food court with various kinds of food at the festival throughout its entirety. Dhaka Summer Con 2023 convener and co-founder of MediaQuest Bangladesh Tariqul Sumon said, "We are going to organize this festival for the first time with various entertaining activities. In addition to meeting favourite superhero performances or favourite cosplay artists, Dhaka Summer Con will become a meeting place for all the popular music bands of the country. In this festival, cosplay performers of three categories - solo, group and kids, will be awarded as winners. He added, 'There will be a specialized kids zone for children in the festival where children can enjoy and play safely; and through the registration process, parents can leave their children and enjoy other activities at the festival. Moreover, we have kept several surprises that will give our audiences and pop enthusiasts extra amusement, and we hope Dhaka Summer Con 2023 will add a new dimension to this celebration of pop culture in the country.” Details about Dhaka Summer Con 2023 are available on the official Facebook page of the event at https://www.facebook.com/dhakasummercon.   

Several Bangladeshi artists were honoured in multiple categories for enthralling audiences, transcending the borders between the two Bengala at the Kolkata 20th Tele Cine Awards on Sunday (June 4, 2023). Eminent Bangladeshi thespian-painter Afzal Hossain received the Lifetime Achievement Award, while "Hawa"-famed star Chanchal Chowdhury received the award for best actor. Bidya Sinha Mim received best actress for her stellar performance in "Poran" and Bappy Chowdhury received a special award at the 2023 edition of the award. Popular singer Bappa Mazumder received best male singer, and Samina Chowdhury was awarded best female singer at the awards, held at the Nazrul Mancha in Kolkata. Also read: “Nodir Kul”: Coke Studio Bangla’s tranquil ode to Polli Kobi Jashimuddin “For such a long time, we have been trying to take Bangla content to a whole new level. Owing to unforeseen circumstances, we couldn't screen our films and dramas here for many years but we are glad that now our audiences are able to enjoy our content," said Chanchal Chowdhury. “I want to express my gratitude to the jury board and all of the participants and everyone associated with this event. I also want to express my gratitude to all of my listeners and well-wishers. Stay well everyone, and keep supporting our Bengali music," Bappa Mazumder wrote on his official Facebook profile. At the 19th edition of the Tele Cine Awards in 2022, a number of Bangladeshi artists were honoured namely Momtaz Begom, Azmeri Haque Badhon, Mir Sabbir, Deepanwita Martin, Masud Hasan Ujjal, SI Tutul, Chanchal Chowdhury, Zakia Bari Mamo and Anika Tasnim. Also Read: Concert,  documentary to raise awareness against human trafficking in Cox's Bazar The Lifetime Achievement Award in 2022 was handed over to eminent singer Runa Laila and evergreen Bangladeshi actor Alamgir, while late actor-politician Akbar Hossain Pathan Farooque MP received the honour in 2021.

Following the success of "Female" and "Female 2"director Kajal Arefin Ome this time is making "Female 3" in collaboration with popular streaming platform Bongo. The telefilm will be released on Bongo's YouTube channel on the occasion of Eid-Ul-Adha, said a media release on Saturday. Currently, the director is completing principal photography. Directed by Kajal Arefin Ome, “Female 3” stars Bachelor Point fame Mishu Sabbir, Ziaul Hoque Polash, Marzuk Russel, Chashi Alam, Sharaf Ahmed Jibon, Saidur Rahman Pavel, Musafire Syed Bacchu, Schumonn Patwary, Lamima Lam, Shimul Sharma, Arfan Mridha Shiblu and many others. Earlier, the director's first web series "Hotel Relax" was released on Bongo on Eid-Ul-Fitr. The web series broke Bongo's subscription sales record. Recently “Hotel Relax” hit another milestone by achieving 5 crore paid minute views.

Showcasing a multi-instrumental, soothing musical fusion through upholding the glory of Polli Kobi Jashimuddin’s captivating Bhatiyali lyrics, Coke Studio Bangla launched its sixth track of the second season titled “Nodir Kul” on Thursday night. Simultaneously released across Coke Studio Bangla’s social and digital platforms on Facebook, YouTube and Spotify from the Chittagong Boat Club, the song is sung by Ripon Kumar Sarkar (Boga) and rearranged with a refreshing, pacifying composition by Coke Studio Bangla curator and producer Shayan Chowdhury Arnob. Aside from the successful duo of Arnob and Boga from season one’s mesmerising track “Chiltey Roud”, the song featured a majestic clarinet performance by Idris Rahman, a Bengali-English clarinettist, saxophonist and record producer based in London. Eminent flautist Jalal Ahmed, alongside Coke Studio Bangla’s diverse house band, also performed in the 9 minutes 22 seconds ode to the endless beauty of riverine Bangladesh. The track is originally written and composed by Polli Kobi Jashimuddin and sung by legendary singer Abbasuddin Ahmed. A Bhatiyali song of its origin, “Nodir Kul” also features a unique blend of Kirtan - a genre of religious performance arts, connoting a musical form of narration or shared recitation, particularly of spiritual or religious ideas, native to the Indian subcontinent. “The fusion of ‘Kirtan’ and ‘Bhatiyali’ feels inseparable, representing the traditional, co-existing lifestyle of our community,” Coke Studio Bangla describes the motif behind the fusion.

