Arijit Singh birthday special: His top 5 'MTV Unplugged' performances
What's the story
Tagged to be the golden voice of the Indian music industry, Arijit Singh turns 35 today!
With heart-piercing superhits like Tum Hi Ho, Zaalima, and Gerua under his belt, one can call him the singer of this generation.
But as much as we enjoy his movie songs, Singh giving a live performance is another joy altogether.
So, let's list his best MTV Unplugged performances.
#1
'Duaa'
The song Duaa was one of the best bits from Dibakar Banerjee's Bollywood film Shanghai.
Singh had taken it a step higher during his unplugged rendition of the soulful track in the third season of MTV Unplugged.
Be it Singh's guitar or the hand-clapping assortment, every portion of this performance is heavenly.
You'll wish you were present in the crowd for this one.
#2
'Phir Le Aaya Dil'
Next up, we have another song from the crooner's third season appearance on the show—Phir Le Aaya Dil from the film Barfi!.
Singh's prowess in classical music is a known fact and the singer gets to display his abilities here splendidly.
The new arrangement gives Pritam Chakraborty's original composition another dimension as the ghazal becomes a rich amalgamation of raag and adlibs.
#3
'Ilahi'
People say Singh's voice is intoxicating as it gets you drunk on music.
And, no other song can be a better example of this than Ilahi (Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani).
The Parbona crooner plays with the immense scope that the track provides and sprints with it.
Aided by a fine bit of piano, heavy chunks of percussion, and strings, the music is extremely fulfilling.
#4
'Tum Hi Ho'
Singh had worked on his fair share of Hindi film songs but his breakthrough came with Aashiqui 2.
He became synonymous with Tum Hi Ho and we'll never get tired of his soul-touching voice in this melody.
Luckily, the Bengali singer has given us an unforgettable rendition of this superhit track during one of his Unplugged appearances.
Don't be shy, tune into it!
#5
'Kabira'
Pardon me for being a sucker of Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani soundtrack but it's truly beautiful.
And, one cannot talk of it and miss out on Kabira.
Just imagine—Singh's husky voice hitting the notes as the lyrics talk of finding one's purpose; and, you have a purely musical extravaganza.
This rendition is more dependent on adlibs and background vocals but is still worth it.