Dressed in his trademark turban, a casual looking Arijit Singh sits at the piano and opens with Tum Hi Ho to the biggest cheer from an almost full north London stadium. It’s the song that turned this 38-year-old into a household name and eventually into the most-followed artist on Spotify, surpassing global icons like Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran.
Despite all this success, few outside the Indian diaspora have heard his name, largely because he doesn’t sing in English and has a reputation for being a media shy introvert. Stepping out on the open stage as the first Indian to perform at a UK stadium, he can’t quite believe the turnout. ‘My God, I did not expect so many of you’, he says, as the crowd makes their presence heard.
What follows is a three-and-a-half-hour love affair between the performer and audience.
He paces up and down the stage, interacting with the crowd, sharing kisses and hand hearts and even acknowledging the odd birthday wish request, all without faltering and always with humility.
In effortlessly perfect vocals, Singh goes through his discography with Ilahi,Tujhe Kitna Chahne Lage and Ai Dil Hai Mushkil. There’s just one problem: his audio is drowning behind the unusually loud drums. He invites a female vocalist, who is barely audible. Somewhere in there he intersperses Bollywood with Fireflies by Owl City and In The End by Linkin Park. There may also have been a Katy Perry number - who can tell?
Before too long the issue is rectified and the audience is blessed with the magic of the maestro. From slow, heartfelt melodies to foot-tapping bangers, Singh is weaving through the tunes like a seasoned craftsman. He adds a touch of Bengali with Ami Je Tomar and performs a Gujrati track which gets the whole stadium on their feet dancing garba.
Among the more than 30 tracks he has delivered without a break, he takes the opportunity to acknowledge the talents of fellow playback singers, the voices behind famous faces in Bollywood.
Arijit is a performer who needs no frills – he is best when stripped back. The dancers on the odd songs like Chaliya act as a distraction and add little to keep the tempo up. That said, there were several welcome additions: prominent sitar player Anoushka Shankar, daughter of Indian sitar guru Pandit Ravi Shankar joins Singh for a couple of songs dressed in a glamorous black corset. There was also a celebration of Hindustani instruments like the mandolin solo, which worked well.
The highlight for me came towards the end when Singh really ups the tempo with his tunes. He teases Sapphire and we wait for Ed Sheeran to appear. Singh is quick to slap our hopes down. The final number is a patriotic one where he runs the length of the ground with the flag of India uniting the thousand around him.
Despite the little hiccups, there is no denying Arijit Singh is a once-in-a-generation singer who knows how to put on a show.