Popular singer Imran Mahmudul has got married recently. The singer announced the news on his Facebook profile on Wednesday. "Alhamdulillah. Marriage is a very important part of people's lives. By the grace of Allah, my wife Meher Ayat Zareen and I have started this new chapter of our lives from today,” Imran wrote in his post. "This is an arranged marriage." As a result, the ceremony was held on a small scale in a homely environment. Insha Allah, when my eldest sister and brother-in-law will return from the United States in November, we will organize a post-wedding celebration for all of my favorite people. Please pray for us so that we can continue to share our joys and sorrows for the rest of our lives," he also said.

An awareness raising concert against human trafficking and documentary show will be held in Labani Point of Cox's Bazar sea beach on May 27. Organized under the Ashshash Project, implemented by Winrock International and supported by the Embassy of Switzerland in Bangladesh, this event is part of a month-long campaign against human trafficking and the protection of trafficking survivors, reads a media release. The concert will feature popular singer Momtaz Begum and the band 'Madal'. The event will take place from 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm. In addition to the concert, a documentary titled 'Agun Pakhi,' produced by Winrock International with the support of Switzerland, will be screened. The documentary aims to create mass awareness against human trafficking and protect the rights of survivors, highlighting the consequences of this heinous crime. This event follows a series of concerts held as part of the month-long campaign. The first concert took place on May 4 at Hadis Park in Khulna, featuring popular singer Chandana Majumdar and the band 'Different Touch.' The second concert was held on May 7 in Satkhira, with performances by Chandana Majumdar and Sandeepan. The third concert was held on May 10 at Hall Ground in Jessore, featuring the popular band 'Joler Gann' and musician Sandeepan. All these events were successfully managed by the advertising agency Cool Exposure. The Ashshash Project, launched in 2018, is implemented by Winrock International and supported by the Embassy of Switzerland in Bangladesh. The project aims to restore the dignity, well-being, and self-sufficiency of human trafficking survivors by providing psychosocial counseling, technical-vocational skills training, entrepreneurship development, on-the-job training, and job placement support. It operates in five districts- Khulna, Jashore, Satkhira, Chattogram, and Cox's Bazar.

Singer Mainul Ahsan Noble was arrested by the Detective Branch of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police early Saturday. DMP Commissioner Khandoker Golam Faruk said he was arrested in a fraud case. Md Safayet Islam filed a case on May 16 on behalf of Shariatpur’s Vedorganj Headquarter Pilot High School’s HSC 16th  batch. According to the case details, Noble received TK 1.72 lakh for performing at the high school’s reunion programme but he didn’t perform at the event and  he did not even returned the money. Earlier, his ex-wife Salsable Mahmud complained to the police and wrote on social media about the constant physical and emotional abuse of Noble, citing that he is an avid drug addict and his demeanour got drastically changed in recent years due to his addiction. Noble won the 2nd runner-up position in the popular Indian TV reality show Sa Re Ga Ma Pa’s West Bengal edition on Zee Bangla in 2019 and received the "Viewer's Choice" award, winning hearts in both countries. However, his addiction led him to several miserable acts one after another, degrading his popularity among his audiences.  

Filmmaker Anarya Murshid’s essay book on popular Korean pop music group BTS titled "BTS: Seoul to Soul" was released on Friday. The book -- about the rise of the Korean pop band – is now available in the market, said a press release. The book includes biographies of seven BTS stars, their struggles, a list of shows, albums and awards. An important article on the Korean Cultural Wave and the practice of soft power was published in the book. “I am making a film based on the cultural crisis of a Bangladeshi BTS fan. During the preproduction of the film, I felt the need for a book on K-pop,” said Anarya. The publisher of the book said he also wanted to publish some cultural, diplomatic books. In the past, his publishing house has also published such books. “I hope the book will play a role in the cultural bridge that Bangladesh is building with Korea for a long time. Through the book, elders will also see this generation in a positive light,” Anarya added. BTS fans can collect the book from Tobuo Proyas, Lalan and Chandal Books.