Indian Male Singers

S. P. Balasubrahmanyam was an Indian playback singer, music director, actor, television presenter, film producer, and voice-over artist. Widely regarded as one of the most gifted singers of his generation, Balasubrahmanyam received six National Film Awards in an illustrious singing career that spanned more than five decades. He was posthumously honored with the Padma Vibhushan, India’s second-highest civilian award.

A man of many talents, Kishore Kumar was an Indian actor, filmmaker, writer, music director, lyricist, and playback singer. One of the most popular Indian singers of his generation, Kishore Kumar sang in different genres and multiple Indian languages. In 1997, the Kishore Kumar Award was initiated for his contributions to Hindi cinema. Despite marrying four times, he remained a loner.

Arijit Singh is an Indian music composer and singer. Dubbed the king of playback singing, Singh has received six Filmfare Awards and a National Award in his illustrious career so far. Also known for his humanitarian work, Arijit Singh is credited with founding a non-governmental organization named Let There Be Light which aims at helping the Below Poverty Line community.

Sonu Nigam is an Indian singer, actor, and music director. Nicknamed The Lord of Chords, Sonu is widely regarded as one of the world's best live performers. He is credited with recording over 4000 songs in several Indian languages. He has also won many prestigious awards, such as Filmfare Awards, National Award, and Indian Television Academy Awards.

Armaan Malik is an Indian singer, record producer, songwriter, actor, and voice-over artist. In 2015, he won two Global Indian Music Academy Awards (GiMA), becoming the youngest singer to win a couple of debut awards at GiMA. He has also received other prestigious awards like Stardust Award, Filmfare R. D. Burman Award, and South Indian International Movie Award. 

Born Kedarnath Bhattacharaya, Kumar Sanu turned out to be Bollywood’s King of Melody. One of the greatest Indian playback singers, he rocked the 1990s with hits such as Kuch Na Kaho and Yeh Kaali Kaali Aankhen. The Padma Shri winner has had multiple hit duets with co-singer Alka Yagnik.

Known for ruling the Bollywood playback scene in the 1990s, Udit Narayan has 4 National Awards in his kitty. Initially a singer on a Kathmandu radio station, he later moved to Mumbai. He soared to fame with the track Papa Kehte Hain and later scored many hits with singer Alka Yagnik.

Fort Kochi-born K.J. Yesudas is a major figure of Indian Malyali music. Known as Dasettan to his followers, the singer is an eight-time National Award winner and has the prestigious Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Vibhushan in his kitty. He has also acted in a few regional films.

Himesh Reshammiya is an Indian playback singer, songwriter, music director, actor, and producer. Although he is often criticized for his nasal singing style, Himesh Reshammiya is also one of the most recognized singers in India. Over the years, he has won many prestigious awards, such as Filmfare Award, Star Screen Award, Zee Cine Awards, and Star Guild Award.

Yo Yo Honey Singh is an Indian rapper, music producer, pop singer, composer, actor, and lyricist. He is currently one of the most successful and highest-paid musical artists in the music industry in India. He has received several prestigious awards including an MTV VMAI Award, MTV EMA Award, UK Asian Music Award, BritAsia TV Music Award, and Zee Cine Award.

Born in Chennai, to a Carnatic music teacher mother, Sid Sriram later moved to the US with his family. The talented singer-songwriter is a Berklee College of Music alumnus and is known for his skills mixing pop/soul and Indian classical elements. His Indian playback credits include Adiye from the film Kadal.

Shankar Mahadevan is an Indian film composer and singer. He is one-third of the popular musical trio Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy which predominantly composes music for Bollywood films. A well-known playback singer, Mahadevan has won three National Film Awards for Best Male Playback Singer. In 2019, Shankar Mahadevan was honored with the Padma Shri for his contributions to film music. 

Yuvan Shankar Raja is a music composer and singer-songwriter. He is credited with introducing hip-hop to the Tamil music industry and became one of the most sought-after Tamil composers in 2000s. In 2006, he won the Cyprus International Film Festival Award, becoming the first Indian composer to win the award. He has also won other awards like Filmfare Awards South.

Initially a sound engineer, Vijay Antony later rose to become a prominent music director of the Tamil film industry. Known for his music in films such as Vettaikaaran and Kadhalil Vizhunthen, he later stepped into acting with Naan. He won the Golden Lion at Cannes for his track Naaka Mukka.

Adnan Sami is an Indian musician, singer, pianist, and music composer. Best known for his skills as a piano player, Sami was named the world's fastest keyboard player by Keyboard magazine. He is also widely regarded as the first person to have played Indian classical music on the piano. In 2020, he was awarded India's fourth-highest civilian award, Padma Shri. 

Jagjit Singh was an Indian singer, musician, and composer. Nicknamed King of Ghazals, Jagjit Singh is credited with reviving and popularizing an Indian classical art form called ghazal. Regarded as one of the most influential artists in India, Singh was honored with India's third-highest civilian award Padma Bhushan in 2003.  He was also honored with other awards like Lata Mangeshkar Samman.

Bhupen Hazarika was an Indian playback singer, musician, poet, lyricist, and filmmaker. He is remembered for composing such songs that highlight the importance of humanity and universal brotherhood. His songs remain popular in places like Assam and Bangladesh. He is also credited with introducing the folk music of Assam to Bollywood. He was posthumously awarded the Bharat Ratna in 2019.

