More often than playback singing in films, Shibani Kashyap can be seen performing live all over the country. So, naturally the period of lull for concerts due to the Coronavirus pandemic was hard on the singer-composer.

Calling it an “absolutely difficult” time, the Sajna Aa Bhi Ja (Waisa Bhi Hota Hai 2; 2003) singer explains, “What happens is [when] we get a show, we, in turn, hire sound engineers, a hair and makeup team, stylist. So, if it’s difficult for one person and they don’t get work, the whole chain gets affected. It has been a very tough time for artistes.”

She performed in Delhi recently for an event and adds, “The entire month of January 2022, and before that April 2021 to September 2021, were months of complete silence. There were absolutely no shows.”

And while many resorted to virtual gigs, she wasn’t a fan of those. “I had just been singing in front of a camera, doing virtual gigs for so long. It becomes a little stressful at times, and boring too,” she confesses.

So the return of big music festivals in the country is a happy occasion for artistes like Kashyap. “A very big music festival is happening in Soma Valley. It’s two-day long, and I will close the festival. Things are opening up slowly. In fact, 10 days ago I performed in Arunachal Pradesh to celebrate their 50 golden years of statehood. 10,000 people attended it, it was spread across 10 days, and I performed on the opening day. After two years, I saw so many people there, it was like a dream,” she gushes.