Shreya Ghoshal review – masterful Indian singer has a voice like billowing silk

Wembley Arena, London
The Bollywood legend says she wants to manifest a homely feeling, and – despite a 12,000-strong crowd – she does so with quips, warmth and a richly varied setlist

Tipsy uncles swaying their arms, adverts for a local cash and carry, a child dozing on her mum’s lap: sold-out arena shows rarely feel intimate, but in Wembley, a masterful Shreya Ghoshal induces communal revelry.

Ghoshal is one of India’s most successful contemporary playback singers (the vocalists dubbed over actors in film musicals). Emerging in 2000, then the 16-year-old winner of a TV talent show, her transfixing voice – capable of being sweet and delicate as well as altogether more formidable – has become a dominant presence across the country’s film industry, and she now has 29 million Instagram followers.