Indian Vocalists Pay Homage To Their Musical Influences During Audio-Concert Series ‘Tribute’

Hosted every weekend on the live audio app Mentza, Tribute offers listeners the opportunity to rediscover their love for chart-topping hits, all while familiarizing themselves with promising Indian talents. 

The debut night enveloped listeners into the soulful world of American singer, Whitney Houston. Helmed by Mumbai singer-songwriter duo, Simetri, the night paid homage to the stellar vocalist’s work and artistic persona. Playing hits from Houston’s discography, the duo also revealed the role the seasoned musician played in their lives; “We grew up listening to these tracks, ” the sisters revealed, “Our mother used to play them all the time.” 

Performing hits such as the “The Greatest Love Of All, “Saving All My Love For You, “I Wanna Dance With Somebody,” “I Will Always Love You” and more, the night indulged listeners, setting them on the path of nostalgia and pure bliss. 

Singer-songwriter and Euphony’s frontrunner, Sanish Nair was up next. Paying his tribute to the evergreen and legendary Kishore Kumar, the second episode of Tribute bought back the charm of the Seventies and Eighties Bollywood. 

Sharing his relationship with Kumar’s body of work, Nair confessed to having spent the majority of his formative years surrounded by ‘retro music’; “My dad is a big fan of Kishore Ji and Mohamad Rafique. These songs are there in my subconscious mind- I don’t need to learn these songs, I remember them.”

Jumping right in, Nair opened the evening with a beautiful rendition of the 1974 hit “Ek Ajnabee Haseena Se.” Dissecting what set Kumar apart from the herd, Nair credits the veteran vocalist’s style and delivery, “he expresses each word beautiful. That’s something I try to learn from his songs.”

The 20-minute virtual gig saw Nair handpicks tracks that hold meaning and are closely tied back to his family, like his father’s all-time favorite track, Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas.” Though the gig was performed virtually, Nair’s Tribute night maintained the connection of an intimate crowd all whilst allowing himself to close his eyes and seep into the world of melodies and symphonies.

Vocalists Antara and Ankita Nandy- commonly referred to as the Nandy sisters- graced the third episode of ‘Tribute night. Playing hits from Antara’s mentor and idol, AR Rahman, the duo performed hits from the Academy award-winning artist’s career. In an earlier episode of Mentza x Rolling Stone India weekly audio series, Green Room, Antarara spoke about her experience at A. R. Rahman’s higher education institution, KM Music Conservatory where she began her western classical music training. Given Rahman’s influence on Antara’s musical career, the Tribute night fitting and special for the musical duo.

The latest episode featured Indie musician, Raghav Meattle paying his tribute to the legendary British rock group, The Beatles. The “Cold Cold Night” singer hit rewind has he performed renditions of iconic Beatles tunes. Given the group’s legacy and Meattle’s soulful vocals, all stress built up from the nine-five workday simmered down as listeners reminisced old school rock hits.

Rolling Stone India x Mentza’s Tribute is a weekly virtual live show hosted exclusively on the live-audio app, Mentza.