Sonu Nigam delivers scathing lesson on concert etiquette

Singer called out politicians who exited mid-show

Celebrated Bollywood playback singer Sonu Nigam recently performed in a packed concert in Jaipur on December 9 to the delight of his fans – but not, it appears, all of his fans. Midway through the performance, politicians in attendance rose to exit, a move that did not go unnoticed by the artist.

Taking to Instagram to voice his simmering outrage, Sonu shared a video selfie where he politely delivered a calm but razor-sharp message urging politicians to refrain from attending his concerts in future if they were not committed to staying for the entire duration.

"I've just come back from my concert in Jaipur called Rising Rajasthan," he began. "It was a prestigious show and we had lots of delegates present. We had the Chief Minister and the Sports Minister present – but in the middle of the show, I saw that the CM got up to leave, as did all of the delegates."

Highlighting the disrespectful nature of an abrupt exit mid-show, Sonu reflected that he had not witnessed such a disregard for performers in other countries. "I have a question for all politicians – if you do not respect your artists, then who will? In America or elsewhere, I've never seen a president leave midway during a performance."

Sonu spoke openly and implored politicians to dispense with his shows entirely if they intended to leave halfway through. "If you have to get up and leave, please don't come," he said, oozing politeness and firmness simultaneously. "Or leave before the show starts. To leave in the middle of the performance of any artist is very disrespectful, and I'm not the only one who noticed. People started texting me to say that we should not perform for politicians if this is how they are going to treat artists."

Driving home his point, Sonu ended his message with a tongue-in-cheek acknowledgement of a politician's packed calendar. "I know you're busy," he observed. "I know you have a lot to do and have many responsibilities. Don't waste your time in a show. Leave before it starts."

As one of Bollywood's most stellar vocal artists, Sonu recently lent his voice to the climax of Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3, prompting actor Kartik Aryaan to pen a heartfelt note of appreciation on Instagram. "The entire climax that everyone has been raving about was a combination of many forces coming together, out of which big credit goes to Sonu Nigam sir and his heart-wrenching voice," penned Kartik. "I may have performed in front of the camera but it was his voice that created the heart-touching magic."