At a press conference and trailer launch held in Putrajaya on Tuesday, the 31-year-old heartthrob revealed that the concert will have a glow-in-the-dark theme – purportedly the first of its kind by an Indian artiste in Malaysia – inspired by shows by the band Coldplay.
“Outside of India, Malaysia is the only country where I will have performed four times, and I consider it to be my second home,” he said to piercing screams and thunderous applause from his fans, mostly made up of young women. Anirudh was last here to perform in February 2016.
The singer and instrumentalist was born and bred in Chennai to a family who are no strangers to the entertainment industry themselves. He is the son of actor Ravi Raghavendra and classical dancer Lakshmi Ravichander; his great-grandfather was director Krishnaswami Subrahmanyam, a pioneering filmmaker of the 1930s, while his great-grandmother Meenakshi was the first woman in Kollywood to be a music composer.
He had his breakthrough at age 21 when his song “Why This Kolaveri Di” – which is sung in “Tanglish”, or a mixture of Tamil and English – went viral globally.
Anirudh is best known for his compositions for Tamil films, which has seen him release such critically acclaimed soundtrack albums as “Vannakan Chennai”, “Beast”, and “Vikram”.
He will be making his long-awaited debut in Bollywood next year as his songs will be featured in the upcoming film “Jawan”, starring Shah Rukh Khan and directed by Atlee Kumar.
Tickets for his “Once Upon A Time Tour” concert will go on sale from July 25 and, in keeping with the neon theme, all attendees will be given programmable LED wristbands.
In addition to a DJ, fans can look forward to various kiosks such as food and beverage stalls, a games corner, as well as a photo and glow-in-the-dark face-painting booths.
Anirudh will be backed up by his band that was formed during his college years. He will also be joined by other musicians and singers, including fan-favourite Jonita Gandhi, a Canadian singer of Indian descent.
With the events and entertainment sector only just picking up after being badly affected over the last two and a half years, organiser MC Entertainment – in collaboration with Tourism Malaysia – hopes the concert will help boost the nation’s tourist industry.
Unlike many famous stars, Anirudh – dressed casually in a white hoodie and pants – comes across as humble; what one would label a “guy next door”.
His dedication to making music clearly comes across as he speaks about his craft. Interestingly, he mentioned he would’ve gone into finance had his music career not worked out – though the world would have been deprived of his talent if that had happened!
Towards the end of the press conference, a fan requested a song. Anirudh obliged and performed his hit “Arabic Kuthu”, which, unsurprisingly, sent his devotees into a frenzy as they sang along.
To those who are planning to catch his concert, information on ticket prices will be available on MC Entertainment’s social media platforms very soon.
Stay updated by visiting MC Entertainment’s website, as well as its Facebook and Instagram accounts.