Watch: Rangabati cover song by African singer Samuel Singh

African singer Samuel Singh released a cover version of ‘Rangabati’ song, which is a popular folk song in the Sambalpuri dialect of Odia language. This cover is inspired by Sona Mohapatra’s coke studio version.

Internet’s latest sensation, Samuel Adepoju aka Samuel Singh modestly claims that legendary songs can never be personalised or recreated by anyone, instead he believes that he merely sang the song he loved in a different way.

ALSO WATCH: All versions of Rangabati song

His alias is a play on the word ‘sing’ as well as a deliberate choice to connect to his Indian friends. Samuel calls himself a Nigerian by birth and Indian by heart, and his work has been warmly received by people from across the two countries. His success lies in the fact that the familiarity with the song attracts Indians, while it is the connection with the voice that draws his Nigerian fans.

Though, Samuel had been listening to Bollywood songs when he was toddler, it was in 2010, that he became interested in those songs, when he came to India seeking treatment for cancer in his wrist. Though he lost his left hand but that did not stop him from falling in love with India, its people, and it’s music.

On his fascination with India’s cultural diversity, Samuel says, “Sometimes I feel like you need to live in India for 1000 years to understand all the cultures, the country possesses. It changes per family and per kilometre you travel. It’s beautiful.”