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Saturday 24 May 2025
LOCAL EDITION
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LOCAL EDITION
2ofus holds a concert at the Olympus Theater in Male' on May 23, 2025. (Sun Photo/Moosa Nadheem)
Maldivian band 2ofus, which placed second runner-up in Battle of the Bands International 2025 – one of Asia’s biggest music competitions – took the Olympus Theater in Male’ by storm on Friday evening, as they put on a lively concert featuring artists from both India and the Maldives for a full house.
The 2ofus is led by Ahmed Adhuham (Adhu), and composed of four other artists; Abdulla Shamrooh, Mohamed Nasooh Bin Nasruddin, Ahmed Shaheed (Shahyd Legacy), and Ahmed Jasheem.
The concert stood apart in several ways. It was the most expensive music concert to be held by a Maldivian band, and the first-ever concert with foreign artists opening for a Maldivian band. The concert was hosted by Kettan Singh, the host of this year’s edition of Indian public TV broadcaster Doordarshan’s reality show, Battle of the Bands International.
With performances from both Maldivian and Indian artists, the concert was a fusion of Maldivian and Indian music, making it not just a celebration of music, but also a celebration of the culture of both countries.
The lineup includes the likes of:
Those in attendance included Ibrahim Waheed (Asward), the Maldivian Minister of Youth Empowerment, Information and Art, and Manjistha Mukherjee Bhatt, the Director of the Indian Cultural Center in Male’.
Asward made the opening speech, followed by Shruti Anindita Verma, the producer and director of Battle of the Bands International, who spoke about the talent and courage 2ofus displayed during the reality show, and the close relationship that developed with them afterwards.
The concert opened to a performance by Shivom, featuring Aarush. The teen wonder performed a mashup of popular Bollywood songs.
The band followed up with more popular hits of different genres, before a performance featuring Amitabh Verma, who wrote hit songs the likes of ‘Love is a waste of time’ and ‘Alvida’.
Next up was a surprise performance by host Kettan Singh, who delighted concert-goers as he joined Shivoham in performing a mashup of popular 90s Indian songs.
2ofus performed 18 songs, including a mashup by Adhuham and Nasooh. They were also joined by Mandey and Bokitos.
Some of the songs performed by 2ofus include:
The performance that the concert-goers took the most delight in turned out to be ‘Mila mila handhuvaru’, as Adhuham mimicked calls from birds such as crows and the Asian koel, making for an immersive experience.
The band’s youngest member, Nasooh, stole hearts with his soulful performance of ‘Ve kamleya’, while other members Shahyd, Shamrooh and Jasheem also delighted concert-goers with their talent.
Meanwhile, Bokitos livened up the stage with an energetic performance of ‘Prem prem’, forcing concert-goers to join in, in singing and dancing to the popular tune.
Mandey performed ‘Gina keriya vaarey’, with a modern twist to the boduberu version of a song which took the Maldives by storm when Harubee performed it over a decade back.
He took delight in getting the chance to perform the song after so many years, and thanked 2ofus for the opportunity.
2ofus also performed hit songs by Fasy Live, ‘Fari paree’ and ‘Foe mathi’, with Fasy’s son, Javed showcasing the talent he inherited from his father in the lead guitar.
The concert ended with an energetic performance of ‘Haakaali buruvaali’, with both Maldivian and Indian artists taking the stage.
The concert also ended with good news for up-and-coming Maldivian artists, as Shruti Verma announced plans for a music competition and more concerts in collaboration with Indian record label Saregama, to provide more opportunities for Maldivian musicians.
A Maldives-India music festival will be held soon, she said.
With their concert, 2ofus not only made history but also created opportunities for aspiring Maldivian artists.
SS Media, the media partner for concert, used their TV channel SSTV to live telecast the concert. Over 30,000 people watched the live telecast.
