Singer for all seasons and styles, Mohammed Rafi left an unparalleled legacy, which is evident from the enthusiasm music lovers showed to celebrate his 100th birth anniversary on December 24.
Credit: DH Pool Image
From soulful ragas to peppy numbers, to controversies unrelated to performance, to the demise of two distinguished characters, the music industry saw it all in 2024, which was also the birth centenary year of the -- one and only -- Mohammed Rafi.
As 2024 winds up and a new year dawns, here is a quick recap of what went on in the music industry.
TM Krishna’s redemption story
TM Krishna
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In one way or the other it was redemption time for T M Krishna, the Carnatic vocalist, who is known for his views on freedom of expression and rights.
It’s said that music doesn’t have borders, yet Krishna, the classical singer had been pilloried by all and sundry -- that too all in the name of an award—the Sangitha Kalanidhi Award conferred by the prestigious The Music Academy, Chennai.
From 2005, The Hindu Group of Publications has been sponsoring the cash award for the Sangita Kalanidhi award which has been instituted in the name of the legendary M S Subbulakshmi and Krishna was chosen for it.
But Subbulakshmi’s grandson V Shrinivasan went to the court asking to stop using the name of legendary singer. His contention was that Krishna is an atheist who had made scandalous attacks on Subbulakshmi in the past.
Sanity prevailed when Madras High Court, set aside a single judge order restraining the newspaper publication group from presenting the award, which will now be conferred to Krishna on January 1.
The Magsasay-award winner also returned to the Music Academy and performed at the Annual Margazhi Festival, after almost a decade. It may be recalled that he had stopped singing at the annual festival since 2015, after making it clear that he feels aesthetically, socially, and philosophically disconnected from the music season.
Hariharan’s golden jubilee
Hariharan
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The year 2024 also saw Ghazal maestro Hariharan completing 50 years in the profession. The occasion was marked with a series of concerts titled ‘Be-Misaal’ that started in Kozhikode before traversing Bahrain, Dubai, Qatar before culminating in Bengaluru. The Bengaluru leg, held at the Phoenix Mall on November 9, saw the versatile singer rendering some of his Bollywood numbers including the ones from Roja and Dil Se.
Born to a musical family in Mumbai, Hariharan grew up listening to the likes of Ustad Amir Khan, Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, Pandir Ravi Shanker and had trained under Ghulam Mustafa Khan and Mehdi Hassan.
From soul-stirring renditions to rock, hip hop and ghazals, the 69-year-old had done it all and has worked closely with A R Rahman and the Zakir Hussain.
With more than 15,000 songs in over 10 languages, Hariharan has left an indelible mark in the heart of music lovers and the 'Be-Mishaal' tour was the perfect way to celebrate his golden jubilee celebration in the industry.
Rafi@100
Mohammed Rafi
Credit: Facebook/Imprints and Images of Indian Film Music
December 24 marked the birth centenary of legendary singer Mohammed Rafi, who had mesmerised the music world with his magical voice. Tributes poured in from various quarters as music aficionados once again realised the near impossibility of limiting the oeuvre of Rafi Saheb to a numbered list of 10-20 all-time bests.
While Sonu Nigam performed a concert in Mumbai in honour of his ‘mentor', musicians from across classical and pop traditions joined hands to celebrate the legacy of the maestro with a pre-recorded stage performance of his hit number Abhi Na Jao Chodke from the 1961 classic Hum Dono.
Produced by pianist Sourendro Mullick and vocalist Soumyojit Das, the song originally written by Sahir Ludhianvi -- which had Dev Anand and Sadhana’s on screen presence -- was re-enacted by artists Rekha Bhardwaj, Vishal Bhardwaj, Lesle Lewis, Papon, Shweta Mohan, Usha Uthup, Mame Khan, Ornob, Lopamudra Mitra, Aninda Chatterjee, and Aruna Sairam. There could not have been a better tribute to Rafi Saheb on his 100th birth anniversary.
