Indian music lovers are in for a treat as Bollywood music extraordinaire Arijit Singh performs in South Africa this weekend. The small-town boy, who made it big with movie hits in Aashiqui 2, Golmaal 3, Crook and Action Replayy, will woo audiences, together with musicians from the UK, Germany, Spain, US and India.
This will be the 'Tum Hi Ho' singer’s first visit to the country.
After Durban, he will head straight to Pretoria, where he will perform at the Sun Arena in Times Square, Menlyn Maine.
Singh, a jack of all trades, also composes, produces and records, and he has an impressive string of credits to his name.
He has sung over 150 tracks, won more than 50 popular awards and his global fan base continues to grow every year, with more than 17 million Facebook followers, 242 000 Twitter followers and 1.5 million Instagram followers.
His rise to fame came after he participated in and won the reality show, 10 Ke 10 Le Gaye Dil. He quickly invested this in building his own recording studio, where he began composing music and singing pieces for advertisements, news channels and radio stations.
Kylie Jenner breaks Instagram record with baby announcement
Singh also spent a part of his early musical career as a music programmer and music producer to music directors such as Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, Vishal-Shekhar, Mithoon, Monty Sharma and Pritam.
He hit the big time with a major breakthrough in 2013, after he was asked to lead as the key vocalist for Aashiqui 2, where his song, Tum Hi Ho, won several awards and nominations, including the Filmfare Award for Best Male Playback Singer.
In the years that followed, he lent his voice to the likes of Shah Rukh Khan, with hits from Dilwale and Gerua, and chart-toppers such as Zalima, Kabira, Channa Mereya, Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, Sanam Re, Mastt Magan and Muskrane.
“Arijit is one of the most versatile and successful singers of Indian music and cinema, and we are so proud to be able to bring him back to South Africa. This is going to be the biggest Bollywood musical extravaganza to hit African soil,” said Blu Blood’s MD, Osman Osman.
Veesham Maharaj, of Showtime Promotions, said the wait is almost over, with Singh’s team already setting up the logistics for the show.
“Bollywood lovers have been patiently waiting for Arijit in South Africa and we are excited to be able to bring him to Durban for his first ever tour. This is our biggest concert to date. ‘Arijit Singh – Live In Concert’ will be an unforgettable musical journey, with Arijit’s biggest chart-toppers, fan favourites and classics. His shows are renowned worldwide and this show will be no different,” he said.
l ““Arijit Singh – Live In Concert” will take place at 8pm on February 10 at the Durban ICC Arena and at 6pm on February 11 at Sun Casino, Times Square, Menlyn Maine, Pretoria. The price for tickets for both of the shows starts at R350 and they are now available to purchase through Computicket online or Computicket outlets.