Indian spoken word artist Nayab Midha has wrapped up a landmark six-country international tour spanning Ireland, the UK, the Netherlands, Germany, Australia and New Zealand, earning standing ovations at every stop and setting new benchmarks for the Indian spoken word community.
Midha made history as the first Indian spoken word poet to headline solo shows in Christchurch and Auckland. Her performances in Sydney and Melbourne went on to become the largest solo poetry and storytelling events by an Indian spoken word artist in Australia. The tour also marked a milestone for Hindi spoken word, which was performed for the very first time to sold-out audiences in Ireland, the Netherlands, Germany and New Zealand.
The 2025 global tour comprised twelve ticketed shows across twelve international cities—an exceptionally rare scale for an Indian spoken word performer. Following a successful five-city run in India, her international shows sold out in record time. The tour travelled through major cities including London, Birmingham, Reading, Dublin, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Berlin, Sydney, Melbourne, Christchurch and Auckland.
With premium ticket pricing ranging from USD $50 to $90, the tour aimed to elevate poetry as a mainstream artistic form, moving it beyond community-level gatherings and positioning spoken word as a serious, high-value cultural offering.
At the centre of the tour was Rajkumari, Midha’s critically acclaimed 2.5-hour solo show that blends poetry, narrative, music and theatrical elements. The performance explores themes of womanhood, identity and financial autonomy through a powerful, emotionally layered lens. Industry veteran Roshan Abbas described Midha as the “female Zakir Khan,” acknowledging her ability to command stages and draw mainstream entertainment audiences to a poetry-led experience.
Midha’s own journey—from engineer to global performer—has strengthened her connection with audiences around the world. Raised in Sri Ganga Nagar, Rajasthan, and formerly employed at Infosys, she left her corporate career in 2020 to pursue poetry full-time.
Speaking about the tour, Nayab Midha shares, “My work has always been about making space. Rajkumari is my attempt to rewrite the old scripts about women and power. Touring cities where no Indian poet has headlined before is a risk, but opening doors matters. If one young poet back in India believes they can do this full-time because they saw us, everything was worth it.”
Beyond her personal artistic evolution, Midha’s 2025 tour marks a significant step forward for Indian spoken word on the global stage. By performing at venues typically dominated by comedians and musicians, adopting mainstream ticket pricing, and consistently filling large-capacity rooms, she has broadened the commercial and cultural horizons for poets and storytellers worldwide.
