Indian Women Musicians

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.

Andrea Jeremiah is an Indian actress, singer, voice-over artist, and musician who predominantly works in the Tamil film industry. Apart from playing lead roles in successful films, Jeremiah has also contributed to the soundtracks of popular albums. She is best known for her performance in the 2018 period gangster film Vada Chennai for which she won the Behindwoods Golden Medal.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Apart from being a talented Bharatnatyam dancer, Sukanya has also made her mark as an actor in South Indian films. She won a Filmfare for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the Malayalam film Innathe Chintha Vishayam. She has also appeared in series and has released two devotional albums.

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. 

Known as the Queen of Indipop and India's Madonna, Alisha Chinai rocked the 1990s with her chartbusting hit Made in India. She also made headlines when she accused music director Anu Malik of sexual harassment. Kaate Nahin Katthe from the film Mr. India was one of her other big hits.

Born to a playback singer mother, Anuradha Sriram began performing on radio and TV shows since age 12. The renowned singer from Tamil Nadu is a Carnatic music specialist and has performed in more than 1000 concerts. As a child artist, she had also appeared in a Rajinikanth movie.

Sona Mohapatra is an Indian music composer, singer, and lyricist. She is best known for recording remixes of popular songs by famous artists like David Bowie and INXS. Although she is known for her musical career, Sona Mohapatra achieved national recognition when she appeared in a TV show titled Satyamev Jayate, which was hosted by popular Bollywood actor Aamir Khan.

P. Susheela is an Indian singer who has been recognized by the Asia Book of Records as well as by the Guinness Book of World Records for recording more than 50,000 film songs in various Indian languages. Dubbed The Melody Queen of South India, Susheela has won five National Film Awards and several state awards.

Usha Mangeshkar belongs to the iconic Mangeshkar musical family of India and is the second-youngest child of Pandit Deenanath Mangeshkar. She, and her famous siblings, Lata and Asha, once rocked the Hindi playback scene. Her song Mai Toh Aarti from Jai Santoshi Maa earned her a Filmfare nomination.

Shalmali Kholgade is an Indian playback singer. She predominantly sings in Hindi with sporadic performances in other Indian languages like Tamil, Telugu, and Marathi. She has been classically trained since childhood and began her career as a teenager. Her singing style has been appreciated by the music experts in the Indian film industry.  

Sahana Bajpaie is an Indian singer and songwriter best known as an exponent of Rabindra Sangeet, songs written and composed by Rabindranath Tagore. Apart from contributing as a playback singer in the Indian Bengali film industry, Sahana Bajpaie has also released several successful studio albums.

Anne Hills is an American singer and songwriter. She is credited with co-founding a record label named Hogeye Music. Over the course of her career, Anne Hills has collaborated with several prominent musicians and bands like Bob Gibson and Tom Paxton. In 2002, Anne Hills was honored by the World Folk Music Association with the prestigious Kate Wolf Memorial Award.