August 8, 2014
By Geeta Goindi
Washington, DC – On August 1st, Award-winning Indian playback singer Arijit Singh delivered a power-packed performance at the opulent Warner Theatre, Friday night, in his very first concert in the US.
August 8, 2014
By Geeta Goindi
Washington, DC – On August 1st, Award-winning Indian playback singer Arijit Singh delivered a power-packed performance at the opulent Warner Theatre, Friday night, in his very first concert in the US.
Acclaimed playback singer, Arijit Singh, performing at the Warner Theatre in Washington
At 27, he has aced the art of soulful singing. On stage, in the nation’s capital, he was more upbeat in tempo, style and substance given the mood of the 1,200-plus crowd geared up for an entertaining evening. And Arijit, looking like the quintessential rockstar in jeans and jacket, never let up. Besides being a singer par excellence, he is a consummate stage performer.
At the outset, he admitted to experiencing jet-lag, having arrived from India just a day before the DC show. But, there was no vestige of fatigue in his performance. “I am going to sing and sing and sing”, he told the audience. And he did, rendering one super-hit song after another in a rocking three-hour concert organized by Lavika Bhagat Singh, Manan Shah and Plaza Group Entertainment.
A delighted audience lavished accolades on Arijit’s melodious renditions of ‘Tum Hi Ho’, ‘Chahun Main Ya Na’, ‘Sunn Raha Hai Na Tu’ (Aashiqui 2), ‘Kabira’, ‘Dilliwaali Girlfriend’ (Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewanee), ‘Mast Magan’ (2 States), ‘Phir Mohabbat’ (Murder 2), ‘Har Kisi Ko’ (Boss), ‘Kabhi Jo Baadal Barse’ (Jackpot), ‘Duaa’ (Shanghai), and so many more mesmerizing songs.
Playback singer Aditi Singh Sharma (right) with emcee, Mrs. Nilima Mehra of Global Television Network, backstage at the Warner Theatre
The show opened with playback singer Aditi Singh Sharma belting out some of her chartbusters like ‘Dhoom Machale Dhoom’ – the title song of Dhoom 3, ‘Raabta’ (Agent Vinod) and A.R. Rahman’s poignant and patriotic, ‘Vande Mataram’. Arijit was joined on stage with singer Supriya Pathak in some duets. For the most part, he held the fort, accompanied by six gifted musicians and two female chorus singers.
The talented troupe is currently on a six-city tour of the US and Canada with Washington being first on the itinerary, followed by Trenton (New Jersey), Toronto and Edmonton (Canada), San Jose and Los Angeles. It is a fairly short tour, two weeks in duration – the artistes arrived on July 31 and will be leaving for Mumbai on August 11.
Singers Supriya Pathak and Arijit Singh performing on stage at the opulent Warner Theatre in the nation’s capital
Arijit hails from a small town, Murshidabad, in West Bengal. His father is Punjabi and mother, Bengali. He has a solid background in Indian classical music having learnt from Rajendra Prasad Hazari. Besides Hindi, he is fluent in Bengali and Telugu.
He sprung into the limelight at the tender age of 18 when he emerged as one of the top contestants of Sony’s reality television show, ‘Fame Gurukul’. The journey was not without a struggle and when he tasted success with ‘Phir Mohabbat’ and ‘Duaa’ in 2011, it was all the more sweeter. He was making it on his own merit! And that really sums up his career, thus far.
Today, he is sought-after by leading music directors including: Pritam Chakraborty; Shankar, Ehsaan, Loy; Vishal, Shekhar; and Mithoon.
Interestingly, on stage at the Warner Theatre, Arijit was adept at singing songs of other acclaimed artistes such as Rahat Fateh Ali Khan (a newer version of ‘Main Tenu Samjhawan Ki’), Kailash Kher (Teri Deewanee’), Atif Aslam (‘Aadat’), Udit Narayan (‘Pehla Nasha’) and Mohammed Rafi (‘Jo Wada Kiya’). There was just no stopping him. He was in full form!
After the show, Arijit tweeted: “Thank You Washington, DC. It was indeed a musical experience”.
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