East meets West with Jeffrey Iqbal

All it took was a once-in-a-lifetime performance to kick-start a career.

From thousands of applicants, it was Jeffrey Iqbal who was chosen in 2007 by the legendary maestro, A R Rahman (Slumdog Millionaire) to perform on the prestigious Indian televised talent search competition, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa.

It was then Jeffrey realised that being on stage was something he was born to do.

Known for his energetic upbeat style, his rocking signature dance moves and his fusion of contemporary Western and Indian music, the first American-born and raised Bollywood singer, Jeffrey will be entertaining audiences in South Africa for the first time ever on October 20 at the Lyric Theatre at Gold Reef City.

“We are very excited to be hosting Jeffrey Iqbal for his debut in South Africa.

“Jeffrey has prepared an amazing selection of songs and we have no doubt that he is going to give a spectacular performance,” said Osman Osman, managing director of Blu Blood.

Jeffrey’s voice is able to authentically bring together music from the East and the West, ranging from classic to new Bollywood and new-age English pop chartbusters.

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He began his exploration of music at an early age.

Hailing from an Indian heritage (his mom grew up in Pakistan and his dad in India), Jeffrey’s parents realised early on that he had an innate talent for music, in fact, his mother brought him his first keyboard at the age of seven.

His parents were Ghazal and Qawwali fans and often took him to watch legends like Medhi Hassan, Zakir Hussain and Nusarat Fateh Ali Khan Sahib perform.

Jeffrey was inspired by the likes of Shankar Mahadevan and Vishal Shekar who have dedicated their lives to their craft.

He too wanted to touch the world and people’s lives and spread happiness and love through music.

In 2012, Jeffrey was invited to perform during Shreya Ghoshal’s world tour, captivating audiences with his singing talent.

He was also the first American-born Indian to sing in a Bollywood movie with Rubaru beig featured in Dehraadun Diary.

Jeffrey Iqbal Live is proudly brought to South Africa by Blu Blood.

The show starts at 6pm.