In Bollywood, the most popular male vocalists are playback singers, chameleons whose voices can fit any actor or character on screen, and Arijit Singh is currently king: he is the most followed (though not most streamed) artist on Spotify, surpassing Taylor Swift last month with 120.5m followers. Those fans are drawn to Singh’s vocal malleability, and tonight – the closing date of a UK arena run – he duly intersperses Bollywood hits (such as Khwaja Mere Khwaja, Kun Faya Kun and Roobaroo) outside his core discography.
His vocals are decadently rich and buttery, but also rock solid. Performing meend, the gliding of one note to the next, each note topples like a domino; Teri Meri Kahani, Ae Dil Hai Mushkil and Janam Janam highlight the balance of delicate power that defines Singh’s voice. But despite his virtuosity, Singh isn’t self-indulgent. He sings for nearly four hours, delivering more than 40 songs without faltering, not even pausing while signing T-shirts on stage.
