Music has always been rife and rich in the northeastern corner of India. The legendary Bhupen Hazarika and Lou Majao from the days of yore to contemporary favorites like Soulmate, Boomarang, Ambiogenesis, and many others, the lush greens of the North East has consistently produced music that is synonymous with brilliance.

Besides soloist and groups, several all-women bands are proliferating in North East India. The Tetseo Sisters, The Vinyl Records, Minute of Decay, are a few.

The Tetseo Sisters’ are a household name in the North East India, hailing from the Chakhesang tribe, the sisters come from a small village of barely 400 people in a town called Thüvepisü in Nagaland.

For the uninitiated who don’t know them, the quartet consists of four sisters from Nagaland, India. Mütsevelü (Mercy), Azine (Azi), Kuvelü (Kuku) and Alüne Tetseo (Lulu). Their genre is Folk – traditional Naga folk songs in particular. They are trained in performing Li songs of Chakesang tribe by their parents who have been actively involved in the cultural revival movement of Nagaland. An ‘a cappella’ style of singing combined with storytelling, and the occasional use of one-stringed instrument 'tati' or 'heka libuh' (mithun horn), their compositions are mostly lores on Nagaland. Some of the folksongs they sing have been compiled in the traditional songbook, ‘Li kukre kutiko’. The sisters continue to find and learn Li, mostly in Thüvepisü, their ancestral village in Phek district, and regularly perform in different parts of India and overseas.

In a state that has a reputation for being highly musical, today the Tetseo sisters are one of just a handful of professional bands that perform traditional Naga music, whereas all the remaining bands across Nagaland have drifted to perform gospel, rock, pop or other Western genres of music.

The Tetseo sisters have performed at festivals across the globe, including Hornbill Festival in heir home state and at the 2014 Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo in the UK.

The sisters Lulu, Mercy, Kuku, were in Mumbai recently, minus sister Azine who did not make it. They gave a rousing performance at the (Experimental Theatre) NCPA in Mumbai, as part of Living Traditions, an ongoing series showcasing folk traditions of different regions of India. This year the focus was on the musical traditions of Nagaland. Inhabited by sixteen major tribes and sub-tribes, Nagaland is a land of folklore. Music is an integral part of Naga life, and song, dance and robust rhythms are a part and parcel of all their festivities.

In this performance the Tetseo sisters performed both traditional tunes as well newer lyrics adapted to traditional music, in which they accompany themselves on the age- old one-stringed Naga instrument, the Tati, also known as Heka Libuh. The songs are interspersed with stories, giving a background of their origin and relevance. Although imbued with certain urban sensibility, the performance was representative of the typical Naga culture, complete with the conventional attire adorned with colourful beads.

The performance was accompanied by still images and exquisite video footage of the Naga landscape, interviews with native people, and surtitles offering translations of songs.

We managed to have a short chat with the sisters,meeting them backstage where we spoke about their proud inheritance of musical culture, their music, the joys of being an all-women band, their colorful dresses and more. Excerpts

Can you tell us a little about Tetseo Sisters, the band? How did it all started, when did it start, who were involved?

We are a sibling group of four sisters backed up by our parents and our only brother. It all started with learning a folk song to dance to for a cultural dance competition in school. We put up a great show along with some more friends and from there on, it took off to appearances on local TV, school functions and eventually official state programs, cultural exchange programs and festivals. The group of young children and afterwards, teenagers fell back to two teenaged sisters and two toddlers singing folksongs on TV and now we are all young adults doing what we love best – performing the beautiful folk songs of our land for the world to hear.

How do you define your music and which genre (style) would you put in?

We primarily perform folk songs of the Chakhesang Naga tribe especially, songs sung by people in our village, Thüvopisü in Phek District of Nagaland along with some folk fusion and a bit of English pop, choral and gospel music as well.

Your music is strikingly different from other bands and it has a way that connects to the audience. Tell us more about it and what is the selling point that makes it different from other vocal groups.

Our music is definitely different. It’s kind of organic, rustic and raw but soothing and sweet at the same time. The vocal style of Li focuses on the harmony of different voices with strong dynamics in line with the mood of the song. Our USP is an effort to provide a complete experience of voice, context, stories and colors through our costumes, instrumentation and our own life experience with Li and what it means to us and our people. We think of ourselves as storytellers through song and verse.

Where do you draw inspiration? Who’s been that one person who acts as a source of motivation?

Our parents have always been our main motivators and often play the devil’s advocates too. Life, nature, friends, people and all that happens around us provide inspiration.

Does music run in the family?

Like most families in the North East and specifically Nagaland, we are lucky to have grown up with a lot of music surrounding us. We are definitely and thankfully, very musical as a family in entirety. Our parents are very musically inclined and have always encouraged us and here we are.

What hobbies do each of you like?

We all love listening to music, trying out different cuisines and watching movies. Mercy and Lulu love reading, writing and exchanging notes on their latest reads. We all enjoy travelling, photography, shopping, make up and fashion. Kuku is an avid blogger while Azi is currently pursuing gardening when not busy with her little boys. Mercy and Azi loves to cook up a storm in the kitchen. Lulu is crazy about anime films while Mercy loves poetry. Kuku loves surfing the net and checking out new music and videos for the rest of us. We all love picnics and going on long drives in the countryside.

If not for music, what would you have taken up?

We all have our own passions besides music. Some of us write professionally, others are dabbling in photography and fashion, writing, art and pottery. We would all have been doing something related to art and music, if not performing, then creating or teaching, sharing, exploring and travelling like we are doing now.

How did you get your music to be known outside North East?

Way before Facebook and social media, we had been performing on AIR, Doordarshan Delhi, Guwahati and Kohima and presenting folk music and dances at different national/international level platforms since the late 90s. It was just a matter of time and slowly but surely, people started recognizing our art and noticing the good part of Nagaland and the NE. The journey of discovery from both ends continues.

