LV Revanth on Reality Shows, Bigg Boss, Keeravani, World Behind the Applause

For playback singer LV Revanth, performing on stage may look effortless, but the moments before he walks out are anything but. In Hyderabad for the Royal Stag Boom Box concert, where he shared the stage with international rapper French Montana and singers including Nikita Gandhi, Payal Dev and Sahil Solanki, Revanth spoke about the nervous energy that still comes before every performance, the people who shaped his career and why he believes the learning never stops.

“Before every event, I always have this fear. How is the sound? How is the stage? How is the crowd? I get tense inside because I want to give my best. I tell myself, this is my first and last performance, so I have to make it the best I can,” he says.

 But that anxiety disappears the moment he steps on stage. “Once I hold the mic and start my performance, everything is cool.” The same commitment, he says, extends beyond live shows to recordings and every other aspect of his work. “Work means everything to me. I am here today because of that work, music and everything that has come with it.”

Revanth has experienced his share of difficult phases, though he is reluctant to reduce his journey to a single struggle. “There are a lot of tough situations that we face. If I start talking about them, there is a huge list,” he says. Instead, he chooses to focus on what those experiences have taught him and the work that continues to take him forward.

His journey changed significantly with Indian Idol 9, where he emerged as the winner. As a South Indian, he was overwhelmed by the response he received from audiences across the country and beyond.

“Being a South Indian, I got so much love from all over India and all over the world. They supported me along with my hard work, and that love and support helped me win Indian Idol,” he says. His subsequent stint on Bigg Boss brought another wave of recognition. For Revanth, however, the real value of those platforms lies in the connection they created with audiences.

“Support is everything. I want to thank each and every person from the bottom of my heart who supported me throughout my journey.”

One of the most important figures in that journey has been composer M. M. Keeravani. Revanth’s association with him goes back years, and he credits the composer with giving him opportunities from the early stages of his career.

“Keeravani sir is the first music director who supported me from day one,” he says. That association opened doors to songs in films including ‘Maryada Ramanna’, ‘Baahubali’ etc… “Because of him, I got the opportunity to sing for some of the iconic films, I feel fortunate.”

For Revanth, working with Keeravani is also a continuous learning experience. “It is like a school. Every time, there is something to learn from Keeravani sir. It is such a beautiful family, and he really cares about singers.”

His gratitude towards the composer goes beyond professional opportunity. “I can't express what Keeravani sir means to me in an interview or a conversation. He is part of my life.”

Revanth also has a message for singers who enter the industry through reality television and may find it difficult to sustain the momentum once the show is over. Winning a competition, he points out, does not automatically translate into a lasting career.

“Reality shows and reality are different,” he says. Revanth himself participated in several South Indian singing competitions, including Super Singer and Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, without winning them. Yet those experiences helped him build an audience and gain support.

“I never won any competition, but I got huge support. When it came to ‘Indian Idol’ and ‘Bigg Boss’, I won, and I gained that respect and love from the crowd,” he says. His experience has also taught him that success is a combination of several things. “Whatever hard work we put in is important, but sometimes luck also matters.”

What matters most to him, however, is maintaining belief in himself. “I always believe in myself. Firstly, I love myself.” That self-belief is accompanied by a willingness to acknowledge mistakes and learn from them.

“If there are mistakes, I don’t want to repeat them. I want to give my best,” he says. His approach to every performance is deliberately intense. For Revanth, the pressure does not end with one successful show. The next performance brings the same desire to improve. “Experiences matter and the learning process matters. We never stop learning.”

In an era where social media can make an artist feel compelled to constantly explain or promote themselves, Revanth says he prefers to keep his attention elsewhere. “If we talk about ourselves, people say we are always talking about ourselves. If we don’t talk about ourselves, they say we have an attitude. So I always focus on what I want to achieve.”

And despite everything he has accomplished, he feels there is still much more to do. “I have already achieved something, but it is very little. My focus is always on what I want to do and what I can do more than this.”

His recent performance in Hyderabad was another opportunity to keep moving forward. Revanth describes sharing the stage with French Montana, Nikita Gandhi, Payal Dev and Sahil Solanki as a memorable experience and one from which he took away new lessons.

“This is a great experience, sharing a stage with French Montana, Nikita Gandhi, Payal and Sahil. Today I learned something, and definitely tomorrow I am going to be there with all your love and support.”

For Revanth, the journey is still very much in progress. The applause may mark the end of a performance, but for him, it is also a reminder to return to the stage and try to do a little more the next time.

“Keep supporting me, keep calling me. I’ll entertain you like this, more than this.”