Indian fusion vocalist Papon — AKA Angarag Mahanta — is the award-winning talent behind Papon and The East India Company.
On Friday July 8 he will perform at Dubai World Trade Centre as part of MTV Undivided — the border-busting Eid weekend festival which will see Papon share the stage with Pakistani stars Shafqat Amanat Ali and Komal Rizvi.
Ahead of the date, we took five with the 40-year-old talent.
What can we expect from your upcoming gig in Dubai? Are you excited?
I’m very excited and honoured to be part of MTV Undivided in Dubai. I get a lot of love from my fans in the UAE and I hope that I can put up a great show for them.
A big theme of the MTV Undivided concept is bringing together musicians and audiences from both India and Pakistan. How can music help bridge barriers and prejudices?
Music has incredible healing power and can break through whatever barriers that man puts up. MTV Undivided is a great concept that is trying to bring people together in today’s troubled times. Whatever our politics may be or geography may be, India and Pakistan share a history, cultural traditions, musical heritage and even language. How else can you explain the love and popularity of Pakistani singers in India and vice versa?
Having said that, have you met any of the other performers at the festival? Are you a fan of anyone in particular?
I have performed with Kailash Kher [who performs on Saturday July 9] before and I’m a great admirer of his voice. Shafqat Amanat Ali also is extremely popular in India and a great singer. I’m really looking forward to being in the UAE with all these phenomenal artists, and hopefully will get to enjoy some great food too!
What are you working on next? What does the rest of 2016, and into 2017, hold for you?
I’ve a lot of fingers in lots of pies! I’m working on a new album that I hope to release soon, and then there are some exciting Bollywood projects that I hope to talk about soon.
MTV Undivided takes place at Dubai World Trade Centre on July 8 and 9 from 7pm. Tickets from Dh100 via platinumlist.ae.
