Alisha Chinai

Indian pop world came into its own in 1990’s. Before that there had been few instances of some pop songs getting popularity but it was never pursued seriously and did not last long. Everything changed with arrival of the album named ‘Made in India’. This one album broke all the previous records and opened floodgates for emerging pop singers. Made in India gave India, Alisha Chinai who is one of the leading pop singers of India. Her unique voice mesmerized one and all. Her songs made people groove on its rhythmic beats. She literally changed the face and facet of Indian music industry.

Alisha Chinai aka Sujata was born on 18th of March in 1972. Her talent has also earned her nickname of ‘Indian Madonna’. She also had an eventful journey in popular music category. She has sung for many famous actresses like Sridevi, Juhi Chawla, Madhuri Dixit, Smita Patil and Mandakini etc. she owes a lot to famous music composer Bappi Lahiri with whom she gave several hits. Those songs mostly belonged to disco genres and boast of names like, Dance dance, Love love love, Guru, Jimmy Jimmy etc.

1990s witnessed her evolution as a popular playback singer and she got opportunity to work with several renowned composers of that era. She has won several awards including International Billboard Award, Best Female Playback Filmfare Award and Freddie Mercury Award etc. Her song ‘Kajra Re’ made the whole country go crazy. Alisha Chinai continues to enthrall Indian listeners with her unique and mesmerizing voice.

 

Shubha Mudgal

Shubha Mudgal can be associated with the term ‘versatility’. She is one of the rare singers who have made a mark for herself in not only classical singing but also in popular music. She definitely holds a special position in echelons of music fraternity. Her forte is classical singing but she has successfully managed to adept her voice and talent as per the demands of popular music. She has a very different and unique voice. The best part about her unique voice is it can be used in any type of songs.

                          

Shubha Mudgal first came into limelight when her albums “Ab ke Sawan” and “Pyaar Ke Geet” hit the market and were declared huge hits. Her albums sold like hot cakes and it was followed by another album of hers, “Mann Ki Manjeree”. This album was dedicated to modern women and it also managed to get rave reviews. She began her musical journey by receiving training in Hindustani classical music. The singer got her basics from acclaimed teachers like Kumar Gandharva, Naina Devi, Ram Ashreya, Vinay Chandra etc. It’s really mesmerizing to she her proficiency with other genres like rock, pop, folk, samba and jazz.

 

Shubha Mudgal is an extremely versatile personality. She has also composed songs apart from participating in several concerts. Her compositions can be heard in numerous documentaries, telefilms and other programs. She is known for experimentation that has fetched her wide recognition and appreciation from people across the regions. Shubha Mudgal is also a recipient of Padma Shri.

 

Udit Narayan- The Story of Success

Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak also gave bollywood a successful pair of Udit Narayan and Alka Yagnik as playback singers. They sung together in several blockbuster hits including Dil, Raja, Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar etc. in between he also became very famous in Nepali movies and even tried his hand at acting in movies like Pirati and Kusume Rumal. These movies did not do very well but however, Udit Narayan had established himself as the most famous Nepali singer.

 

In the Hindi film industry, another playback singer Kumar Sanu was already creating waves and the rivalry between the two resulted in some of the best songs of that era. In the hindsight, Kumar Sanu managed to go away with all the awards till the year 1995 when Udit Narayan made a strong comeback with the movie ‘Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jaaenge’. The song ‘Mehendi Laga Ke Rakhna’ became a huge hit and he also bagged the best playback singer award for the same. His next award did not take much time as he won it again next year for the song ‘Pardesi Pardesi’ for the movie Raja Hindustani.

 

Udit Narayan has attained fame and respect for his original voice and cheerful songs. He is also the most natural singers around who is able to give exact feel to the song. His major hits include, Darr, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Taal, Swadesh, Dil Toh Pagal Hai, Veer Zaara, Mohabbatein, Lagaan, Rangeela and any more. He has also sung songs in other languages like, Tamil, Kannada, Oriya, Telugu, and Bengali etc. 

 

Udit Narayan- Introduction

Udit Narayan has managed to carve a niche for himself in the tough business of playback singing. He has one of the most original voices in the film industry. Udit Narayan is also a favorite with top notch music directors. His talent can be understood from the fact that he has sung for numerous heroes and in many languages. He is not only popular but has also managed to remain humble and that’s certainly a great quality to have. Born in a small village called ‘Bharadah’ in Nepal, Udit Narayan faced lot of struggles in his early days. His passion for singing brought him to Nepal radio. Therafer he sung songs in Maithili, Nepali and Bhojpuri languages. That was way back in 1970’s. But he was not satisfied with the progress he was making. His ambitions brought him to bollywood, the pinnacle for playback singers. His stint in Mumbai also involved six years of classical music training in Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan.

