Meet the new voices behind today's hit Bollywood numbers

Whatrsquos common between Monali Thakur Arijit Singh Nikhil Paul George Shefali Alvares Mili Nair and Keerthi Sagathia Well for starters chances are that these are names that you probably donrsquot recognise at the moment And secondly itrsquos guaranteed that yoursquore going to be hearing a lot about these names in the coming few months Monali Thakur and Shalmali Kholgade were the voices behind the Aga Bai number in Aiyya So who are they really Well all these people are among the growing breed of singers who are quickly making their mark in the playback industry The reasons for the same can be many more music platforms in the shape of music reality shows the kind of films being made today that lend themselves to a variety of music genres and therefore different singers audiences becoming more accepting of different genres and voices among others Whatever the reason the music industry is welcoming this change with open arms Musical foursome Nikhil DrsquoSouza Siddharth Mahadevan Arjun Kanungo and Shalmali Kholgade are upbeat abour their musical careersu00a0PicShadab Khan ldquoItrsquos wonderful that there are so many talented singers out there who are getting a chance to singrdquo says music composer Shekhar Ravjiani of VishalShekhar fame ldquoA new voice not just adds a fresh vibe it elevates the song to a different levelrdquo Agrees music composer Mithoon whorsquos given a break to singers such as Atif Aslam Kshitij Tare and Arijit Singh among others ldquoI always believe in giving a chance to newcomers A new voice has the capability of becoming the USP of the songrdquo he says Shefali Alvares sang the female portion of the hit Badtameez Dil from Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani So many choices Once upon a time there were a handful of playback singers who ruled the roost They were so few that you could literally count them on your fingers Some of the most popular playback singers in Bollywood are names that even the most average moviegoer will recognise Lata Mangeshkar Asha Bhosle Geeta Dutt Shamshad Begum KL Saigal Talat Mahmood Mukesh Mohammed Rafi Manna Dey Hemant Kumar Kishore Kumar Kumar Sanu Udit Narayan Sonu Nigam Alka Yagnik and in more recent times Sunidhi Chauhan Shreya Ghoshal Shaan and KK have been institutions in themselves when it came to playback singing But the past few months have thrown up many new names It sure is an exciting time to be in the music industry and singer Arjun Kanungo who got every officegoerrsquos seal of approval with his Khoon Choos Le number from Go Goa Gone says ldquoI feel that the film and music industry is opening up to new talent Neeti Mohan is in great demand after she crooned Jiya Re for Jab Tak Hai Jaanu00a0 The last year or so has been all about launching fresh faces and new voices I think it also has a lot to do with the new breed of music composers being given more opportunitiesrdquo Another budding entrant to the music industry music composer Shankar Mahadevanrsquos son Siddharth Mahadevan too is making his mark as a composer and playback singer Arijit Singhrsquos Tum Hi Ho from Aashiqui 2 is on everyonersquos lips The 20yearold whorsquos the voice behind Bhaag Milkha Bhaagrsquos song Zinda says itrsquos a great time to be in the industry ldquoThis change has happened over a span of the last three or four years Gone are the days when one male singer and one female singer used to sing all the songs in an album Now everyonersquos looking for a unique texture and a new voicerdquo he adds Nikhil DrsquoSouza whorsquos lent his voice to songs like Shaam Aisha Gubbare Ek Main Aur Ek Tu and Jannatein Kahan Jannat 2 believes that the experimentation with new voices and sounds has been happening for at least a couple of years ldquoFor my part Irsquom not a classically trained vocalist but fortunately some songs require a more raw nonclassical perhaps even a western pop approach that might appeal to a younger section of the audience It definitely is a good time to be in an industry that is more accepting of nontraditional playback singingrdquo As a filmmaker too directors are constantly on the lookout to add that extra zing in their filmrsquos music by including singers who sound different Director Anurag Basu shares the experience of working on the songs of Barfi ldquoThere are so many talented new singers now that we had a choice of at least three or four artistes for each song of the film It was really difficult to decide on the final voice for the songsrdquo he says As a result the soundtrackrsquos credits included names of new singers including Nikhil Paul George Papon and Arijit Singh Change for the better Mithoon credits this change to the change in the mindsets of people especially those within the industry including filmmakers and music