National, international artistes to rock Neverland Concert

By Mannu Shahi

On the occasion of Gyalpo Lhosar, I.Live Events is organising one of the liveliest music festivals ever titled “Neverland”, a mega-concert featuring international and national stars to enthral the audiences with a grand musical celebration. 

Happening at the Dashrath Rangasala next Tuesday, February 21, the organisers believe such an enormous event will be beneficial for the development of music tourism in our country. The tickets for the show can only be purchased via Khalti, a digital wallet, that starts from Rs. 565 for parapet view to Rs. 28,250 for advance access to pre-events, meet and greet sessions, and after-party entrance. Artistes scheduled to perform at the event include King, Divine, Aastha Gill, and Mahesh Dong among others.   

King, aka Arpan Kumar Chandel, is an Indian singer/songwriter and rapper who rose to prominence after he partook in the hip-hop reality show MTV Hustle in 2019 and ended up among the top five finalists for that season. Originally from Uttar Pradesh, the rapper is currently based in New Delhi, his massive social media presence is exigent like his Official YouTube handle lauded with 5.25 million subscribers and 410 million streams on his most cherished single “Tu Aake Dekhle”.

King debuted in Bollywood with the 2022 song “Sahi Galat” for the feature film ‘Drishyam 2’. The music for the track was composed and arranged by Rockstar DSP (Devi Sri Prasad), while the lyrics were penned by Amitabh Bhattacharya. 

Vivian Wilson Fernandes a.k.a. Divine is an Indian rapper from Mumbai, Maharashtra who gained popularity after the release of his third single “Mere Gully Mein” feat. Naezy in 2015. In 2020 the emcee was the first Indian rapper to be featured on Spotify Times Square’s billboard in New York City after the release of his album ‘Punya Paap’, the same year, as it landed the top spot-on Apple Music India. Divine has an intriguing 6.3 million subscribers on his Official YouTube channel and his most-played single “Mirchi” flaunts a staggering 286 million views. 

The emcee debuted in Bollywood with the track “Paintra” in the Anurag Kashyap-directed movie ‘Mukkabaaz’; featuring music by Nucleya and lyrics by Vineet Kumar Singh. His most notable contribution yet is considered his take on the 2019 Zoya Akhtar-directed movie Gully Boy which was inspired by the real-life stories of both Divine and Naezy. The rapper was a co-composer for the movie’s soundtrack collaborating with singer and musician Dub Sharma.

Similarly, yet another attraction for the event is Indian playback singer Aastha Gill who initiated her Bollywood career in 2014 with the track “Dhup Chik” featuring Badshah and Raftaar from the film ‘Fugly’. Her unforgettable massive hit followed the same year with one more Badshah collab on the dance anthem “Abhi Toh Party Shuru Hui Hai”' from the movie ‘Khoobsoorat’. 

Srushti Tawade is an Indian singer, rapper, writer, and satirist who made an outstanding impression with her participation in MTV Hustle 2.0 (2022). The creative poet, potent writer, and intense Shayari fan in her fuels the emcee’s eccentric song construction strategies and helps her stand out as a visionary creator in any setting. 

Her latest single “Office” is a hands-down example of her artistry as a creative who can connect the dots in even the most mundane life plots. Her debut Bollywood work was in Taapsee Pannu’s ‘Blurr’ (2022), in which music was laid by Aditya Pushkarna and the lyrics and vocals were contributed by the songstress. 

DJ Shadow, whose real name is Satheerth Kunneth, is an Indian disc jockey, record producer, and sound engineer currently based in Dubai. The musician is associated with pop, EDM, and Bollywood music. Over the course of his nearly two-decades-long splendid career, the DJ has worked with grandiose artists such as the British singer Jay Sean, Jamaican rapper Sean Paul, American rapper Pit 

Bull and more. 

Siddharth Sethi a.k.a. DJ BeatCrush is another Indian disc jockey and music producer who has been active in the Indian electronic music scene for the past fifteen years. The musician has shared the stage with other big names such as Divine, Nucleya, Ritviz, Lucky Ali, and more.       

Mahesh Dong is a prominent Nepali rapper rumoured to be one of the highest-paid emcees in the country. He debuted in 2017 with his song “Rap Sunn Tero Bauko” however his journey started a while ago as an emcee in the underground rap scene. His most critically acclaimed track “Raavana” has 16 million plays on his official YouTube handle, while his most viewed romance-infused song released on valentines last year “Sakdina” has 19 million streams; music for both the songs is produced by SNJV.