Adios Pankaj
Pankaj Udhas
Credit: PTI Photo
The year started with the demise of the man who was credited with taking ghazals to the heart of the laymen. Pankaj Udhas breathed his last on February 26, leaving a big void in the art of soulful music. For the connoisseurs of ghazals, Chitthi Aayee Hai still reverberates in their hearts while for the romantics Jeeye To Jeeye Kaise still resonates in their minds . The 72-year-old is someone who received bouquets and brickbats at the same time for literally taking the ghazal, considered an elite form of poem to the common man.
To him goes the credit of resetting a trend or rather breaking the stereotype.
The late 80’s and the early 90s saw a regular pattern in Bollywood films and music which was interspersed with just shooting at exotic locales and having the ‘item’ numbers. Pankaj bucked that trend and revived the ‘melodies’ which had become a premium at that time. So profound was his influence that music lovers event went to the extent of switching back to the good old ‘Hamare Fauji Bhai ki Pasand Jaymaala Kaaryakram' in Vivid Bharati radio station.
Arre huzoor 'Wah Taj' boliye!
Zakir Hussain
Credit: PTI Photo
At the fag end of the year came the news of the death of tabla maestro Zakir Hussain. Born to an illustrious father—he was the eldest son of tabla maestro Alla Rakha—and is credited with of popularising Indian classical music worldwide with his youthful zeal and enthusiasm.
In addition to his tabla classics, for all those 90’s kids the memory goes back to that famous Brooke Bond Taj Mahal Tea ad where Zakir plays tabla amidst the backdrop of the iconic Taj Mahal when someone from audience exclaims “Wah Ustaad!” to which Zakir replies in his inimitable style, “Arey huzoor, Wah Taj boliye!”
A great raconteur, who had the impeccable ability to convey the message through his rhythms, Zakir was one of those rare people, who took that extra effort to take music to the world of nondescripts. No wonder he is admired all around the world!
An 'era' ends as Taylor Swift's tour concludes
Taylor Swift
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Iconic American singer Taylor Swift has become a worldwide sensation and as her 'Eras 'tour ended this year, it is time to reflect on the singer-songwriter's journey and the multiple records she broke along the way.
Swift's tour grossed over $1 billion, making it the highest-grossing tour of all time.
Spanning over 20 countries, the concert that saw the largest crowd was the one in Melbourne, Australia, with 96,006 Swifties. The concerts also saw celebrities in attendance like Emma Stone, Emma Watson, her longtime friend Selena Gomez, Justin Trudeau, and Roger Gederer among others.
The extraordinary permonace of Taylor Swift in her concert tour helped boosting local economies across the globe, triggered minor earthquakes as the fans 'shook it off' and reportedly caused amnesia in some of the fans.
2024 was no doubt Taylor Swift's year with her concluding her biggest tour ever and winning a Grammy Award as well.
Diljit wins hearts
Diljit Dosanjh
Credit: Instagram/diljitdosanjh
From challenging the authorities to ban liquor in the state if they want him to omit alcohol-related words from his songs to reciting classic poems warning those against him, musician Diljit Dosanjh became a movement in 2024. The singer kicked off his 'Dil-Luminati' tour in October and since then has been the talk of the town.
Not just his fans, but local bodies, politicians and the courts have also echoed with his name. However, leaving his fans shocked, the Punjabi singing sensation recently announced that he would not be performing live in India until the infrastructure of the country improves during a concert in Chandigarh. The music sensation is known to face criticism head-on and not shy away from giving his opinions. While all of the singer's concerts have trended on social media, one of the most iconic moments was when he responding to the Bajrang Dal's protest against his concert in Indore by reciting the famous lines - "Kisi ke baap ka Hindustan thode hi hai", by Rahat Indori.
"Agar khilaaf hain.. hone do, jaan thodi hai. Ye sab dhuan hai.. asmaan thodi hai. Sabhi ka khoon hai shaamil yahan ki mitti mein, kisi ke baap ka Hindustan thodi hai (If they oppose, let them; life is not at stake. This is just smoke, not the sky. Everybody's blood (sacrifice) is mixed in this land's soil, Hindustan is not is not anyone's paternal property)," the singer recited as the crowd cheered him on.
