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Usha Uthup Ditched Stilettos For Kanjeevaram Sneakers & Honestly, Thats The Kind Of Energy We Need

For over five decades, Usha Uthup has ruled our hearts with her soulful voice, larger-than-life stage presence, and iconic sarees. And for 30 of those years, she did it all in stilettos. Yes, you read that right, stilettos! But as glamorous as those heels looked, they weren’t exactly easy on her knees. So, what does a queen do when stilettos start stealing her comfort? She reinvents. In true Usha Uthup style, she ditched the heels and introduced the world to Kanjeevaram sneakers. In a recent video by Red FM, Usha Uthup spilled the tea on her fashion evolution. It all started with a casual conversation with her daughter, who suggested combining two of her favorites, sneakers and Kanjeevaram sarees. And voilà, the stunning Kanjeevaram sneakers were born! A post shared by Instagram (@instagram) Made from her own sarees, the now-viral sneakers come in three custom designs, and each pair screams comfort and personality. “I come from a very middle-class family, and for us, fashion is consistency, constancy, and above all, comfort,” Uthup shared. What makes these sneakers even more special? They were crafted by two cobblers who turned Uthup’s vision into reality. “I just give them my Kanjeevaram saree and my sneakers, and they create magic,” she said. But Usha didn’t stop there. She introduced the initiative to none other than the President of India, highlighting the importance of supporting cobblers and small artisans across the country. A post shared by Instagram (@instagram) Usha Uthup’s Kanjeevaram sneakers are a perfect blend of tradition and modernity, proving that style doesn’t have to come at the cost of comfort. Whether she’s redefining fashion or championing local talent, Usha continues to inspire us with her unapologetic energy and flair. So, the next time someone tells you sneakers don’t go with sarees, just show them Usha Uthup rocking her Kanjeevaram kicks. Because honestly, who says you can’t have it all?

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This Is Why Taylor Swift Hasnt Toured India Till Now.

Pack your dolls and a sweater; we’ll move to India forever is one of the lines in Taylor Swift’s song Seven which gives us a bleak hope that Taylor remembers India. However, Indian Swifties haven’t been very lucky till now to experience their favorite global pop star and the most-streamed artist on the planet tour in India. Despite organizing 149+ shows in more than 50 cities, the Eras Tour left Indian Swifties disappointed as it didn’t include India as a venue in the international shows. Recently, Shanghai officials have revealed that they are in talks with Swift’s team about a possible performance in the city of Shanghai, as China was skipped by the singer during her Eras Tour. The Eras Tour was famous for its economic impact in cities across the United States, Europe, and Asia and was the first to earn over $1 billion in revenue, according to Reuters. This brings us to one question – despite being so popular in India, why hasn’t Taylor Swift toured in India? There are multiple reasons for this, but one of the major is the vinyls and records. Artists like Taylor Swift release their albums as vinyl and records, which is a popular streaming source in the West. Album sales are one of the major sources of revenue for artists and they measure their popularity by the sales number. Swift is known for dropping limited-edition albums, often breaking records “in the middle of the night”. This gives her team insights into where her strongest fan base lies. However, in India, the streaming sources are dominated by platforms like Spotify and YouTube, reducing album sales, rather than investing in physical copies of albums. Also, they are expensive for the majority of the audiences Without these sales, it might be difficult to predict the turnout and ticket demand for her concerts as it might seem that Indian audiences are not willing to spend money on the artist. But one can argue that Spotify streams can be a good metric to gauge her popularity in India because let’s be honest, not just Swifties, a lot of people listen to her. It is also important to know that despite being popular, Taylor Swift is not among the Top 10 most streamed artists in India on Spotify. So eventually her team had a statistically stronger reason for organizing a concert and bearing the logistical costs. Well, when Taylor Swift announced that she was going on a global tour in 2023, Indian swifties were hopeful of one, rare, enchanted glimpse of their favorite artists. However, the Asian leg of Taylor’s tour saw her only perform in Singapore and Japan. Industry insiders speculate that Singapore may have had an exclusive agreement with the pop star, allowing it to be the only city in the South Asian region. With some added incentive, Swift pursued to make Singapore her only stop during the tour, therefore leaving the rest of the potential cities out of the radar. Srettha Thavisin, the prime minister of Thailand, recently disclosed that he was informed by the concert producer Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) that Taylor Swift would not be able to play anywhere in Southeast Asia while on tour. Mr. Thavisin claims that AEG told him that the Singaporean government had negotiated an exclusive contract with Taylor Swift, providing the exclusive right to host the tour in Southeast Asia in exchange for a hefty $2 million to $3 million per event. This spurred bad blood among the neighbors alleging that it was a bad practice to snatch the economic benefits of Swift’s tour. With this agreement, it wouldn’t be unfair to assume that India lost the one chance to host the pop star, feeling like they’re living in the “Blank Space”. However, there is no denying that Taylor’s tour is a Mastermind plan of action. Her logistics are super-fast and it is reported that she has two stages – while she performs in one location, her crew is busy setting up another stage at another location for convenience. Organizing a concert of that scale isn’t a simple feat. The production, multi-stage setups, elaborate visuals, rigorous schedule, and crowd controlling require a venue that can match her requirements in terms of size, technology, and safety standards. While India does have large venues like DY Patil Stadium or Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, the logistical challenges were very visible during recent performances of Diljit Dosanjh, Bryan Adams, Karan Aujla, and other artists. This shows that India is still “delicate” with a growing concert scene as compared to established hubs like Singapore, Tokyo, or other Western countries. Oh and how can you forget the price sensitivity of our audiences and the ticket prices? According to the Economic Times, Swift was the most sought-after performer in 2023, with an average ticket price of $1,088 or a whooping Rs. 87,186. The initial face value of tickets is priced from $49 to $499 or Rs. 4,238 to Rs. 43,160, which are also considered expensive. Given the fiasco after Diljit’s or Coldplay’s ticket sales, the number can be expected to go much higher. This The internet has mixed reactions to whether Swift will perform in India. While some have expressed how popular she is in India, some have shown a bit of reluctance on the capacity of India to hold her concert. Some of them also shared their experiences of visiting other shows in the Eras Tour. Take a look: Despite these challenges, it looks like we have a silver lining. Despite these challenges, the Indian music scene is evolving rapidly, with global artists like Ed Sheeran, Coldplay, and Maroon 5 already making their mark in the country. The demand for Taylor Swift’s music is undeniable, with millions of Indian fans streaming her songs and trending hashtags to bring her to India. As the concert industry in India matures, infrastructure improves, and fan engagement diversifies, the chances of seeing Taylor Swift perform in India grow stronger. For now, Indian fans can only hope that Taylor’s long-overdue India debut happens soon, as her fan base here is “Ready For It”!