In a year rife with numerous historic events, India’s first digital-only musical reality show – Smule iDiva ‘1, 2, 3… Riyaaz’ snuck in on music fans across the nation and took things by storm. Now 11 weeks later, with 13,000 contestants in tow – this behemoth reality show is on its last leg, looking for the final trio of musical talents to star in a bona fide original music video with 33 other winners. In the final challenge, the nation will see Punjabi Pop heartthrob Jassie Gill, ‘Tareefan’ sensation Lisa Mishra and the face of iDiva, Kusha Kapila rallying their musically-charged tribes to sing the soulful ‘Ve Maahi’ from Akshay Kumar & Parineeti Chopra-starrer Kesari on the Smule app.
Since, it’s inception, Smule iDiva ‘1, 2, 3… Riyaaz’ has become a cultural phenomenon with a number of winning factors to its credit. The simplicity of the digital-only format; the unrestricted number of submissions; soulful songs brought on by Zee Music Company – the official music partner – and the pride of belonging to a tribe are all factors that take the cake. Here, people of all ages are finding their star-power from the comfort of their homes. All of this is propelled by the idea that ‘1, 2, 3 Riyaaz’ is not just a call to action, but a way of life in itself. If you have a song in your heart, you don’t back down. You draw your breath, count to three and belt your heart out.
Inspired by this belief, over 15 million people tuned in, with entries that were every bit as heartwarming as they were entertaining to behold. Armed with just a phone, internet-access and their crooning skills, the show became a conduit for the young and ‘always-on’ digital nation to create a sense of kinship and community during the lockdown. With every new challenge, participants inadvertently learnt to make music with friends and consequently make friends with music. Plus, the three mentors reacting to the entries of their tribes-folk on weekly episodes set social platforms abuzz with chatter. With the last date for submissions pegged at June 14, time is running out for anyone with music in their hearts to shine at India’s greatest digital stage for music.
