Famous Indian 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.

One of the most respected and best-known playback singers in India, Lata Mangeshkar is popularly known as the Nightingale of India. She had a long career of more than 60 years and was honoured with India's highest civilian award Bharat Ratna..

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.

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.

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.

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. 

Padma Shri- and Padma Bhushan-winning legendary Indian singer K. S. Chithra is also a 6-time National Award winner. Trained in Carnatic music, she earned a government music scholarship. A star in the South Indian music scene, she also gained recognition with her Hindi tracks such as Kehna Hi Kya.  

Starting her training in singing at age 4, Neha Kakkar later participated in Indian Idol but was eliminated before she could make her mark on the show. She later soared to fame with the track Second Hand Jawaani from Cocktail and never looked back. She has also performed in minor roles.

National Award-winning singer Shreya Ghoshal grew up in Rajasthan and later moved to Mumbai, where her electrical engineer father was posted. After gaining attention with the talent show Sa Re Ga Ma, the classically trained artist was catapulted to fame with her playback singing in Devdas, and never looked back.

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.

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.

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.

Alka Yagnik is an Indian playback singer. One of the most popular female playback singers in Bollywood, Yagnik has won a record seven Filmfare Awards and two National Film Awards in an illustrious career spanning more than 40 years. Alka Yagnik has also won other prestigious awards, such as Bollywood Movie Awards, Global Indian Film Awards, and Zee Cine Awards.

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.

Kanika Kapoor is an Indian singer who achieved popularity after the release of her song Baby Doll from the movie Ragini MMS 2. She then went on to record some of the most popular Hindi songs like Lovely. Over the years, she has won many prestigious awards like Brit Asia TV Music Awards, BIG Star Entertainment Award, and Filmfare 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.

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.

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. 

A musical prodigy, Sunidhi Chauhan had started performing at events at age 4. Discovered by actor Tabassum, she quit school and plunged into a full-fledged music career, winning several reality shows. She then soared to fame with her playback singing in Mast and now has three Filmfare awards in her kitty.

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. 

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.

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.

M.S. Subbulakshmi was an Indian singer. Dubbed the Queen of Music, Subbulakshmi was the leading exponent of Carnatic music. In 1966, she became the first Indian to perform in UN General Assembly. In 1974, she became the first Indian musician to be awarded the Ramon Magsaysay Award. In 1998, Subbulakshmi became the first musician to be awarded the Bharat Ratna.

Better known as Janaki Amma, playback singer S. Janaki had begun her career with the Tamil film Vidhiyin Vilayattu. Also known as the Nightingale of South India, she has lent her voice to over 48,000 songs. Following her retirement, she has been the victim of death hoaxes at least twice.

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.

The daughter of music magnate Gulshan Kumar, who launched T-Series, Tulsi Kumar began her playback singing career with the movie Aksar. She later gained fame with hit tracks such as Sanam Re and Soch Na Sake. She is now married to a Delhi businessman and has a son.

Anuradha Paudwal is an Indian playback singer who has contributed to the soundtrack of many Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, Bengali, and Marathi films. She is the recipient of several prestigious awards, such as Filmfare Awards and a National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer. In 2017, Anuradha Paudwal was honored with India's fourth-highest civilian award, Padma Shri.

National Award- and Filmfare-winning singer Monali Thakur is best known for her hit tracks such as Moh Moh Ke Dhaage and Sawaar Loon. She first gained fame with Indian Idol 2 and later also acted in movies such as Lakshmi. She later secretly married a Swiss restaurateur she met on a trip.

Chinmayi Sripada is an Indian singer, voice actor, radio jockey, and TV presenter who works predominantly in the South Indian film and TV industry. Chinmayi is also credited with founding Blue Elephant, a translation services company, for which she serves as the CEO. Also known for her activism, Chinmayi Sripada has been an important figure in India's Me Too movement.

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.

Known as the Dandiya Queen, Falguni Pathak rocked the 1990s with her chartbusting tracks such as Chudi Jo Khanki Haathon Mein, which still light up Navratri celebrations in India. She is also known for her signature androgynous looks. Though she’s based in Mumbai, her songs reflect the Gujarati folk culture.

K. L. Saigal, the first superstar of Hindi cinema, was revered and idolised for his singing and acting styles. He gained-attention starring and singing in the Hindi film Puran Bhagat. He then starred in several films, most notably in the Hindi film Devdas. He was the first non-Bengali who was given consent by Rabindranath Tagore to sing the latter’s songs.  

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.

Kavita Krishnamurthy is an Indian playback and classical singer with an extensive career spanning half a century. She began her formal training in Hindustani classical music as a child and began her career as a teenager. She has since recorded more than 50,000 songs in over 36 languages, including Hindi, Tamil, and Kannada. She received the Padmashri in 2005. 

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.

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.

Amit Trivedi is an Indian singer, music director, and lyricist. He is best known for his work in the 2009 romantic black comedy film Dev.D, which earned him many prestigious awards like the National Film Award for Best Music Direction. Trivedi has also won several other awards, such as Filmfare Awards, Global Indian Music Academy Awards, and Mirchi Music Awards.

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.