Joy Shahriar releases ‘Tomake Bhulte Shomoy Lagbe’ from upcoming album ‘Boka’

After six years, singer-songwriter Joy Shahriar is returning with a new solo album titled "Boka". The album will feature eight tracks, with the first release, "Tomake Bhulte Shomoy Lagbe" ("It Will Take Time to Forget You"), now available on his official YouTube channel.

This marks Shahriar's fifth studio album, where he has not only lent his voice but also written and composed the lead track. The final line of the song is taken from a poem by late poet and filmmaker Abul Hossain Khokon: "Tomake bhulte arektu shomoy lagbe amar" ("It will take me a little longer to forget you"). Shahriar has dedicated the song to Khokon, whom he affectionately called "Mama".

Sharing the story behind the track, Shahriar said in a press release:

"As an artist, I wouldn't be where I am today without the contributions of a few people beyond my family. Abul Hossain Khokon was one of them. When I first read his poem, I loved it instantly and asked him to make it into lyrics. He told me to shape it in my own way. After he passed away, the line stayed in my heart, and one night in May, while working on a new tune, it found its place in this song."

The album "Boka" will include other tracks such as "Dukkho Elegy", "Ekla Thakar Gaan", "Baba", and "Shopno Protarito", among others. Instrumentation for the project features Tanim Hasan and Maruf-ul Haque on bass, Mahaan Fahim, Ahnaf Khan Anik, Ontu Das, and Michael Shirsho Das on guitars, Rafiqul Islam Forhad on keyboards, and Jalal Ahmed on flute. Sound design has been crafted by Amjad Hossain Bappi.

All eight songs from the album are scheduled for release across audio streaming platforms this November.