At the breezy open-air amphitheatre on Carter Road in Bandra, Mumbai, as part of the Celebrate Bandra Festival, singer Ash King made his debut live performance in the city. Singing Te Amo from Dum Maaro Dum and I Love You from Bodyguard, Ash’s performance was quite a treat.
With the breeze wafting in from the sea and the moon and stars in the sky, it was the perfect setting for what became a magical performance. Ash belted out hit after hit and then wrapped up with an acapella of Sam Cooke’s Change is Gonna Come. The audience was stunned by his ability to sing in gospel style and then to switch into Hindi and English. The crowd went wild for him and all the girls were gushing as he was seen serenading the audience.
King’s musical talents gave him his first Bollywood break in 2009 in the award-winning soundtrack of Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s Delhi 6. Personally discovered by Oscar-winner and maestro A.R Rahman, King recorded Dil Gira Dafatan in Rahman’s personal home studio (Panchathan) and became the first singer to promote the intermingling of Gospel and R&B into Indian cinema.
King was also featured on the official single Bad Romance of Lady Gaga’s album Just Dance. The track was also remixed and featured in the official Asian release.
And while Indian audiences are yet to see more of him, it must be told that his grandfather was the first Indian classical music teacher at Nobel Peace prize winner Rabindranath Tagore’s home and school Shantiniketan, and also a prominent freedom fighter for India.
Now that’s some connection to boast of!