Abhishek Bachchan on Ariana Grande: ‘That woman could sing’

Abhishek Bachchan’s daughter Aaradhya may be 14, but she has already taken her father somewhere he never expected: an Ariana Grande concert. The actor walked in knowing zero songs and walked out calling the singer’s voice “unbelievable.”

The concert confession

Speaking with BBC Asian Network, Abhishek was asked about the music he listens to. He rattled off Hindi film legends – Kishore Kumar as a personal favourite, then RD Burman, SD Burman, Kalyanji Anandji, Laxmikant Pyarelal and Bappi Lahiri.

Then he got to life with a teenager.

“I have a 14-year-old at home, so there is a lot of Olivia Rodrigo and Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande,” he said.

The highlight came on their summer break, when Aaradhya led the family – Abhishek and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan – to an Ariana Grande show.

“I didn’t even know one song, but that woman could sing. Oh my god! The quality of the voice… unbelievable,” he told the network.

An eclectic house playlist

What struck Abhishek most was not just the voice, but the fandom around it. “To see the fandom that these young singers have is unbelievable,” he said. “They are all so immensely talented.”

He also pointed out that Aaradhya’s taste is broader than one genre. Alongside Olivia Rodrigo and Taylor Swift, she is getting into 80s rock. Here is what is on rotation at the Bachchan house:

• Olivia Rodrigo and Taylor Swift, courtesy of Aaradhya
• Ariana Grande after that summer concert
• Bon Jovi, Van Halen and Metallica, as the 80s bug bites
• And Abhishek’s own go-to: Kishore Kumar and Hindi film composers

“She has got an eclectic sense of music, so I am safe,” the actor joked.

Why this matters

Fans who grew up on Hindi film music often hear a gap between that world and global pop. Abhishek just closed it from the couch, by admitting that the young stars “actually make great music” rather than dismissing them. For a Bachchan to say that out loud – especially a self-confessed old-school music lover – feels like a small cultural bridge. When Aaradhya plays Bon Jovi one day and Ariana the next, the Bachchan home becomes a small case study in how Indian fans consume world music now.

What is next for Abhishek

Abhishek was last seen in Riteish Deshmukh’s Marathi film Raja Shivaji. He now steps into the antagonist’s shoes in King, directed by Siddharth Anand. The film stars Shah Rukh Khan in the lead alongside his daughter Suhana Khan.

The ensemble includes Deepika Padukone, Rani Mukerji, Anil Kapoor, Jackie Shroff and Arshad Warsi. King is set to open on December 24 – a week after Avengers: Doomsday and Dune 3 – and marks Shah Rukh’s return to the big screen after the blockbuster 2023 run of Pathaan, Jawan and Dunki.

Source: The Times of India