THE BEST CROWD SO FAR CELINEDEE MATAHARI (AR RAHMAN DUBAI DISCOVERY) ON HER SHOW AT JAIPUR FIRST-EVER COMIC CON
Still buzzing with excitement, Celinedee Matahari, the Dubai-born 17-year-old French-Indonesian singer-songwriter who went viral after A.R. Rahman recorded her singing Vande Mataram outside his car in Dubai, delivered a multilingual set of English, Korean, and Japanese hits on January 5 at the first-ever Jaipur Comic Con. The event took place at the Jaipur Exhibition & Convention Centre (JECC) and was hosted in collaboration with the Government of Rajasthan’s flagship initiative, DigiFest.
The performance marked Celinedee’s first visit to the Pink City and the third leg of her four-city Comic Con tour, organised by Nodwin Gaming. The final leg will take her to Chennai, where she is eager to explore the birthplace of her mentor A.R. Rahman, and to Mumbai, where she will attend India International Music Week.
Named after Céline Dion by her mother during a press conference in Dubai just weeks before she was born, Celinedee later experienced a fitting full-circle moment when the global icon herself reposted one of Celinedee’s French covers on Instagram.
Celinedee’s fascination with India began early, shaped by watching Bollywood classics with her mother and growing up in Dubai’s multicultural environment. Encouraged by Indian neighbours who invited her to learn traditional songs for family gatherings, she embarked on a linguistic and musical journey that has seen her sing in 20 languages to date. One of these, Nepali, led her to go viral in Nepal and earned her an invitation to open for Palak Muchhal in September—an opportunity unfortunately called off due to political unrest. Such recognition remains a rare achievement for a foreign artist performing in a local language.
However, it was A.R. Rahman’s discovery of her talent—followed by a duet with him at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi—that truly crystallised her dream of performing in India and connecting with her rapidly growing fan base.
“My first impression of Jaipur was shaped by the people,” Celinedee shared. “They are incredibly warm, with outstanding hospitality—alongside stunning architecture. I also discovered brand-new flavours in the local food I never knew existed.”
“I really enjoyed the crowd’s energy during my performance. They were super dynamic and so appreciative of my original song ‘On and On’, which was truly heart-warming.”
The loudest cheers of the evening erupted after her renditions of Blue bird by Ikimonogakari from the anime Naruto and the Rosé–Bruno Mars hit ‘APT’, the latter even prompting an encore.
“I feel so fortunate to be able to sing in so many languages—it allows me to travel, connect with, and discover so many cultures,” she said. “The saying that music is a universal language is not cliché to me; I live it with passion every day.”
That sentiment was perfectly captured by a Comic Con attendee who humorously posted on Instagram during one of her Japanese songs: “Understanding 0%, vibe 100%.”
This unique skill set has taken Celinedee to extraordinary stages. She performed in her semi-native Indonesian language in front of former President Joko Widodo during his official visit to Expo 2020 Dubai, in a video later reposted by the Presidency and widely shared across Indonesia. That appearance led to a subsequent invitation to sing for current President Prabowo Subianto, in the presence of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, at Qasr Al Watan Palace in Abu Dhabi last year, accompanied by the Emirates Orchestra.
“To meet three Presidents has been one of the greatest highlights and privileges of my life,” she reflected—made even more meaningful as it marked her parents’ first-ever visit to the Palace after more than 30 years of residence in the region.
Celinedee has also performed for a Saudi royal family member at the Climate Control Awards in Riyadh last October, an event set to be hosted in India again this March.
Armed with such a rare and powerful skill set, is it fair to say that the world may one day be Celinedee’s oyster? We certainly hope so.
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