Narayan Gopal

To honor the king of Nepalese music, there are celebrations held on the day of his death annually in Nepal. The government has built many statues for Gopal, such as one in Chakrapath, Kathmandu which has flowers that were planted on the 21st death anniversary event of Narayan Gopal held on 5 December 2011. After death of Gopal other artists have said about Gopal's habits,for example famous musician and composer of National anthem of Nepal, Amber Gurung said,

Narayan Gopal died from complications of diabetes on 5 December 1990 (19 Mangsir, 2047 B.S.) in Bir Hospital, at 9 p.m. in Kathmandu, at the age of 51. He had no children. After the death of Gopal, there were a number of music festivals that were dedicated to Gopal.

Nepal at the time had recently been liberated from Rana rule. Midst this wave of social and political changes, Narayan Gopal was able to lend his voice to songs related to love, life, hope, and patriotism. While the east–west highway was under construction, he recorded ‘जाग, जाग चम्क हे नौजवान हो,’ whereas in the fervor of patriotism ‘आमा ! तिमीलाई जलभरिका औंलाहरुले चुम्न’. Such songs made him popular among the youths of Nepal. His songs further evolved as he became more selective of songs with the right combination of words, music, and emotions. Along with his contemporaries such as Pushpa Nepali, Bacchu Kailash, Tara Devi, Amber Gurung, Prem Dhoj Pradhan, Nati Kaji, Shiva Shankar, Kiran Pradhan he added a new dimension to modern Nepali music. To broaden his style, he started to hold discussions with his admirers, his competitors, and his critics. It was in this process of development that he visited Darjeeling, India, in March 1965. The visit was fruitful for two reasons: there he met his long-time fan and future wife, Pemala Lama. He also met another young musician Gopal Yonzon, with whom he formed a close friendship as mitjyus, in part because both had Gopal as their names.

Owing to his vocal range he was capable of singing songs of every Nepalese genre. Often, his songs were accompanied by the sitar, harmonium and flute. He was also a music director during the 1950s to the 70s and belongs to the first generation of professional Nepali singers. His songs have been showcased in several movies and dramas across the country.

The potential of his vocal talent was first recognized by his friend "Manik Ratna Sthapit", who lived in the neighboring Pyukha Tole, and Prem Dhoj Pradhan, who lived in Bheda Singh Tole. The three friends would practice singing Hindi songs together in Manik Ratna's house which had become similar to a music school since his uncle, Siddhi Ratna Sthapit, was an accomplished instrumentalist. After completion of his SLC exams, Prem Dhoj Pradhan took Gopal to Radio Nepal for a voice test. He sang "Panchi ko pankha ma dharti ko diyo," written by Dr. Ram Man Trishit and composed by Prem Dhoj Pradhan himself. Gopal passed the voice test the very first time. Narayan Gopal's first public musical performance was during the 40th anniversary of Tri Chandra College in which he played the role of a tabla player.

Narayan Gopal Gurubacharya (Nepali: नारायणगोपाल गुरबाचार्य) (4 October 1939 – 5 December 1990), known professionally as Narayan Gopal and N. Gopal was a prominent popular singer and composer of Nepali music. Regarded one of the most significant cultural icons in Nepal, he is referred as "Swar Samrat" (Nepali: स्वर सम्राट, meaning: Emperor of Voice) in Nepal. He is also known as "King of Tragedy" owing to his numerous tragedy songs due to forbidden love with then queen of Nepal . He also sang in Nepal Bhasa.

Narayan Gopal Guruacharya was born on 4 October 1939 (18 Ashoj 1996 B.S.) in Kilagal Tole, Kathmandu, Nepal as a eldest child of Asha Gopal Guruacharya and Ram Devi Guruacharya. He was born into a traditional Newar family and had five brothers and three sisters. He completed School Leaving Certificate (SLC) in 2016 B.S. and obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Humanities from Tri-Chandra College. He also went to Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda in India to study Indian classical music but returned to Nepal without completing his studies. He married Pemala Lama in 1971.