Indian playback singer Sid Sriram deviated from his usual style during a concert in Singapore on July 13, delivering many of his melodious slow-paced hits in high-tempo fashion.
Around 3.650 fans packed the Singapore Expo Hall 7 as the 34-year-old Carnatic-trained singer belted out his repertoire of hits – from popular Tamil songs “Kadhaipomma”, “Yen Ennai Pirinathai”, “Yennai Maatrum Kadhale” to Telugu numbers like “Sri Valli”.
He also sang songs from his English album Sidharth released last year.
Sid began his playback singing career with the movie Kadal in 2013, with the song “Adiye” becoming an instant hit. Since then, he has sung more than 50 film songs in multiple languages.
The concert here marked the first time his show featured a standing pen for fans. Perhaps that was why Sid sang a more upbeat rendition for many of his songs, giving the show more of a rock-concert vibe. The band members also played solo numbers.
Speaking to the audience, Sid said the show was also the first time his sister was watching him live. He added that his parents were also at the show, which gave him “immense pride and happiness”.
Having grown up in California after being born in Chennai, Sid highlighted the importance of culture and recognising one’s roots. “We all need to find that connection and appreciate our culture,” he said.
Audience member Niveditha Anbalagan, 18, said she really liked the show, despite expecting more slow songs.
“The concert had me and my friends on our feet for almost three hours, and we didn’t realise the time went by so quickly,” added the Nanyang Technological University student.
“My favourite part of the concert was when Sid sang “Thenpaandi Cheemaiyile” from the movie Nayagan. It’s the song my dad sang to put me to sleep when I was younger, and it brought back many memories.”
For Vishal Nathan, 19, Sid’s show marked his first concert experience.
“It was amazing. I did not expect a lot of old nostalgic songs,” he said. “The concert started off strong and set the bar for the rest of the show.”
Ms Priyanka Siva Kumar, 42, said she attended the concert without any expectations.
“This is the first time I’m seeing Sid Sriram in concert. I wasn’t interested in attending at first, but did so after my daughter’s persuasion,” she said.
“I’m happy I attended it. The concert was enjoyable and the song selections were good. Seeing youngsters appreciate and enjoy even the older songs sung by Sid made me really happy.’’