What language do you use in all your songs? Do you use any other Indian languages?

We sing mostly Chokri Naga when it comes to our folk performances. We have sung Hindi songs and of course in English and on a few occasions, other Naga dialects.

How have you managed to sing Traditional Folk Songs in an age of EDM and rock concerts held around the country?

There are an equal number of people who love folk music or devotional music or classical music as much as other people like rock or Electronic Dance Music (EDM). It is a matter of preference or taste. Art and music are always evolving and growing at different points in time and there will always be room for all genres and kinds of music. Yes, one kind may be in vogue at a certain time but it is a cycle and it continues to revolve, evolve and come back to focus. We do enjoy listening to and performing other genres of music at our shows too.

You also brought out an album – our debut ‘Li: Chapter one- The Beginning’ in 2011? How did you get to record it and which label is it on? Or is it self - funded?

We have brought out our album independently under our own indie label Li Tsale Records.We sort of pooled in our own resources along with help from our parents and family elders to put it out, our labor of love.

You have over 124,000 likes on your FB page. What do you feel about it?

It feels nice to be able to share our culture, stories and music with so many people-young and old. Facebook and social media have helped us connect with our fans and also engage with them meaningfully.

At your live concerts, do you always wear traditional North Eastern outfits (Naga dresses as you are from Nagaland), and do you try to promote besides the music also the tradition of your state and culture?

We try to present a glimpse of different colors of Nagaland and more often, the North east and even other parts of India. We are where we come from, what we eat and what we say and do so what we do is mostly a reflection of our people, our culture and our history. Besides music, we try to promote art, crafts, textiles and the cuisine of our region. We recently had a lot of fun putting up a pop up kitchen with the popular Naga restaurant “Dzukou tribal Kitchen” in New Delhi and got a very positive response. We have worn clothes from Rajasthan, Kutch and other states of the NE like Meghalaya, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh besides our traditional Naga outfits. The idea is to highlight the stories in the rich colours and versatile textiles of our country through our music.

Do you design your outfits by yourself?

We often wear traditional outfits of Nagaland and sometimes, outfits designed by ourselves and by our mother too. We have been lucky to have been able to showcase designs of renowned designers from the North East of India as well as other distinguished international and Indian labels at our shows and appearances.

How many years have you all been together as a band and how has the journey been?

It has been a lifelong journey of over 20 years as siblings performing together from our childhood and it has been rewarding and challenging at different points in time. We never planned anything but good things kept happening and made our resolve to continue even stronger. Now, we have more focus and some direction but we are still pretty laidback and go with the flow most days. One thing we have never compromised on is our dedication and passion. Whether we have an audience of one person or thousands, we have tried our best to consistently engage and tell our story in a befitting manner to correctly and attractively display and present our culture and music.

Are any of you married and have kids? Please answer separately.

One of us, Azi, is married and has two little boys aged 3 and 1 years. For the rest of us, marriage does not quite figure on our list; As for Lulu who is at Medical school, it’s the last thing on her mind.

If any of you are married, has married affected the working of the band?

Being married hasn’t had much of a bearing on our music but being a mother of 2 little boys has had a big impact on our tours and travel plans. Azi has been on a sabbatical from tours to take care of her little boys and make the most of her motherhood. And sometimes any one of us can be tied up with other commitments, leaving the others to carry on with the show. So you would see us in twos and threes as well. But no one can really take a day off from music or take a holiday for too long. The pull to be on stage and singing is too strong to ignore.

You are four in the band, but sometimes some music videos, only three singers perform, did you split in between sometime ago, and have you re-formed?

We have always been performing in fours, when possible and different combinations of threes, twos and solo as well. There is no question of a split. We are not a band like other groups but siblings, a family and will continue to perform in whatever formations is possible at that point of time. With our work, personal passions and school/college/social obligations, it has been a matter of who is available to be on stage or for a video shoot at different points in time and that’s how it will go.

Have you sung any covers (like for Christmas) or do you only perform originals?

Our repertoire consists of traditional folk songs, original folksongs and fusion numbers written/arranged by us, western pop/gospel songs and covers and even Hindi covers.

What kind of instruments do you use in your musical?

We use traditional instruments – the tati (one stringed instrument), khro-khro (gourd shaker), bamboo drums and other Naga drums and the bamhum, along with guitars, violin/percussion/and keyboards.

Do you have any session / backup band members on other musical instruments?

Of course. Our brother usually plays the guitar for us and other instruments as well and we also have a few super talented musicians to back us up.

You have performed all over the country, have you also performed at international festivals and in which festivals?

We have performed in most cities of the country and in a few cities abroad including Yangoon, Bangkok, Detroit, Chicago and Edinburgh.

Which has been your most memorable concert to date?

Every performance is special and a learning experience. We have had some great shows with audiences ranging from a dozen to tens of thousands. We continue to look forward to a more memorable concert with every opportunity that comes.

What are the projects that you have in the offing-both in India and International arena?

We are working on new material and gearing up for more shows both abroad and within the country. We have collaborated with some wonderful artistes and can’t wait to share the results of our efforts with our fans soon.

What do you think of the present music scenario?

The music scene is ever dynamic and opportunities are on the rise with many platforms now in place. There is more talent, more competition and many more avenues to get your music out there but it is getting even more difficult to sell music or make it big in the real sense. It is hard to equate fame with commercial success now more than ever.

What is your message to your fans?

We’d just like to thank them for the support and encouragement. We always encourage everyone to follow his or her dreams and never give up; and to look for the good in others first because everyone likes receiving flowers more than get a brick thrown at them. Cheers or rather, Hiyohey!

Interviewed by Verus Ferreira