From winning the first Indian Idol Junior in 2013 to lighting up Times Square in the US, Anjana Padmanabhan has come a long way. Days before her October 18 performance at the concert titled Diwali at Times Square, as mid-day caught up with the singer over a phone call, her excitement was palpable. “Times Square is a dream stage for every artiste,” she began. “Knowing that I will be representing my culture and telling my story feels surreal. The most special moment for me will be when I am on that stage, seeing people from so many different cultures coming together. That will be such an indescribable emotion.”

For the performance, the singer prepared a robust playlist — songs that “have inspired” her over the years. An ardent fan of AR Rahman, she incorporated many of the maestro’s songs. “There are some wonderful tracks of Rahman sir — Humma Humma, Dil Se Re, and Chaiyya Chaiyya. [I have included Pritam’s] Kesariya too. I will come up with new arrangements and new soundscapes that people wouldn’t have imagined those songs to be in,” she shared.