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Delhi AQI forces singer Kavita Seth to cancel Mumbai gig: I was choking on stage
Singer Kavita Seth struggled to perform in Delhi amid deteriorating air quality, ultimately cancelling her IIT Bombay concert due to voice loss
Singer Kavita Seth has spoken about a harrowing live performance in Delhi, where the severely deteriorating air quality left her struggling to breathe on stage and ultimately forced her to cancel a subsequent concert in Mumbai.
The singer, known for voicing hits like Iktara (Wake Up Sid, 2009) and Rangisari (Jugjugg Jeeyo, 2022), was in the Capital for a show at Eldeco Centre. “From the moment I landed in Delhi, I could feel my voice wasn’t what it should be. But once I went on stage, I was literally choking and felt suffocated. I couldn’t even speak properly, forget singing for a live audience,” the 55-year-old tells us.
Despite the worsening condition, Kavita pushed through. “I knew I wasn’t giving my cent per cent. In fact, 20–25% bhi awaaz nahin thi. She continues, revealing the extent of her struggle: I managed to get through it with great difficulty, girte padhte gaya, mushkil se 60 minute poore kar payi, no idea how I stood there on stage."” she recalls.
The impact was immediate and severe. While still in Delhi, she consulted a doctor and was put on steroids, hoping to recover in time for her next show: “But it didn’t help. I was advised complete voice rest for seven days, along with antibiotics.”
This forced her to cancel her performance at IIT Bombay’s festival, a first in her career. “I am completely voiceless now. Calling off the show was heartbreaking. If it were a fever, I could blame myself. But this was not in my control,” she laments.
Calling it a critical moment for performers, Kavita reflects, “For singers, this is the ultimate test. We live by our voices. And it is heartbreaking that once we were told to ‘go get some fresh air’, but now we’re advised to stay indoors.”
