Shreya Ghoshal

Shreya Ghoshal

Shreya Ghoshal is an Indian playback singer of Bengali origin, born in 1984 and based in the Hindi and filmi traditions of Indian film music. She wins four National Film Awards and seven Filmfare Awards, and she becomes one of the leading female playback singers in Bollywood.

Early life and training

Ghoshal grows up in Rawatbhata, a small township near Kota in Rajasthan, in an academically oriented family. Her father works as an engineer at the Bhabha Atomic Research Center in the nuclear power sector, and her mother has a postgraduate degree in literature. She begins singing at the age of four, with her mother encouraging her musical development, and her father arranging proper training after recognising her ability. She later auditions for the Indian television programme Sa Re Ga Ma, which leads to a year and a half of training.

Breakthrough with Devdas

Director Sanjay Leela Bhansali discovers her through Sa Re Ga Ma and chooses her as the voice of Paro in his film Devdas. She begins recording for the film in 2000, and the movie is released two years later. Her debut song, “Bairi Piya,” wins her a National Film Award and establishes her reputation. Her singing on the film, heard on Aishwarya Rai, helps bring her to national attention.

Career and repertoire

After Devdas, Ghoshal records extensively for Hindi cinema under a range of music directors, including M.M. Kreem, for whom she sings “Jaadu Hai Nasha Hai” in Jism. Other films associated with her work include Saaya, Inteha, Out of Control, Khakee, Munnabhai MBBS, Dhoop, Kuchh Kaha Aapne, Aarman, Desh Devi, Tujhe Meri Kasam, LOC, Aetbaar, Police Force and Lage Raho Munnabhai.

Languages and style

In addition to Hindi, she records in Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Bengali and Marathi. Her voice is described as well suited to romantic songs and as strong in projection. She also listens to Western symphonies and instrumentals, with ABBA named as a favourite, although she identifies Indian music as her main musical passion.

Recognition

Ghoshal receives multiple major Indian film honours, including four National Film Awards and seven Filmfare Awards. Her work places her among the most prominent female voices in contemporary Hindi film music.