“I want to break barriers. I want to try new things.” Jubin Nautyal told an interviewer this summer. The 2022 IIFA Awards Playback Singer of the Year, has certainly done this with his music recently, moving gracefully through genres ranging from romantic Bollywood ballads, to the foot tapping “Humma Song,” to his hit rap tune “Meethi Meethi.”
Supporting the Dehradun, India born superstar’s wide range of musical offerings at his Rock On Music produced show, which took place at OVO Arena Wembley, was a diverse “Roosevelt Dsouza” designed light show that featured CHAUVET Professional fixtures supplied by Pro Systems Services.
Moving seamlessly from shadowy silhouettes, to brilliantly colored vistas accompanied by bursts of fog and confetti, Dsouza’s lighting reflected the many moods conveyed by his client’s performance. Like the music itself, the lighting design maintained a stylish elegance as it unfolded its plethora of evocative looks.
Just as Nautyal’s music has transcended boundaries, his stage design for this performance was also “barrier breaking,” being adjusted to bring him closer to his fans. “The initial plan was to have a diamond stage,” said Dsouza. “Then after the 2021 show was postponed due to concerns about the Omicron variant in the UK, the design was changed to include a ramp below the stage so Jubin could be closer the audience.”
Ultimately, the show’s design featured a triangular main stage with its apex touching a long catwalk that runs parallel to the front row of seats. Dsouza tied this horizontal structure to the main stage by highlighting it with light from his rig’s 12 Color STRIKE M motorized strobe washes.
“I used the Color STRIKE Ms to create a strong wash for Jubin when he was on the ramp,” said Dsouza. “Shooting their color wash on the ramp gave it a magical glow that made it stand out. Using the fixtures’ strobe and macro effects, I was able to create a lot of varied looks to transform the stage in different ways, depending on the type of song being performed. I really like this fixture’s colors and strobing; it was key to helping us ramp up the visual energy for certain songs.”
Adding more variety to the show were the rig’s 24 Rogue R2 Wash fixtures. Flown on upstage and downstage truss, the RGBW moving washes were used to accent the performers on stage. Calling on the fixture’s tight zoom, Dsouza was able to focus the high output washes on the singer at key moments.
“Jubin spent probably 60-percent of the time at the center of the stage or on the ramp,” said Dsouza. “When he did, I would sometimes focus all overhead light on him, creating a central focal point. For some of the acoustic numbers, I would do the opposite, and use the Rogues to wash the audience, so we could accent the connection between Jubin and his fans.”
Reflecting this connection between this star and his audience was exactly what the design Dsouza and Vijay Bhola from Rock On Music had in mind when they revised their plans for the stage following the COVID-related postponement. It was something that the artists and his fans both wanted following the pandemic, and the design team delivered.