Anu Malik is an Indian singer, music composer, and arranger. He is credited with composing some of the most popular Hindi songs, including Chamma Chamma from the film China Gate, which was used in the jukebox musical romantic drama film Moulin Rouge! Anu Malik has also served as a judge on the popular TV show Indian Idol.

Divine is an Indian rapper who achieved popularity after releasing his song, Yeh Mera Bombay, in 2013. He has also contributed to the soundtracks of several Bollywood films like Mukkabaaz, Blackmail, and Gully Boy. Over the years, Divine has received prestigious awards like Filmfare Award and Global Indian Music Academy Award.

Though renowned playback singer Hariharan is known for his soft ghazals, he rocked the 1990s with the musical duo Colonial Cousins, with fellow singer Lesle Lewis. The two-time National Award winner also has a Padma Shri to his credit. He is also known for his long-term collaboration with A.R Rahman.

Badshah is a singer, rapper, businessman, and film producer. Widely regarded as one of the highest-paid artists in India, Badshah is also considered one of the most controversial Indian rappers. His song Genda Phool is considered controversial, but is yet one of the most successful songs in Indian history. He has been featured thrice in Forbes India's Celebrity 100 list.

Known for blending Indian classical music with contemporary undertones, Indian music director, composer, and record producer, Pritam Chakraborty is also a well-known singer and instrumentalist.  Beginning his career with ad jingles, he later partnered with Jeet Ganguly to compose music for Hindi films before going solo. He has won numerous awards for his work, concurrently helping budding musicians through his organization JAM8.

Raftaar is an Indian rapper, TV personality, lyricist, dancer, and music composer. The recipient of a Brit Asia TV Music Award, Raftaar has contributed immensely to the soundtracks of several popular Bollywood films like Bullet Raja, Heropanti, and Dangal. He has also served as a judge on popular TV shows like Roadies, Dance India Dance, and MTV Hustle.

Internationally acclaimed playback singer, Sukhwinder Singh first came to limelight with Chaiyya Chaiyya, a duet from the Shahrukh Khan starrer Dil Se. Since then he has been working with numerous renowned composers, earning international fame with the song Jai Ho from the movie Slumdog Millionaire. He has also given voice to many Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Marathi songs and has released two studio albums.

Indian singer Kailash Kher is known for his unique style of music inspired by folk and Sufi music. Born to a folk singer in Meerut, he later moved to Mumbai and began his career with jingles. The two-time Filmfare Award winner now also has a Padma Shri in his kitty.

Daler Mehndi is an Indian singer, record producer, songwriter, and author. Renowned for his dance songs, Daler Mehndi is credited with popularizing Bhangra around the world. He is also credited with creating a musical genre named Rabbabi, which combines elements of rock, Sufi, and Thumri. Mehndi is also known for his philanthropic efforts and has contributed to many charitable causes.

Born to parents who ran a music troupe in Kanpur, Ankit Tiwari began his musical career singing jingles. He later soared to fame with Bollywood tracks such as Sunn Raha Hai and Galliyan, proving himself as a both a talented singer and a skilled music director.

Amit Kumar is an Indian music composer, playback singer, and actor. Amit Kumar, who has organized several live orchestra shows, is also credited with establishing a music production company called Kumar Brothers Music. Amit Kumar is also renowned for his association with one of the greatest composers of the Indian film industry, R. D. Burman.

Mika Singh is an Indian singer, rapper, and performer. Apart from contributing to the soundtrack of many popular films like Singh Is Kinng and Jab We Met, Singh has released many solo albums as well. He has also performed live at popular venues like The O2 Arena.

Abhijeet Bhattacharya is an Indian playback singer who predominantly works in Bollywood. He is credited with recording over six thousand songs in more than 1000 films. Over the years, Abhijeet Bhattacharya has won several prestigious awards, such as Filmfare Awards, Uttar Pradesh Gaurav Samman, Sangeet Maha Samman, and MTV Award for Best Singer Asia.

Zubeen Garg is an Indian music director, singer, composer, music producer, lyricist, film director, actor, scriptwriter, film producer, and philanthropist. Also an instrumentalist, Zubeen Garg plays 12 instruments including drums, guitar, mandolin, keyboard, and various percussion instruments. One of the highest-paid singers in Assam, Garg has also received several prestigious awards, such as Prag Cine Awards and a National Film Award.

Manna Dey was a classical Indian vocalist, playback singer, musician, and music director. He is regarded as one of the most celebrated vocalists of the Hindi film industry. In a rich and extensive career spanning seven decades, he recorded more than 4,000 songs. He was honored with numerous prestigious awards, including the Padma Vibhusan and the Dadasaheb Phalke Award. 

Mithoon is an Indian music director, singer, and lyricist who works in Bollywood. He is best known for composing the critically acclaimed song Tum Hi Ho, which was featured in the 2013 romantic musical drama film Aashiqui 2. Over the years, Mithoon has received several prestigious awards, such as Filmfare Awards, International Indian Film Academy Awards, and Mirchi Music Awards.

National Award-winning actor and singer Kalabhavan Mani was born into a family with modest means and later quit school after tenth grade. He once even worked as a autorickshaw driver and later began his entertainment career as a mimicry artist. Vasanthiyum Lakshmiyum Pinne Njaanum remains his most-loved film.