Shalmali Announces This Is Me India Tour: ‘I’ve Craved That Club Energy’

Pop singer-songwriter Shalmali Kholgade goes back to the basics in a way with her upcoming This Is Me India Tour 2024, a five-city run throughout October.

The artist first gained national fame for film songs and released records like 2X Side A and 2X Side B in 2021 and 2022, respectively. But on this tour, Kholgade makes it clear that she doesn’t “intend on doing film music at all” as part of her set with her band, comprising guitarist Royce Fernandes, keyboardist Ashwin Iyer and drummer Joy Das. “Although if the audience requests a film song, I won’t let them down,” the singer adds.

The tour kicks off on Oct. 3 in Mumbai, followed by stops in Oct. 6 in Bengaluru, Oct. 18 in Pune, Oct. 26 in New Delhi and Oct. 27 in Hyderabad. Kholgade says she’s titled it This Is Me “in an effort to acquaint the audience to all shades of me. I believe I have more to offer than the popular side of me.”

They’re all indoor club shows, which come at a time when it could be argued that a lot of Kholgade’s singing peers are looking at bigger shows and bigger production. With this tour, she aims to take apart the misconceptions about artists on her level. “There’s an impression people have of how I do shows now – with an entire production, song and dance, lights and graphics, the works! I wanted to break that image here as well. Keep it stripped down. Honest and intimate. At least at this stage.” She adds, “I have craved that club energy for a while now. Also, I feel like I need to start here and learn how to perform my indie music at bigger venues over time.”

Kholgade, while keeping her playback singing projects ongoing, has released pop songs like “Follow” with singer-producer BeBhumika, “Tu Hai” with singer-songwriter Nikhil D’Souza, and started the year with her solo single “Grind.”  

The artist promises that this is just a step in her evolution with her “indie outfit over the coming years.” She’s also put out a call for artists, specifically rappers, who would want to open for her in different cities on this tour. “I’ve noticed in the recent years that not only does the audience love raps but that there’s so many artists pursuing writing and performing as rappers,” Kholgade says.

Within two hours of putting out her post on Sept. 17, she received over 20 entries via email. “This is going to be a tough call, although I’m looking for a rapper in each city I travel to. So, as long as there’s people sending in entries from each city, this is going to be an exciting tour. What I’m looking for is meaningful writing on interesting topics,” Kholgade adds.

There are more releases coming up before the year closes out, some of which the artist and her band will be performing on tour. “2025 feels really far away at this point. I’m completely focused on making 2024 count at this point,” she says.

Get Shalmali Kholgade tour tickets here.