Shreya Ghoshal: The Last Of Her Tribe

A playback singer in today’s times — how do we quantify their success? Most of them arrive, deliver a hit or two, and then fade from the scene. India has witnessed legends like Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle, Kishore Kumar, Yesudas, Mohammad Rafi, S.P. Balasubrahmanyam, P. Jayachandran, S. Janaki, K.S. Chithra, Sonu Nigam, Hariharan, Swarnalatha, Alka Yagnik, and a few others who thrived for decades. Their era, marked by live recordings and enduring musician-singer partnerships, ended long ago. If we look back at the past 15 years, how many new artists have truly survived the ever-changing trends? One gem of an artist, introduced by director Sanjay Leela Bhansali in 2002, not only survived but flourished. She became the princess of Indian playback singing — Shreya Ghoshal.

What made Shreya’s career flourish like nobody else’s? What sets her apart from the bandwagon? The following, I’d say:

Shreya’s Strong Classical Base

It is said that in today’s film music, you do not necessarily need a classically trained singer behind the mic. I beg to differ… Shreya Ghoshal’s strong understanding of the technique and the medium is what ranks highest in her list of merits. How many young female singers in Bollywood can convincingly belt out a “Mere Dholna Sun”? Well, I’m not too sure. Here is one gorgeous, gorgeous semi-classical number, which happens to be an eternal favourite:

Film: Bobby Jasoos
Music: Shantanu Moitra
Lyrics: Swanand Kirkire
Co-singer: Papon

The Mastery Over Pronunciations

Established singers from South India, like K.S. Chithra and Hariharan, managed to grasp this skill. However, they mostly remained occasional visitors to the Northern film industries — although Chithra did sing quite often in Bollywood during the ’90s.

But look at Shreya Ghoshal today! She is a household name even in the interior villages of Kerala. I’ve seen tea shop owners turn up the radio volume with a proud remark: “Shreya’s song!” Passengers on public buses would hum along when the speakers played Neelathamara’s “Anuraga Vilochananayi,” often commenting, “Hi… Shreyayude pattu” (which translates to: “Wow, Shreya’s song!”).

As a Malayali, I must reiterate — it is TOUGH to pronounce our words correctly. Yet, in only her second Malayalam film, Shreya Ghoshal challenged herself with two complex semi-classical tracks, composed by M. Jayachandran.

I won’t claim her diction is flawless in every song — but Shreya is miles ahead of any other singer from the North Indian states who has attempted Malayalam songs.

Here’s my favourite Shreya Ghoshal track in Malayalam:

Film: Pranayam
Music: M. Jayachandran
Lyrics: The Late ONV Kurup

The film industries in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana equally adore her silken voice. At times, I feel she somewhat fills the void left by the late Swarnalatha in the Tamil film industry. With a slightly similar voice texture, Shreya’s “Munbe Vaa” from Sillunu Oru Kaadhal and “Unna Vida” from Virumaandi could easily have been Swarnalatha’s songs.

Among her Telugu tracks, my personal favourite is “Merupula Merise” from Chintakayala Ravi. And when it comes to her numerous Kannada hits, “Gaganave Baagi” from Sanju Weds Geetha takes the cake.

The Heroine’s Voice

This is something she has truly been blessed with. As long as Indian cinema exists, our leading ladies will continue to be portrayed as feminine, graceful, and elegant — all qualities that Shreya Ghoshal’s voice epitomizes. From Aishwarya Rai Bachchan to Shwetha Menon, her voice has conveyed emotions that many of them couldn’t fully express on screen.

One particular song that comes to mind is the following — where the actresses contribute little, while Shreya’s angelic voice does all the emotional heavy lifting.

Film: Inteha
Music: Anu Malik
Lyrics: Rahat Indori
Co-singer: Shaan

And the good ones? There are plenty… Here’s a top favourite! Shreya Ghoshal’s voice gleams in Amrita Rao’s sparkling eyes, just like moonlight does.

Film: Vivah
Music & Lyrics: Ravindra Jain
Co-singer: Udit Narayan

The Chemistry with Co-singers

What is Indian film music without romantic duets? While she makes a scintillating pair with the likes of Arijit Singh and other newer singers, her songs with established artists like Hariharan are equally delightful. Her honey-tinged voice also blends beautifully with female singers. Her collaborations with Hariharan, Sonu Nigam, Sunidhi Chauhan, and of course, A.R. Rahman remain among my top favourites.

Here’s one song I will never get tired of listening to!

Film: LOC – Kargil
Music: Anu Malik
Lyrics: Javed Akhtar
Co-singer: Sonu Nigam

The Versatility with Genres

Mushy romantic songs? CHECK!
Classical tracks? CHECK!
Brazen item numbers? CHECK!
Playful ched-chaad tracks, sad ditties, devotional songs… Shreya has done it all.

She is adept at changing her scale and vocal style to suit each song. Music director Sandesh Shandilya wanted her to sing in a tone different from her usual for the melodious “Sarphira Sa Hai Dil” from Love U… Mr. Kalakaar — and Shreya Ghoshal nailed it perfectly.

Watch her sing a Rajasthani Meera bhajan on a Malayalam reality show — and let’s not forget, she’s of Bengali origin!

Video Courtesy:Mayur Khandelwal

In the following song, we hear Shreya croon a jazzy number composed by none other than A.R. Rahman, for the much-overlooked soundtrack Blue.

Film: Blue
Music: AR Rahman
Co-singer: Sonu Nigam
Lyrics: Abbas Tyrewala

The case of versatility rests here!

The Endeavour to Revive ghazal and Indipop

I grew up in the ’90s when the Indipop scene was at its peak. More importantly, we had beautiful ghazal albums released by legends like Jagjit Singh, Hariharan, Gulzar, Javed Akhtar, and others. Today, commercial music is mostly synonymous with films.

Shreya put her immense popularity to good use and released a beautiful ghazal album that featured about 7–8 golden melodies. She could have easily produced a simpler album of love songs, but this is what she chose to do. Respect!

Listen to the songs from Humnasheen below:

Album: Humnasheen
Music: Deepak Pandit
Lyricist: Manoj Muntashir

Her singles have always been delectable — be it “Le Ja Re” from Ustad & The Divas or “Yeh Kya Hua” from Tera Mera Pyar. Cover versions of Lata Mangeshkar’s “Lag Jaa Gale” and Kishore Kumar’s “Mere Mehboob Qayamat Hogi” sound pristine in Shreya Ghoshal’s voice.

The Moving Live Performances

Oh yes! I have heard her perform live. Live wire is the word. She’ll either put you into a melodic trance or wow us with her fantastic improvisations (hear her perform Ghajini’s “Kaise Mujhe” live!). Well, we’ve known this since her reality show days.

Show: Saregamapa 1999
Song: Suniyo Ji Araj Mhari (Lekin)

Today, Shreya turns 34, and she already has four National Awards for Best Playback Singing to her name. With numerous popular awards and a dedicated annual “Shreya Ghoshal Day” in the American state of Ohio (June 26), Shreya is the reigning princess of Indian film music — which isn’t just Bollywood. She debuted with a chart-busting soundtrack (Devdas), and 14 years later, she’s busy collecting trophies for her incredible work in Bajirao Mastani.

I’m pretty sure Shreya will be the last of her tribe to have a career spanning decades. Time? Age? Whatever they are!

Happy Birthday Shreya!