 

His first break materialized in form of movie ‘Unees Bees’ in the year 1980. He was also fortunate to sing with the legendary Mohammad Rafi. But his moment of fame came with the movie, Qayamat Se Qayamat tak in the year 1988. He also won the Filmfare award for the song ‘Papa Kehte hain’ for the same movie. This movie also launched the career of famous bollywood stars Amir Khan and Juhi Chawla. Since that movie, Udit narayan has never looked back.

 

Dr. K.J.Yesudas- The Culmination

During his struggling days, Yesudas joined an art institute named ‘Kalabhavan’, and started to give public concerts. That was the beginning of his popularity. Finally he got his first break as a playback singer in 1961 for the Malayalam movie, ‘Kalpadukal’. Since then, he never looked back. Soon he started to get offers from all the regional south Indian movies and he sang for Tamil, Telgu, Kannada, and Malayalam movies. Yesudas also sang for hindi movie and got popularity for songs like ‘Gori Tera Gaon Bada Pyaara’ and ‘Jab Deep Jale Aana’ among others. For the ‘Gori Tera’ song, he also received National award for Best Singer in 1979.

 

He is credited to win National award for impressive seven times. Apart from that, numerous state awards and other accolades have been bestowed upon him. He has also received ‘Padamshri’ in 1977. Government of Kerala gave him the title of ‘Asthana Gayakan’. Annamalai University, Chennai conferred upon him an honorary doctorate degree for his contributions to music and art. Acknowledging his huge talent and contribution to music, Indian government gave him the prestigious ‘Padma Bhushan’ in January 2002.

 

K J Yesudas is an extremely humble person who believes in ‘One caste, One  religion and One God for all’ philosophy. He still practices and listens to Carnatic classical and classical celebrities like Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavathar, Dr. Bala Murali Krishna etc are his favorites. He has also released several albums of different genres including, religious, classical music, light music etc. He continues to mesmerize music fans with the divine voice.

 

Dr. K.J.Yesudas- The Humble Beginning

The full name of Yesudas is Dr. Kattassery Joseph Yesudas. He is one of the most renowned Indian singers. A talent personified, he has literally ruled south Indian music industry. He was born on 10th January 1940 in Fort Cochin, Kerala to parents Augustine Joseph Bhagavathar and mother Elizabeth Joseph. Yesudas inherited music from his father who was a classical musician. He started to learn the nuances of Carnatic music at a very young age. Yesudas has sung more than 30000 songs. He is proficient in both light as well as classical music. He was provided music teachings in all forms. He is singing since last four decades and no doubt, he is one of the geniuses of music world.

Right from the very beginning, Yesudas showed his musical talent. Soon the world came to know that, this music prodigy is going to create magic in music. At the age of seven, Yesudas got his first recognition by winning a gold medal for music at a local competition. He enhanced his music knowledge by receiving training from the Music Academy, Tripunithura and Swati Tirunal Music Academy, Trivandrum. These two institutions further enhanced his talents and refined them. He earned his diplomas in ‘Sangeethabhushanam’ and ‘Ganabhushanam’. Once he finished his training, he came to Chennai in search for singing opportunities. But life was very difficult initially. He was rejected numerous music directors and even AIR (All India Radio). He had to go through numerous hardships in search of that illusive break. But he did not lose heart and kept giving his best.

Initially he struggled a lot for a break and suffered many hardships when he roamed around Chennai looking for an opening, living mainly on tap water and faced rejections from music directors and AIR (All India Radio) Trivandrum. But young Yesudas patiently endured and persisted to achieve his life’s goal. Courtesy : http://www.tamilsongsdownload.net/

 

RD Burman

RD Burman is one name, every Indian with even a little interest in music, must have heard of. Born on 27 June 1939, RD as he was fondly known as was a renowned music composer. Infact, he stand right there along with greatest when it comes to sheer talent and brilliance. Son of legendary composer S D Burman, RD showed inclination for music right from very beginning. He was born genius whose contribution to Indian music is unparallel. He is credited to revolutionize Indian music through his sheer innovation and experimentation. He never shied from experiments. He brought latest musical techniques in bollywood and despite the early criticism, very few music composers can claim to get as much success and popularity as he did.

