Abhishek Bachchan talks about Aaradhya's 'eclectic sense', but what did he think of Ariana Grande?

Abhishek Bachchan may not have known a single Ariana Grande song before attending her concert, but his reaction after seeing the pop star perform live was unmistakable: he was impressed.

The actor recently revealed that his 14-year-old daughter, Aaradhya Bachchan, took him and his wife, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, to an Ariana Grande concert during their summer break abroad. Abhishek admitted that he was largely unfamiliar with Grande’s music, but watching her perform changed his perspective.

“I didn’t even know one song, but that woman could sing. Oh my god! The quality of the voice… unbelievable,” Abhishek said in an interview with BBC Asian Network.

His reaction became one of the highlights of his conversation about music and his daughter’s surprisingly broad taste.

Aaradhya has an "eclectic" sense of music

Abhishek described Aaradhya’s musical preferences as “eclectic,” saying she listens to several contemporary pop stars but is also exploring music from previous generations.

“I have a 14-year-old at home, so there is a lot of Olivia Rodrigo and Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande,” he said.

But Aaradhya’s playlist does not stop with today’s biggest pop stars.

According to her father, she is also getting into classic rock and metal acts including Bon Jovi, Van Halen and Metallica.

“She has got an eclectic sense of music, so I am safe,” Abhishek joked.

That variety appears to have made the experience enjoyable for the entire family. Rather than dismissing the music his teenage daughter listens to, Abhishek said he has embraced the opportunity to discover artists through her.

Abhishek’s surprise at Ariana Grande

The Ariana Grande concert offered him one of those discoveries.

Although he went into the concert without knowing her songs, Abhishek said Grande’s vocal ability immediately caught his attention. He was also struck by the scale of her young fan base.

“And to see the fandom that these young singers have is unbelievable,” he said.

Abhishek also pushed back against the idea that older generations cannot appreciate contemporary pop music.

“I think they are all so immensely talented,” he said, adding that dismissing artists such as Taylor Swift simply because they appeal to younger audiences misses the quality of their work.

“No, they actually make great music,” he said.

From Kishore Kumar to Taylor Swift

Abhishek’s own musical preferences are rooted heavily in Indian film music.

He named Kishore Kumar as a personal favorite and praised legendary composers and music directors including R.D. Burman, S.D. Burman, Kalyanji-Anandji, Laxmikant-Pyarelal and Bappi Lahiri.

His daughter, however, appears to have expanded his listening habits.

The result is a family playlist that can move from classic Bollywood songs to Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande and Olivia Rodrigo, before taking a turn toward Bon Jovi, Van Halen or Metallica.

For Abhishek, that variety is something to celebrate rather than resist.

His Ariana Grande experience also shows that discovering new music does not necessarily depend on knowing an artist’s catalog beforehand. Sometimes, one live performance is enough to make a believer.

Abhishek will next appear as an antagonist in Shah Rukh Khan’s King, directed by Siddharth Anand. The film also stars Suhana Khan, Deepika Padukone, Rani Mukerji, Anil Kapoor, Jackie Shroff and Arshad Warsi and is scheduled to release Dec. 24.