Kidjo leaves the audience awed

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Rarely does one have a chance to be part of a concert where a sizeable proportion of the audience is up on stage dancing and singing along with the performer. Especially, at a venue like the NCPA’s Tata Theatre in Mumbai, where there is clear demarcation between the audience and the performing artiste, Angelique Kidjo was a much-needed change.
Kidjo’s performance at the NCPA last week clearly united the music lovers in every sense. You could feel the pulse of her music and what she was trying to convey through it. The audience, which was in a rapturous mood, was in sync with every beat and step of hers.
And boy, what an entry she made! Swiftly and gracefully, she stepped onto the stage with an energetic number that made you sit up and take notice of her confidence, and the ease with which she performed. She won our hearts right from that moment, and it was a journey that we all were looking forward to take with her as her audience. A very affable namaste with a two-line acknowledgement note in Hindi received another brownie point from the audience.
Kidjo, as an artiste certainly doesn’t need any introduction for she is one of the most celebrated female jazz and blues singers in the world. A Grammy award winner, she is known for her remarkably distinct voice, her stage presence and her ability to strike an instant connection with her audiences. She took us through her childhood in that one evening, by the end of which, we felt we had lived her life. Her powerful voice, which sounded surreal in every expression, struck a chord, and left some memorable moments to be reflected upon.
Kidjo began her musical journey at the age of 6, when she started singing difficult songs with much ease and comfort. Every element of that excitement and apprehension that she went through in those days was relived in this concert.
Kidjo dedicated a song to her father, as he had been instrumental in shaping her career. She reminisced about those days where her father would play the music of legends like Beethoven and Mozart on a banjo. It was an emotional number that truly touched everyone’s hearts.
But Kidjo wasn’t going to let us all be emotional and teary-eyed that evening. She upped the tempo with a peppy next number, which was an interesting foot-tapping song, that made us want to stand up and dance. It surely wanted you to stand up and dance. People started trickling into the aisle ways and boogied to some of her numbers. While some like me, who were hesitant initially, too had to give in and join the celebration of life, as Kidjo called it.
Later, half of us from the audience joined Kidjo on stage as she sang, danced and made every person in the audience feel special. It’s a rare quality of an artiste to make every member of audience feel wanted. But Kidjo did that with ease by sharing so many things in her life and make us feel at home in our own country. That was the power of her ability, and Mumbai will surely miss Kidjo’s presence until the next time.