For fans of Kenny Sebastian in Hyderabad, May 3 is already circled on the calendar. With Tempo Tantrums coming to Shilpakala Vedika, the comedian, known for Comicstaan and his widely watched specials, is bringing back a format that blends original music with comedy. In conversation with CE, the comedian talks about his show Tempo Tantrums, performing in Hyderabad and more.
Excerpts
How do you feel performing Tempo Tantrums in Hyderabad?
Hyderabad has been a very important city for comedy because 10 years ago, we started shows at Heart Cup Coffee in Banjara Hills, where about 100 tickets sold out in five minutes. Then we added a second show, which again got sold out in five minutes, and we realised its potential. Now, we are performing at Shilpakala Vedika, a 2,000-seater that is always sold out, and along with Bengaluru and Chennai, it has the most enthusiastic, expressive audience.
Favourite food from Hyderabad?
I do not want to sound cliché, but obviously, biryani excites the whole crew when coming to Hyderabad, because we do the same show everywhere, and we look forward to food, avoid popular places, prefer niche recommendations, and prioritise taste over dining experience.
Tell us more about the show.
When I started my comedy career, I used to do equal parts of music and comedy. The first half was traditional stand-up jokes, and the second was musical comedy with funny songs I composed. In India, people often think musical comedy is parody, but from day one, I was clear. It had to be original compositions. The audience loved it, but I stepped away after being told my success was driven solely by music. Later, I realised I should listen to the audience. With Tempo Tantrums, I return to mostly musical comedy, exploring topics differently through original funny songs composed by me.
How did you come up with the name Tempo Tantrums?
Tempo is a term from music; the base of a song is tempo. Tantrums came from subjects’ pet peeves and complaints about life, and being a dad, the word tantrums is overly used and has a good rhyme to it. So, Tempo Tantrums is easy to remember. It’s catchy and insinuates music and insinuates like mischief.
What makes this show different?
It is a completely non-traditional stand-up show. From a technical standpoint, it has an insane amount of light cues, along with projections and visualisations. It becomes a complete experience. It is different from my old specials, as it is a full audio-visual experience where the audience is involved through singing and interaction.
Any pre-show ritual you follow before going on stage?
It’s an old school ritual called preparation. (laughs) I think just doing a nice long soundcheck and running through the whole set, and if it’s an evening show having a chai, because being prepared really calms me down. So even though we’ve done this many times, it puts your brain into work mode, and I still feel like I’m doing a very important job.
What key moments shaped your journey from YouTube to live tours?
Undoubtedly, going viral on YouTube made a huge difference. 15 years of stand-up included five years of obscurity where nobody knew me. In Bengaluru, people knew me since I built that reputation slowly through college competitions, festival circuits, and small clubs with 50 people. This took five years of grinding. However, when YouTube happened, I became recognisable across the country and abroad, as Indian content began rising. This was a turning point, followed by Amazon specials which brought new audiences, then Comicstaan as a judge, and now my podcast, Simple Ken shows another side which is not comedy.
How do you deal with creative blocks?
I started having creative blocks before I had a baby. Now that we have a baby, there is no time. When your brain knows you have no time, there is no creative block. Time is more important, so if I do not write in the next 15 minutes, I will not write anything. Something is better than nothing. Any effort matters, so I wrote one song, and now the show has seven songs.
How do you balance online content with live performances?
There’s another comic, Sam Miller, who said it’s not a good thing to go viral too early, and it is better to build your voice as a stand-up comedian in the darkness, where nobody knows you, and you are making mistakes. For five years, I was doing stand-up, before that I was a musician, and my main goal was to be a director. Working in anonymity helped me develop ideas and skills. When I became known to the audience, I was ready, with clarity, support, and the ability to execute across stand-up, music, and videos.
How do you deal with social media negativity?
I just block them because I think negativity gets more negativity. I treat my social media like a public garden; it is open but still mine. If you are rude, you are out. There is a difference between criticism and rudeness. Internet negativity hurts creators. I believe therapy helps, and protecting mental health while reminding yourself why you create is important.
What is one major change you’ve noticed in the comedy scene since you started 15 years ago?
From an audience side, the audience has become way more open to different things because they have been more exposed, and sometimes in shows the audience gets a joke that 10 years ago they would not even understand, including layered jokes, sarcastic jokes, and character work, which has been a nice thing to see. From the artist side, Indian comics, despite a scene maybe 18 to 20 years old, do far more experimentation and formats than Western comics.
Future projects and collaborations.
I am in my collab zone now, because for the first 10 years, I did not do many collabs as I was trying to make sure my identity and voice are very strong, and my audience knows what I do individually. Now, when I collaborate, I enjoy showing what happens when I enter a pre-existing world, like podcasts. It comes from curiosity and creative boredom, so I am excited to work with new creators, and many collabs are coming soon.
