A Night of New Rules and Fireworks

by Ahalya Narayanan - 15.11.2019 First Published 15,November 2019, 7:55 PM

This past Saturday, 16th November, Katy Perry and Dua Lipa took Mumbai by storm as they performed for the first time in the city at the OnePlus Music Festival. It was Dua Lipa’s first time performing in India, and Katy’s second.

Perry last performed in Chennai seven years ago, in 2012, for the Indian Premier League. The pop star pulled out all the stops this year – from groups of dressed up, choreographed dancers to a big budget set design, the crowd was in for a wild ride right from the beginning. The star performed hits like California Gurls, I Kissed a Girl, Bon Appetit, Roar, and Firework.

In her time here, the pop-Star was also hosted at the residence of Bollywood icon – filmmaker Karan Johar on Thursday evening, where other celebrities from the industry like Jacqueline Fernandez, Aishwarya Rai Bachhan, Anushka Sharma, Alia Bhatt and Gauri Khan were present.

The concert opened with the first headliner, Dua Lipa. The young starlet was surprised by the number of people who showed up to be a part of the magnificent festival. The singer, clad in a two piece ensemble matched with a high ponytail, and supported by her band, kept things relatively simple and made it all about the music. Her set list included fan favourites such a New Rules and One Kiss, and some personal favourites like Be The One and her brand new single – Don’t Start Now. Her high energy dancing and clean, stable vocals got the crowd hyped and brought out the best of the stadium that evening.

Prior to her performance, Lipa was stuck in the appalling Mumbai traffic on her way to the residence of the ‘King of Bollywood’, Shah Rukh Khan. Making light of the situation, the performer posted a quirky picture of herself in the midst of the traffic jam to her Instagram story, with the caption ‘Nothing like a Mumbai traffic jam’.

All in all, it was a night that will never be forgotten, not just by Mumbaikars, but all those who witnessed the mega spectacle on Saturday night. Hopefully, they’ll be back soon to douse us in the glory of pop.