From Bollywood playback to concerts: Indian diaspora drives popularity of veteran singers from Sonu Nigam to Abhijeet, Kumar Sanu, Kavita Krishnamurti and Udit Narayan

Kumar Sanu’s 2025 UK tour tickets are selling like hot cakes. Abhijeet has a fanbase stretching from US to Uganda. Sonu Nigam recently performed to a sold-out audience at the Sydney Opera House and gets mobbed for selfies even in the Fiji Islands. Playback work in Bollywood may not be prolific, but these veteran singers and others from their era have found a new audience among the diaspora, which has opened a new career path for them as successful live performers across the globe.
Abhijeet- During a two-hour performance, I sing around 20 songs on an average per show. Although I’m a commercial artiste, I’m aware that not all countries get large sponsors, so I adjust my charges accordingly. Besides the US and UK, I also get offers from Asian and African countries. It’s best when, as singers, we have the power to select the offers rather than grab whatever is offered to us.
Sonu Nigam- When I first started touring, I was surprised to find that my songs had fans even in the Fiji Islands and Israel. I remember receiving my first standing ovation in America. When we travel abroad, we work less, since the shows are scheduled only on weekends, giving us time to chill and explore different places.
Kavita Krishnamurti- People living abroad still want to hear songs from 1942: A Love Story, Nimbooda (Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam), Hawa Hawaii (Mr India), Dola Re Dola (Devdas), and Tu Hi Re (Bombay). I agree to do international shows taking into account my work schedule, the venue, and other things like the musicians involved and payment. For shows in the US, we have to tour for at least a month.
Anuradha Paudwal- Audiences still enjoy the romantic songs released in the ’90s. International tours have hectic schedules. After wrapping up a live show and going to bed at 2 am, we have to be ready to travel to another city at 6 am for the next show. Because of this, I only take up offers that suit my schedule.
INTERNATIONAL CONCERTS HAVE 98% OCCUPANCY, SAY ORGANISERS
“When I travel abroad, so many people tell me they have grown up listening to my songs and those from the 1990s are their favourites. They used to hear these songs in school and college, and today they are approaching middle age,” says Kavita Krishnamurti. Chirag Parikh, director of an Australia-based event company corroborates this, adding that concerts that feature veteran singers generally have 98% occupancy. “We recently did live shows with Sonu Nigam at the Sydney Opera House. While the first show was sold out within five days, the second show got sold out in 10 days,” he says. Other artistes he regularly works with include Shaan, Shreya Ghoshal, Gurdas Maan and Anup Jalota. Jaspal Bahra, MD of an event company that organises shows across Europe, Middle East, and Australia, says that singers who gave hits in the ’90s and 2000s are bankable names. “Sonu Nigam and Alka Yagnik from that era are always popular. However, in the UK market, there is also a great demand for Punjabi and Tamil singers due to the cultural diversity of big cities like London, Manchester and Birmingham,” Bahra says
BIG ON STAGE FROM THE CURRENT GENERATION
Arijit Singh: Among the highest paid artistes of his generation, Arijit is as popular on stage as he is for playback. He recently performed in Dubai to a packed stadium
Sunidhi Chauhan: Sunidhi completed her ‘I Am Home’ Australia and New Zealand tour in February
Shreya Ghoshal: Shreya kickstarted her US ‘All Hearts Tour’ on 14 June in Denver and wrapped it up on 6 July in Chicago
Neha Kakkar: Neha performed in Abu Dhabi earlier this year Diljit Dosanjh: Diljit began his Dilluminati tour of North America on 27 April in Vancouver and completed the circuit on 13 July in Toronto
Badshah: Badshah completed his US tour recently
Rs 50 lakh to 1.5 crore is the approximate venue cost in the UK, US, and Australia 20 lakh to 40 lakh is the production cost for lights, sound, costumes, stage effects, etc. 35 lakh to 1.5 crore is what an artiste charges per show, depending on their popularity. This also includes payments for troupe of 10+ musicians, three-four technicians, manager and other crew.