Cine Gurung was born in Kurseong, Darjeeling on 6th of December. Her mother wanted her name to be something special, and spent many countless hours looking for one. Sini Vandom, caught her eye and she named her daughter, Ciney, which sounds just the same as Sini. Her pet name is ‘Jim’, a strong hint of her younger days as a tomboy!
Before a singing career, she shared her love of English literature as a teacher. She taught Grade 7 in Galaxy Public School, a position she continued until singing got the better of her. Famous students include Khusbu Oli.
Loves animals, especially dogs; owns a pet dog with an absurdly huge name: Pumba, the dragon Dracula dhyabre Shrestha, but calls it Pumba, for obvious reasons.
Music runs in her family. Her dad, Coley Kartha Gurung is a composer who occasionally composed for and sang with the late Aruna Lama.
In 2000, she came to Kathmandu to support herself and her singing career. Raj Waiba, a keen spotter of talent and a musician himself, introduced her to a wider circle of musicians and most remarkably, The Prism Band with whom she started to sing at the Shangri-La Hotel.
What a year! In 2005 just as she released her debut album Yo Maan, she got married to Rojesh Shrestha of X-Mantra. “My life,” she says, “changed for the better from that year.”
While in Kurseong, she studied in Dow Hill residential school with Mahima Chowdhary (Bollywood cine star) and Churni Benarji (South cine star). Dow Hill’s Angels? “In one of the plays at our school,” she reminisces, “Mahima played a man, Churni his wife and I played a thief. Those were the golden days.
“Dreams of owning a home recording studio and a posh restaurant in her name. As her future plans, she really wants to run an old age HOME.
Recently Cine Gurung was the winner of Image Awards for her song Maya.