After more than three decades in music, Bangladeshi singer, composer and lyricist Bappa Mazumder says maintaining professional connections has been a challenge, limiting the number of film songs he has worked on during his career.

Speaking on the podcast Behind the Fame with RRK, hosted by Rumman Rashid Khan, Mazumder reflected on his early days in music, his career and why he has not worked on as many film songs as he might have hoped.

The 100-minute special episode will air on Saturday, October 31, at 9pm on Maasranga Television and Radio Dinraat 93.6 FM.

Mazumder said he entered the film music industry around 20 years ago but believes that professional networking plays an important role in securing opportunities.

“You need to maintain contacts to get work on film songs. I am very poor at that. If you cannot maintain those connections, your chances of working on film songs become limited,” he said.

During the conversation, the musician also recalled how he began playing guitar professionally shortly after completing his Higher Secondary Certificate examinations.

His first payment came from playing guitar at Hotel Sonargaon, where he earned 50 taka. He spent 20 taka on a baby taxi to get home and used the remaining money to buy 1.5kg of sweets for his family from Alauddin Sweetmeat. The second time he received payment, he gave the 200 taka to his mother.

Mazumder has built a following through his solo work, band performances and concerts over a career spanning more than three decades. He formed the band Dalchhut with the late Sanjeeb Chowdhury, and the group is set to mark its 30th anniversary this November.

He has also received two National Film Awards for his work as a composer and singer in film music.

Mazumder is known as a music director, composer, singer and lyricist. The podcast episode is produced by ZI Faisal.