Await a musical storm this summer

If you are a music buff, or a person with just a fleeting interest in a song or two, you should reserve seats for you and your family to attend what promises to be a great start to the New Year with a music concert by one of the best artistes that the music industry is fortunate to possess.

Shreya Ghoshal, the darling of millions of people around the world, will be in Auckland for a musical evening in Auckland early next year.

ABC Entertainment Limited and Perfect Harmony Productions, who have a record of promoting and presenting a series of highly successful programmes is organising the performance of the famous singer (called, Ooh La La Shreya Ghoshal Live in Concert) at Telstra Clear Pacific Events Centre on February 22, 2013.

It would be almost two-and-half years since her last concert in Auckland, put together by the same organisers at the same venue on August 20, 2010.

That event saw her fans giving her thunderous applauses as she rendered such famous numbers as ‘Chalo Tumko Lekar Chale’ (from the film Jism), ‘Vada Raha Pyar Se (Khakee), ‘Agar Tum Mil Jao’ (Zeher) and ‘Dil Kho Gaya’(Singh is King).

We had said in our review (Indian Newslink, September 1, 2010) that the auditorium was packed to capacity and that “if the audience longed for more, they were not to be blamed.”

Bouquet of songs

The ensuring programme would cause a musical storm that will sweep the audience off their feet, for Shreya promises to offer a bouquet of songs that would include new numbers, runaway hits, and those that won her world acclaim and industry awards over the past few years.

“I am eager to return to New Zealand and hopefully spend more time in this beautiful country with more concerts at more centres and take in more of the country and its people,” she said, speaking to us from Mumbai last week.

Auckland has a special place in her heart and in her schedule.

“People in this beautiful city have given me love, understanding, goodwill and appreciation. Although I do not prepare for my concerts, I hope to render at least 24 songs at the forthcoming concert. Many of the numbers would be hits that have enthralled Bollywood fans,” she said.

Simple & humble

Shreya has appeared in hundreds of shows, participated in scores of contests and won, earned several national and international awards and secured a place of prominence on the galaxy of celebrities.

Yet, none of those accolades and citations has affected her state of mind or attitude towards the world and its people.

She said she is a down-to-earth, easy-going person, sans ego.

“I am a simple, fun-loving human being. I love people and I guess people love me, not just for my voice, but because I am what I am. I constantly interact with people at concerts, programmes, television shows, recording studios and on social websites,” she said.

This young and accomplished singer is not just a boon to the Indian film industry but a gift to this world. Nothing would please her than people treating her as their own, not as a distant star.

More to come

She talked to us about her formative years, how her parents influenced and encouraged her to enter the world of music, her first concert, her first contest and her first song for a Bollywood film. We will publish these in our ensuing editions.

It is not every day that a star is born and it is not every day that such a star shines on our horizon. As music lovers and fans await her arrival, Shreya is equally anxious to meet and entertain them.

“New Zealanders have motivated and encouraged me. They have given me their love and blessings and I am an extremely fortunate artiste,” she said.

(Picture by Narendra Bedekar)