THERE had been a set blueprint for Bollywood concerts for decades with singers mixing up their own hits with classic films songs from long ago and taking an interval break. Arijit Singh rewrote the rulebooks by staying on stage for three hours and injecting diverse influences into film songs to give them a new spin.
Asees Kaur recently set fire to the age old rulebook with an explosive Indigo at O2 show in London, which arguably had more variety than any Hindi film singer from before. Like Arijit, she stayed on stage the whole time and put interesting new spins on her greatest hits like Raataan Lambiyan and Malang.
But then the award-winning singer went beyond that with an action-packed set filled to the brim with superb songs in a variety of genres. This included a marvellous medley of Sufi songs including Jhoom, Tere Ishq Nachaya, Tere Bin Nahin Lagda and Jugni. There was also a section featuring blockbuster pop hits like Lamborghini and Coca Cola. The versatile singer also delighted audiences with a medley of contemporary Bollywood hits, originally done by other singers including iconic classics like Deedar De, Roobaroo, Dilbar and many more. One of the stand-out moments was an explosive tribute to late singer Sidhu Moose Wala, which included a stunning cover of Old School.
She even delivered a Garba song that had audiences dancing. The volley of hits was relentless and the range was absolutely remarkable. She was backed up with a talented group of musicians, great backing singers and dancers doing high energy routines. Eye-catching visuals, lighting and sounds added to the all-round experience. With her debut tour Asees showed that Bollywood playback singers can go beyond the traditional formula and pack in more songs into a set. That superb variety of songs, majestic vocals, musical surprises, and staging turned it into a rare perfect concert.
Sandhya Suri poses during a photocall for the film "Santosh" at the 77th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, southern France, on May 21, 2024.