Papon wishes to sing more in Kannada, calling it a ‘soft and beautiful language’

It’s been exactly a year since Papon last performed in Bengaluru. And now, as he gears up to enthral the city’s audience yet again, the singer can barely contain his excitement. “It’s always been great performing in Bengaluru. It has such a great mix of people from all around the country,” says the singer, whose concert is slated to be held at Phoenix Marketcity on November 25.

Having worked across regional industries and languages — including Hindi, Bengali, Assamese, Marathi and Kannada — Papon finds something extremely special about the latter. The Sari Tappu Kelada Moha singer shares, “I have sung a couple of Kannada songs and I’d love to sing more. It’s a very soft and beautiful language. Raghu Dixit (singer) is a dear friend; we have jammed back in the day. I would love to do something more together.”

Speaking of transcending boundaries, Indian music has gone global, with many artistes receiving international accolades and recognition. This, Papon feels, is only the beginning.

“Indian music and culture are spreading across the world today, and I still feel we have a long way to go. India is the most diverse country in the world and we have so much more to present, which we haven’t done yet. We get to showcase the nuances of our various cultures through films and music and that’s so exciting,” says the Moh Moh Ke Dhaage (Dum Laga Ke Haisha; 2015) singer.

The singer, while currently on tour, has not taken a break from working all year round and is excited to share what fans can expect from him in the near future. “A lot of new music is coming out! On my YouTube channel, I launched a song recently with a different sound. It’s sort of a contemporary indie song. I recently even came out with a song under the genre of Afro-Bihu, which is basically Bihu music fused with African vibes and it’s been received really well too. My own ghazal album is also ready to be released! A lot of music from my side is lined up for the next one or two years,” he signs off.

Catch It Live

What: Papon Live in Concert

Where: Phoenix Marketcity, Whitefield Main Road, Devasandra Industrial Estate, Mahadevpura

When: November 25

Timing: 7pm

Price: 1,499 onwards

Nearest Metro Station: Singayyanapalya on Purple Line