The story begins with a small point. In 1995 (2052 BS), Kantipur FM broadcasted for three hours daily from the government-owned Radio Nepal.

In 1998 (2055), the radio started its own 96.1 MHz frequency. Within the next year, FM did something that no one had done formally before. That was to pay royalties to artists.

‘At that time, the per-air fee was three rupees, later it increased to ten rupees and now it is fifteen rupees,’ says Paramananda Khanal, head of administration/human resources at Kantipur Media Group, ‘of which five rupees goes to the singer, five rupees to the musician and five rupees to the composer.’

This system later sowed the seeds of what later became one of the most prestigious award ceremonies in Nepal. From 1998 to 2004 (2055–60), the radio station ran an annual program called ‘Music Honors’ to honor these artists. After the establishment of Kantipur Television, it also began to be broadcast live, which rewarded the songs that were played the most throughout the year. There was no jury, no voting. The time it was playing on the radio was the main criterion. ‘The winner was chosen based on the song that was played the most repeatedly on the radio,’ explains Khanal.

From 2075, the awards took on a new form. A systematic awards ceremony with a genre, nominated artists and a two-stage judging process began. In this process, one team selects the best five, while the second team decides the winner. ‘We have no role in this process to ensure that there is no bias of any kind,’ says Khanal.

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Radio Kantipur, a press release was issued on 2 February 2018 announcing the ‘National Music Awards’, which called for voting for the ‘People’s Choice Award’ via SMS.

‘Music is directly linked to the resources and assets of the radio.’ Since its profitability and popularity are possible only because of music, it is our duty to further promote this sector. Therefore, the National Music Awards is an effort to further contribute to the development of the Nepali music industry,’ the 2018 press release stated.

The awards ceremony was held at the Soaltee Crowne Plaza in Kathmandu in January 2019. The biggest and most special moment of the evening was the Long-Term Sadhana Award, which was presented to veteran singer and composer Manik Ratna Sthapit. Kailash Sirohia, Chairman and Managing Director of Kantipur Media Group (KMG), presented him with a cash prize of Rs 100,000 along with the award.

Sthapit’s musical journey spanned six decades, with dozens of recorded songs. He is best known today for his music for Nepal's first color film 'Kumari'. The ceremony featured musical performances by Rohit Jan Chhetri, Nikita Thapa, Prabisha Adhikari, and Sugam Pokharel, as well as a skit by Manoj Gajurel, who caricatured Donald Trump. The

award winners included Buddha Lama for 'Timi Sath Paath', Ramesh BG for 'Ban Phool', Shantishree Pariyar for 'Bola Maya', and Nitesh Jung Kunwar for 'Hamro Nepal'.

After a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, Radio Kantipur resumed the awards on a Friday evening at Hotel Yak & Yeti. Singers Ramkrishna Dhakal, Yam Baral, and Lochan Bhattarai began the evening with musical performances. The grandeur and importance of this year's awards ceremony was immense, with 75 nominations in 15 categories and the prestigious 'Lifetime Achievement Award' being presented to veteran folk singer Kumar Basnet.

Looking at the list of winners, it seemed like the music industry had breathed a sigh of relief after a long gap. Ankit Amar Shrestha won the 'Best New Singer' award for the song 'Lajair'. Ramkrishna Dhakal won the 'Best Playback Singer' (Male) title, while Melina Rai and Bal Bahadur Rajbanshi received the 'Best Duet' award.

While the 2019 awards focused on grandeur, the 2022 edition was based on the struggle for survival and comeback. Where the music industry was proving that its listeners and viewers are still waiting through every genre. ‘Music awards like this are very important for giving recognition to new and emerging artists in the mainstream,’ says Khanal, ‘and it is also our duty to do so.’

By 2022, Radio Kantipur had not only revived its awards program, but had become the only platform to continuously survive in the music industry. ‘Earlier, many mainstream media outlets and platforms used to organize various music awards,’ he added, ‘but due to the economic crisis, the only award that is being continuously held these days is Radio Kantipur.’

The ‘National Music Awards 2023’, organized on the occasion of the radio station’s 24th anniversary, began with a sarangi performance by Kiran Nepali’s band, which gave the ceremony a folk-cultural atmosphere.

The financial aspect was clearly put before the artists at the press conference organized for this year’s ceremony. Artists earn Rs 15 per broadcast for playing any song from Radio Kantipur's library of over 700,000 registered songs.

Lyricist Yadav Kharel was presented with the 'Lifetime Achievement Award' for his six-decade contribution to the stage. Suraj Pandit won the 'Best New Singer' award for the song 'Rail Ko Bato', while a special performance by Salman Ali of Indian Idol added international flair to the ceremony. The program concluded with a performance by Sushant KC.

In 2025, a major change took place in its structure. For the first time in its history, Radio Kantipur sold tickets for Rs 1,500 per person. Earlier, this event, which was limited to people from the music industry, was transformed into a public concert attended by 3,000 people at the Godavari Sunrise Convention Center. Thus, the 'National Music Awards' became more than just an award show, it became a big festival that the audience paid to watch.

In this edition, a separate trophy was awarded for the 'Best Hip-Hop and R&B' category, which was won by Brijesh Shrestha for the song 'Mutuma Baseer'. This was a genre that did not even exist on this stage a decade ago. The 'Lifetime Achievement Award' was presented to senior musician Shambhujit Baskota, who has composed music for more than 355 films and composed more than 2,000 songs since 1957 (2014). 'Receiving such an award has given me the energy to move forward even after so many decades of my career,' Baskota said, 'I am grateful for this recognition and this support for music.' He added that the moments of that evening are still fresh in his memory.

Durgesh Thapa and Kumasagar took to the stage as the main performers. Former The Voice of Nepal contestant RC Rimal won the ‘Best Debut Singer’ award. This further strengthened the relationship between the reality show’s talents and the industry’s most established platform.

‘This awards ceremony is a celebration of the people who have shaped Nepal’s musical identity,’ says Simran Shrestha, Corporate Manager, KMG. ‘What makes it special is that it embraces the diversity of Nepali music. From mainstream to folk, and from modern to traditional music – our aim is to ensure that every genre and every deserving artist gets a place on this stage.’