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It does not happen very often that music buffs get to listen to songs by artists as varied in style and talent as Nina Simone, Dua Lipa and Nazia Hasan. It happened on Monday evening when singer Alycia Dias paid tribute to inspirational women musicians at the ongoing festival organised by the National Academy of Performing Arts (Napa).

For the uninitiated, Alycia is a renowned vocalist who has many a song to her credit sung for television plays as part of their original soundtrack. She has also appeared in Coke Studio.

She began the concert with Nina Simone’s iconic number ‘Feeling Good’. Before each presentation, Alycia gave a brief introduction to the artist whose song she was to perform. For example, for Simone, she told the audience that the late American singer was associated with the civil rights movement. Alycia followed it up with one of her well-known TV drama soundtracks, ‘Dil-i-Muztar’. The audience was now impressed with her ability to sing in multiple languages.

Things shifted to a groovy gear when the young vocalist introduced one of the biggest cultural figures of modern times, Beyonce. Her rendition of ‘Crazy in Love’ compelled a couple of youngsters to sashay in front of the stage and dance like no one was watching.

The gig never looked back from that moment as next up were the two famous tracks by the inimitable Nazia Hasan — ‘Boom Boom’ and ‘Disco Deewane’. It further enlivened the crowd and suddenly the Zia Mohyeddin Theatre at Napa gave off the vibe of a happening party.

The good thing about Alycia is that she doesn’t seem to have a favourite genre — at least didn’t have it on Monday. The reason one says is that because while she is in touch with her local roots, she also keeps abreast of the contemporary trends in music. Dua Lipa’s super-hit song ‘Levitating’ is not easy to cover. Alycia did it with the kind of verve that’s required for the composition, to the delight of the youngsters in the theatre hall. But, arguably, her best vocal performance came when she belted out Sia’s ‘Unstoppable’ as she held the higher, longish notes with remarkable ease.

After that, she returned to the desi atmosphere and sang Naseebo Lal’s version of the popular Punjabi tune ‘Kadi Te Hass Bol’. While the language was different, the celebratory mood of the concert remained the same.

It was a fun evening!

Originally published in Dawn, May 1st, 2024