Usha Uthup will be back at Blue Frog, in her dramatic Kanjeevaram, coin-sized bindi, and that resonating voice fans love.
Usha Uthup will be back at Blue Frog, in her dramatic Kanjeevaram, coin-sized bindi, and that resonating voice fans love.
It's been a while since Usha Uthup began her singing career on a fateful evening in the 1960s at Talk Of The Town (Now Not Just Jazz By The Bay. Now shut down). It's been even longer since she was left out from music class in school, because "she didn't fit in with a voice like hers" (or so claims Wikipedia). 
But 40 years on, she's one busy singer and tough to get hold of. "This is my 41st year in singing. It's a huge thing for me. It all started here (Mumbai) and it feels good to be back," she says on the phone from Kolkata, while catching a breather before heading in for an appearance on a Bengali news channel.
But it can't really be coming back if she's been here on and off. "I've grown up here. I return every month for private corporate shows and a few gigs. I'm a Tamilian who was brought up in Mumbai, am married to a Malyali, and have settled in Calcutta," she laughs.
No wonder then that she can sing in 16 Indian languages. She can hop from If It's Tuesday It Must Be Belgium, to Kolkata (a Bengali song she dedicated to her hometown) and jump to Duma Dum Mast Kalandar within minutes. But her regional hits and popular covers is not what Blue Frog will be hosting. "I'll be singing a mixed bag of songs. Fever, Jambalaya (On the Bayou), Jezebel, Stand By Me, Country Roads, Windmills of Your Mind and other retro numbers in Country, Blues and Pop."
Need Mumbai feel left out because she has a song for Kolkata, and not for us? "Of course I have a song for you. Bombay Meri Hai, originally sung by my sister Uma, is one one of my all-time favourites!"
On August 29, 9 pm onwards
At Blue Frog, Mathuradas Mills Compound, NM Joshi Marg, Lower Parel.
Entry Rs 300
Call 61586158
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