On turning 15 in the industry, singer Shreya Ghoshal to mark career milestone with concerts across cities
Shreya Ghoshal
ADVERTISEMENT
These 15 years have been full of amazing experiences and great music," beams Shreya Ghoshal, reflecting on a journey that began on the stage of reality show Sa Re Ga Ma Pa. Discovered by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, the then 17-year-old soon found herself lending her voice to melodies like Silsila Ye Chahat Ka, Bairi Piya and Dola Re Dola in the filmmaker's 2002 magnum opus, Devdas. And, the industry woke up to a talent that was unrestrained and perhaps, unequalled.
As she completes 15 years in Bollywood, Ghoshal is to set off for a US and Canada tour to mark the milestone. Spread over a month, the tour will see the songstress perform across 12 cities — San Francisco, New Jersey, Los Angeles, Houston, Chicago, Atlanta, Washington DC, Kansas City, Fort Lauderdale, Detroit, Vancouver and Toronto. She'll be accompanied by a 40-member live symphony group.
"I've done so many world tours, but none have come close to this one. I wanted to offer something unconventional to my fans. That's when I decided to have a grand symphony with strings, brass, piano and a choir section along with my core band.
I will present songs that I've recorded in the last 15 years," says Ghoshal, with palpable excitement. Besides performing her own songs, the singer will also pay tribute to Bollywood music legends Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle, among others.
She says, "Songs by Lataji, Ashaji, Madan Mohan saab, RD Burmanji, Salil Chowdhury and Laxmikant-Pyarelal are close to my heart. Music became my first love after I heard their tracks. It will be an honour to sing their songs live."
Grateful for the dream run that has been her career — one that has been dotted with four National Awards, a wax figure at Madame Tussauds Museum in Delhi, a day in Ohio dedicated to her and over 2,000 songs — Ghoshal believes her versatility has seen her this far. "I've had the opportunity to sing varied songs in all Indian languages. That has been an advantage."