Richa Sharma takes the mic

Other than her powerful voice, its singer Richa Sharma's smile and warm personality that draws audiences. "I get hundreds of compliments for my smile. In fact, I have received many proposals backstage after my concerts too," blushes Richa (refusing to divulge further details). As she gears up for a monsoon concert in the coming week, she tells CS about her fave concert memories:


Who: Richa Sharma
What: Sharing her favourite concert memories
Where: At a suburban hotel

Canada calling
I went to Toronto to perform on Canada Day that falls on July 1. My concert was scheduled for one and a half hours, but I ended up singing for nearly two and a half hours. The crowd asked me to repeatedly sing Mahi Ve, Sajda, Billo Rani and other hits. However, what made this concert memorable was the fact that I got mobbed at the end of the show. Now, everyone dreads getting mobbed, but I loved every minute of it. I really felt like a star, something all of us aspire to be. I will never forget this experience.u00a0

Sing along
As a performer, I love to interact with my audience. I was once doing a show in New Jersey, US, where the crowd was screaming for more action. Then, I called a girl up on the stage and asked her to sing with me. I told her, "You have to sing with me but not better than me" (laughs out loud). Later, I gifted her a piece of jewellery that I was wearing on stage. It was a lot of fun.u00a0

No more tears
In June, I had performed at a Sufi concert at St Andrews auditorium, Bandra. Many musicians and music lovers had come for the show. At the end of it, I saw a number of people crying. So, I went down and wiped their tears saying that I never intended to make people cry with my songs. But when they said that these tears were of happiness, I was deeply touched. The idea of Sufi music is to sing from one's soul and I felt that I had achieved it.u00a0

Blessings of a lifetime
This is one of my oldest memories, but perhaps the most cherished. I was performing at a private show where I was singing devotional songs. Asha Bhonsaleji was there as a guest. I remember her listening to me for more than three hours. In the end, when she came and hugged me, I was overjoyed and overwhelmed. She gave me a hug and her blessingsu00a0-- that memory will be precious to me till my last breath.u00a0