Hyderabad didn’t ease into the evening — it erupted. The first thump on the tabla and dhol hit like a heartbeat, announcing not just a show but a shift in the city’s rhythm. And at the centre of it stood international fusion artist Nihal Singh, kicking off his first-ever India tour exactly the way he imagined: loud, alive, and unmistakably his.
“When we began planning the tour three months ago, we were thinking of the main cities that would create an impact and enjoy the kind of music I’m playing,” began Nihal ecstatically, in an exclusive conversation with CE. Hyderabad instantly came to mind. He had never visited before, which made the city even more appealing. He explains, “It just so happened to be the first stop due to scheduling. But I’m so glad it was first because it set the bar high for the rest of the tour.”
Hyderabad welcomed him with surprising intensity. “The energy was really high; a lot crazier than I expected,” he recalls. It was his first ticketed public show in India, and the uncertainty made him nervous. “I didn’t know how the crowd would react to what I was doing, but from the minute I jumped on stage, the audience were very receptive. The energy was amazing.”
Despite performing around the world, nothing prepared him for the feeling of playing in India. He shares, “Bringing it to the motherland is special. This is where our roots are and where the instruments were invented. India has millions of musicians. I never thought I would get a chance to come here. But here we are, and we’re doing it.”
Nihal’s distinctive fusion; where hip-hop, house, EDM, and global influences meet dhol and tabla — had humble beginnings. “In high school and college, I started exploring tabla with hip-hop beats and house beats,” he says. He remembers falling in love with a few Drake tracks and experimenting with tabla rhythms over them in his bedroom. He further adds, “I made videos, posted them online, and slowly they started picking up. That’s how it turned into a career.”
His live sets are carefully planned to deliver emotional and sonic arcs. “You want to give people an experience, something they’ll go home remembering as one of the best nights of their life,” he says. That means building highs, slowing things down, adding groove, and weaving in emotion. “I try to bring it high, low, and right in the middle; capturing the instruments while staying connected to our traditional roots.”
What makes his journey particularly compelling is how he positions the dhol and tabla. He shares, “I never learned how to play either instrument formally. I taught myself by listening to others and jamming at home.”
This lack of classical training, he believes, allowed him to play across genres freely. He expresses, “I wasn’t limited by one genre. I just kept exploring and created that fusion niche.” For him, the mission now is to change how the world sees these instruments. “When we think of dhol and tabla, they’re usually in a band or a wedding. It’s never the headlining. But now that’s what we’re trying to do.”
Before the show, he recalls calling relatives living in Hyderabad. “I asked them what people like there: what they dance to. (laughs) They told me, ‘Just do you’. And that’s exactly what I did.”
Hyderabad’s blend of tradition and modernity mirrors his approach to music. “That was always the goal; to combine these sounds with so many different cultures. These instruments deserve a global presence,” he shares, adding that he refuses to confine his instruments to one genre.
With big stages and global attention, challenges come along. He says, “The biggest challenge is staying true to our roots. Authenticity happens when we stay grounded and use what we’ve learned culturally.”
While he built a substantial online following, live shows are where he feels the true connection. “In person, I have a lot more fun. You can connect with people, invite them on stage, talk to them and take photos,” he says.
At first, online numbers felt abstract. “They were just numbers — a million views, three million views,” he recalls. It wasn’t until he started touring again after the pandemic that he understood their meaning. “People everywhere said they recognised me from a video. That’s when I realised — these are real people, not just numbers on my phone.”
After Nihal Singh’s India tour, he has shows planned in New York, London, Toronto and Dubai.