'Once in a generation artist' Arijit Singh plays stadium gig

Sitting ahead of the US pop megastars Olivia Rodrigo and Doechii in the most-listened-to artists on Spotify around the world each month, and one place behind Harry Styles, is a man that most British listeners have probably never heard of: the Bengali singer Arijit Singh.

- Ben Beaumont-Thomas

Singh is now due to become the first Indian musician to play a UK stadium concert, despite never having had a song in the Top 100, but thanks to a passionate fanbase in the Indian diaspora.

This week Singh announced he will play Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on 5 September, the same 63,000-seater venue that will host Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar and Imagine Dragons this summer. "He's doing this to show the sheer power of him as an artist, but it's also an incredible statement of Indian culture in the west," says the south Asian BBC presenter Nihal Arthanayake.

Capable of hopping from a synth-laden dance banger to traditional Indian classical music, Singh has astounding technical ability and his searching vocal lines have an emotional impact that will stop you in your tracks. Arthanayake beseeches anyone unfamiliar with Singh: "Just see this as beautiful music, the language of which you may not understand, but the sentiment and vocal depth you will feel. His range, his talent and his virtuosity makes him a once-in-a-generation artist, even for India."