 

He entered into industry when several renowned musicians were already established. He broke the norms and used western tunes in his songs. He gave not only melodious hits but also romantic songs, sad songs and cabaret as well. His style and technique are part of bollywood folklores. Also known as Pancham da by industry people and friends, he learnt sarod lessons from Ustad Ali Akbar Khan and his first composition was ‘Aye meri topi palat ke aa’ at the age of nine. He started his career as assistant to his father and was part of total 331 films. He was also a singer with distinct voice. His major hits include, Amar prem, Buddha mil gaya, Caravan, 1942: A Love Story, Sholay, Shaan and several others. He had made a formidable combination with singer Kishore Kumar and actor Rajesh Khanna. His songs are still popular and even the most remixed songs of yesteryear belong to RD Burman. Truly a legend, he will always live in the heart of Indians.

 

Alka Yagnik

Alka Yagnik is one of the most popular singers of the Hindi film industry. She has made a mark for herself on basis of her sweet and melodious voice. She entered into the industry when there were big names that were calling the shots. But she kept pursuing her dream and made it big enough to be on wish list of several leading music composers and film makers. She was born in Kolkata in a gujarati family.

 

She showed inclination towards music at a very young age. Finding her interest in music, her parents enrolled her for training in Indian classical music at a very young age. The fact that her parents were also into classical music also helped her in developing the musical talent. Her first brush with radio came at tender age of 6 when she began singing devotional songs for Calcutta Radio. Initially, singing was a hobby for Alka Yagnik but later on she focused upon making it a full fledged career. Her arrival in Mumbai brought her a break in the movie ‘Payal Ki Jhankaar’ in the year 1979. But she was noticed for the song ‘Mere Angane Mein’ from the movie Lawaris in the year 1981.

 

She soared to popularity charts with the hugely successful ‘Ek Do Teen’ from the movie Tezaab. Since then, she never looked back. She got her first Filmfare award for this movie. She has given hits like Khalnayak, Hum hain raahi pyaar ke, Pardesh, Taal, Raja Hindustani, Dhadkan, Lagaan, Hum Tum etc. She has won six more Filmfare awards including National Award for the movie Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke (1994) and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1999).

 

Jagjit Singh- The Multi-Faceted Talent

His first shot at stardom came up with his first album named “The Unforgettables”. This album helped him in getting recognized. The album was made up of some beautiful semi-classical Ghazals collection with an inherent element of melody. He was definitely a fresh voice and his efforts did not go unrecognized. The album was a big hit which was subsequently followed by numerous top albums. During his struggle phase he met another singer Chitra and they married. Both worked together in hit albums like A Sound Affair, Ecstasies and Passions etc. they were quite popular and worked in perfect sync. Jagjit singh is also known to experiment in his albums, the prime example of which is his album ‘Beyond Time’. Various mixes of music and sound were brought together in this beautiful album and audiences accepted them wholeheartedly.

 

Jagjit singh continued to sing even after a huge personal loss of his young son. However, chitra singh quit singing after album ‘Someone Somewhere’. Jagjit singh thereafter gave many soul-stirring songs in his albums like, In Search, Mirage, Kahkashan, Hope, Visions, Love is Blind, Chirag etc.  He has firmly established himself as the top most Ghazal singer of the country. He is also credited to sing many Punjabi songs. He has also made a album called ‘Sajda’ with incomparable Lata Mangeshkar.

 

He is an artist with huge talent which is suitably demonstrated in film songs he has sung. Films like Premgeet, Arth, Saath Saath, Sarfarosh, Tum Bin, Tarkeeb etc are also known for his beautiful songs. As a proof of his multi-faceted talent, he has also sung many devotional songs.

 

Jagjit Singh- The Ghazal Maestro

Jagjit Singh. The name rings a bell, right? One of the foremost Ghazal singers of the modern times, he is renowned for his numerous melancholic and romantic Ghazals. Born to Sardar Amar Singh Dhiman (a Government official) and Sardarni Bachchan Kaur, he has earned accolades for helping the survival of Ghazals in the era of pop and rock. Gagjit singh was born in Ganganagar in state of Rajasthan on 8th February, 1941.  also known as ‘Jeet’ by his family, he is undoubtedly the most popular Ghazal singer currently.

 

Interestingly, he was a student of science during his higher secondary days. Later on he moved to arts stream during bachelors. But his interest in music saw him learning classical music from Pundit Chaganlal Sharma. He learned difrent classical forms like Thumri, Khayal and Dhrupad among others. His passion for music brought him to Mumbai. In fact, he was also supported in this decision by his father who was more than happy to his progress in this field. The year was 1965, when he arrived in dream city of Mumbai in search of success and fame. But then, like any other famous personality he also struggled in his initial days. New assignments were difficult to come by because of who’s who presence in Ghazal arena. That era was dominated by renowned personalities like Malika Pukhraj, Talat Mahmood, Noor Jehan, Begun Akhtar and incomparable Mehdi Hassan.  His initial assignments were basically performing at wedding functions and singing jingles for advertisements.