DURBAN - US singing sensation Vidya Vox will arrive in Durban this afternoon for a two city concert - in the Kingdom of the Zulu and Johannesburg.
Both shows are sold-out.
In an exclusive interview with POST, prior to her arrival, the 26-year-old, whose mash-ups of Hindi, Tamil and English songs have made her a social media sensation, chatted about growing up, her love for music and what makes her tick.
Vidya, who studied psychology at George Washington University, said she had been singing since the age of five.
"My mom took my sister and I to music classes. We used to hate practising as kids but my grandma used to make it fun by playing musical games with us," she recalled.
Although Vox moved from Chennai to the US at age 9, she never forgot her roots.
"Growing up was always a bit of an identity crisis. I was raised in an Indian household - singing classical music and eating south Indian food.
"But the second I went to school, it was a different world. I'd be listening to Destiny's Child, Usher and the Backstreet Boys. It wasn't until college that I really found the balance between the two worlds."
She said American clarinettist and composer, Shankar Tucker, introduced her to the idea of recording and uploading her music on YouTube.
“YouTube is amazing because you really don't have to wait for anyone to showcase your work. Social media in general is like that. People can connect with it all over the world. It's still the best way to put out your work," said Vidya, who dreams of sharing the stage with Beyonce.
Her grandmother, mother, Pushpa, and sister, Vandana, she shared, are her biggest supporters.
Vidya told POST her journey thus far had been "beyond my wildest dreams".
"There have been lots of ups and downs. However, the positives outweigh the negatives. I'm so grateful to be able to do music."
Speaking on her first trip to South Africa, Vidya, who enjoys playing tennis, said: "I’m really looking forward to performing in South Africa. I've heard so many wonderful things about the people and the places."
She will perform at the SunPark at Sibaya Casino on Saturday and the following day at the Big Top Arena in Carnival City. Both shows start at 5.30pm.