Who would have thought that Pradeep Kumar's first ever centre stage concert in Malaysia was going to take place in Penang? Never in my wildest dreams of course! But guess what, it did really happen on January 21 when he took the Setia SPICE Arena in Penang by storm by performing live some of his extremely popular and heartwarming, melodious hits from famous South Indian movies.
Pradeep, as we all know, is a popular Indian playback singer and music director who has worked in Tamil-based films in India. Hailing from a family that has a strong background in Carnatic music, to be specific, his mother, who is a music teacher specialised in Carnatic, it was no surprise to witness the flair that Pradeep inherited and displayed it across the films he has sang some memorable songs for.
Honestly, I don't really remember when the last time Penang hosted a concert for artists from the Tamil cinema industry in India.
But what I can tell is that Pradeep Kumar's live concert was simply electrifying, and I was rather shell-shocked to witness the outstanding reception at the arena! People were making a beeline to enter the Arena, and looking back and realising that I was one of them, makes me think how big of an artist the man is.
Pradeep can be considered a new boy at the block because it was not too long ago when he made his entry into the industry, that too when he acquainted with Santosh Narayanan, a popular music composer based in India.
So, the concert was going to start at 8pm, and people were already seen entering the arena as early as 5pm, or probably earlier, we never know exactly. In life, there are occasions that we, as humans have the tendency to never be late, and one of them is definitely when attending a live concert.
This is because we don't want to miss the introduction of our famous artist, and of course other events, such as being early at the airport to catch the flight is a popular scenario too.
Aakar Foundation was the official organiser for this event. And of course, not forgetting a special thanks to the Penang government for collaborating with Aakar Foundation to make this happen.
So, it was almost time and the moment everyone has been waiting for was about to arrive. Lights started to deem, and it was a clear indication that Pradeep was about to make his entrance to the centre stage. The crowd roared and whistles were blowing all around the arena the moment Pradeep entered with his music crew.
It was nothing but goosebumps all the way.
Pradeep's collection of memorable and melodious songs is fairly countable, but I have got to admit, considering his spell in the industry and heart-melting voice, what he has managed to do to build an empire of fans is quite exceptional and definitely beyond applaudable.
Some of his popular hits include Aval from Manithan, Aagayam Thee Pidicha from Madras, Maya Nadhi from Kabali, Life of Ram from 96, Thozhi from Hey Sinamika, Poo Avizhum from Enakkul Oruvan and the list goes on.
These were some of his greatest hits that he managed to perform live on the concert day, and fans were completely swept off their feet and many were heard singing along with him, especially part of the lyrics that attract them the most.
It was a memorable night and what a privilege it was to be surrounded by music lovers that were vibing in the most exciting manner.
It's nights like these that bring life into all of us. In life, sometimes all we need is a little push, and when we have singers like Pradeep Kumar, who not only sings, but sings songs that talk so much about life, it is a beautiful feeling, and we tend to appreciate life better after all.
What an artist! What a live concert!
