The Agni team: Five-man army. Picture by Biju Boro

Guwahati, April 27: The wait is over. Assam finally has a pop band that is truly local.

Christened Agni, businessman-turned-singer Debo Kumar Barman’s five-member band has just cut its first album and unlike pop icon Billy Joel, who famously sang We didn’t start the fire, the band is not apologetic about setting the music charts ablaze.

Agni’s debut album, named after the band, was released last weekend after a month-long publicity blitz of the scale not seen in the state’s music industry earlier.

Barman, Deekay to his friends, knows the pulse of the music scene, having produced several “hit” albums already. That perhaps explains why the 32-year-old businessman is so sure that his band will make waves.

Deekay’s partners in Agni are Sourin (31), Manin (31), Trinayan (27) and Miguel (18).

Though none of them has undergone training in classical music, which purists consider essential for a career in music, Deekay believes their shared passion for melody and compatibility will make them a success. “It is the passion for music that is more important. We love what we do and it reflects in our songs. We have given our best. Now, it is upto the people to either like the album or dislike it. But we believe that the people will not be disappointed,” Deekay told The Telegraph.

Agni was the result of a long search for the “perfect team”. From the moment he decided to form the band, Deekay was sure in his mind that five would be the ideal number of his dream musical team. “I really thought five members, like the five Pandavas, were essential to make a crack team,” he said.

Shourin and Manin were always at hand, while the other two met Deekay in different circumstances. Trinayan found his way into the band by competing in a talent hunt launched by the Agni founder. “Talent hunt coupons were inserted in a Bihu album I had produced last year. Nearly 4,000 aspirants applied for a slot in Agni and Trinayan stood out among them,” Deekay recalled.

He spotted Miguel, the “baby” in the band, while looking for another singer who had won a western music competition. “Compiling the album was hard work.

“We even promised not to consume any intoxicants, lest these spoil our vocal chords,” he said.

The band ordered custom-made dresses from Mumbai for a promotional video. The result was a slick promo heralding the arrival of the band — it shows the five members flying through time and space to land in the city and sing Agani jwalise.

Litterateur Hiren Gohain and poet Nilim Kumar have penned five of the eight songs in the album.

Deekay, who was the cultural secretary of the students’ union when he studied at Cotton College, hails from Barpeta Road but has since settled in this capital city with his wife and son.