A heartbreak for Directioners
Late singer Liam Payne
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This year has had all the One Direction fans question 'just how fast the night changes' with the passing of Liam Payne, a member of the now-broken band.
The 31-year-old Payne of the globally popular British boy band died after falling off a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires. While fans were shocked with the sudden demise of the singer, reports of his last few moments before death claimed that Payne was intoxicated with drugs and alcohol and had created a ruckus in his room prompting the hotel reception to call the cops. However, by the time help arrived, Payne had already jumped off.
Coldplay's concerts never meant to cause any 'Trouble'
Coldplay’s Chris Martin.
Credit: Reuters Photo
While Coldplay's India tour will commence only next year, the last few months of 2024 have been all about the band. Even though the British rock band announced a fourth concert date in Ahmedabad recently, the black marketing of its concert tickets has been widely condemned by fans.
Moreover, a PIL was filed in the Bombay High Court seeking guidelines to stop the foul play during selling tickets online. The ED had also said that it detected alleged irregularities after it conducted raids to probe the black marketing of Coldplay tickets.
With shows in Bhutan, India, Ed Sheeran gives fans the 'Perfect' thing to look forward to!
Ed Sheeran
Credit: Reuters File Photo
The Thinking Out Loud singer Ed Sheeran announced this year that he will be performing in Bhutan on January 24 as a part of his Mathematics Tour, making the 33-year-old the first international artist to perform there.
Along with this, the singer will also be bringing his Mathematics Tour back in India next year after his Mumbai show was completely sold out in March this year.
It has been a year of mixed emotions for music lovers, depending on genres and artists they prefer. However, with some concerts to look forward to in 2025, the tune continues!
Linkin Park cross the 'New Divide' with vocalist Emily Armstrong
Linkin Park, the rock/nu metal American band, with hits such as Numb, In The End, told the world they were returning after seven years with a new vocalist -- Emily Armstrong.
The announcement came at a packed Los Angeles venue, with the purported 'Janis Joplin of the rock arena' making her debut, replacing the seemingly irreplaceable Chester Bennington, who tragically died by suicide in 2017.
Armstrong is known for covers like Nirvana's Heart Shaped Box and Rage Against the Machine's Killing in the Name and is the co-founder of the band Dead Sara. The old band -- Mike Shinoda, Brad Delson, Phoenix, and Joe Hahn all remain, and marked their resurgence with From Zero, the band's eighth album.
And just like that, Linkin Park is back.
And the world lost Kris Kristofferson 'somehow, somewhere along the way'
Kris Kristofferson
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Kris Kristofferson, when alive had apparently told Leonard Cohen, who died aged 82 in 2016, that he would use the lines of Cohen's Bird on the Wire on his tombstone.
'Like a bird on the wire, Like a drunk in a midnight choir, I have tried in my way to be free,' is how the start of Cohen's song goes.
Kristofferson, touted to be a pioneering member of the outlaw country movement, often embodied this same desire for freedom, as evidenced in Me and Bobby McGee where he writes 'Freedom's just another word for nothin' left to lose'.
The singer passed away at the age of 88 this year.
In his time, Kristofferson has had several unforgettable songs -- some written by him, and some which he penned and sang. Casey's Last Ride with its fatalist moments, and Sunday Morning Coming Down which Kristofferson penned but was sung by Johnny Cash, becoming the No 1 country hit in the later part of 1970, share a similar strain of wistfulness.
Kristofferson worked with other notable artists -- Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, and Johnny Cash -- the four together forming the Highwaymen, whose song The Highwayman became the No 1 country hit in 1985.
The singer went on to have a successful career in acting as well, having been cast as Billy the Kid in Sam Peckinpah's Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid. He also played David in Martin Scorsese's Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, where he played David -- Alice's love interest.