composers ldquoLook at the scripts being written today some of them are so offbeat that their songs demand a new voicerdquo he elaborates Giving the example of Aashiqui 2 he explains the reason behind taking Arijit Singh for Tum Hi Ho ldquoI told Mohit Suri that we need to have a new voice more so because the actors are also relatively new The fresh voice will add both to the actor and to the songrsquos aurardquo he says The plethora of music reality shows on almost every television channel provides a great platform for upcoming singers too ldquoI think more and more people are showing courage and coming to the industry to try their luck here I think thatrsquos a very encouraging moverdquo feels Basu For some singers this change in filmmakers and their mindsets has changed their life ldquoWhen I had no plans of getting into Bollywood and never saw it as a potential place to make a career in I was presented an opportunity to sing one song It just changed everything for merdquo says Shalmali Kholgade who made her debut with Pareshaan Ishaqzaade and is the voice behind the foottapping Lat Lag Gayee Race 2 and Daaru Desi Cocktail Hurdles on the way Even though the playback industry has become a lot more welcoming than it was a couple of years back and the struggle to get that break a lot more easier there are many times that the newbie singers have felt shortchanged ldquoThere are always instances where a music director will not pay you to sing a lsquoscratchrsquo especially if yoursquore a newcomer And sometimes they neglect to pay even when a song is finalised for the soundtrackrdquo shares DrsquoSouza On the other hand he says that there are those who insist that the singers bill them and make sure they get paid on time ldquoAs a newcomer to playback singing you learn to get used to and accept both sidesrdquo he adds Kholgade agrees ldquoIt is important to weigh the opportunity against the remuneration One wrong judgement there and you stand to lose a lot I realised this early and with the backing of a few important people who guide me on occasion Irsquove managed to make the best of all kinds of workrdquo Striving for more Just like every coin has another side the opening up of the music industry to take in more and more new singers creates a new phenomenon a shorter shelf life for the singers As opposed to those days when a playback singer ruled for decades the audience is more likely to forget about a singer in a couple of months Kanungo whorsquos planning to launch his solo album soon says ldquoWe all try our best Some of us succeed and keep succeeding while some donrsquot Success is something I canrsquot control so I try not to think about it too muchrdquo Mahadevan too believes in giving every song his best shot ldquoIf yoursquore mediocre there are a million people just waiting to push and get ahead But if you excel at what you do then there will always be a demand for your work And thatrsquos true of almost every fieldrdquo he adds While the mantra is to keep working hard and concentrate on the job at hand many singers have either backup plans or alternate sources of income ldquoMy main focus is on my original music for my band and there are other ways to make your money such as ad jingles However a quality singer will always find work in playbackrdquo says DrsquoSouza while Kholgade says that shersquos taken up financial planning seriously for that very reason ldquoI donrsquot see my musical career limited to Bollywood Anything that ties my hands about when and how long I want to work makes me extremely uneasy I will continue my independent music writing and performing as long as I feel like even if my Bollywood career endsrdquo she insists For singer Arijit Singh whose Tum Hi Ho Aashiqui 2 is on everyonersquos lips these days itrsquos music production that provides his bread and butter He says ldquoIn this day and age if a singer thinks he or she can rule for a long time then the personrsquos mistaken There are so many genres today that even nonsingers can singrdquo Mithoon couldnrsquot agree more ldquoI donrsquot believe in shelf life for a singer Film music is not the only medium left for singers today There are various ways to reach your fans including tours concerts and the digital platformrdquo he says So does all this mean that the days of the musical superstars are over The times when we could identify a Dev Anand with a Kishore Kumar or a Rekha with an Asha Bhosle With offbeat films fresh scripts and the constant demand for unique voices that does seem to be the case Budding new singers are entering the music industry every other day but for how long can they sustain their popularity is something only time will revealu00a0 The songs and the singer Sawaar Loon Lootera Aga Bai Aiyya Monali Thakur Phir Mohabbat Murder 2 Phir Le Aaya Dil Reprise and Saawali Si Raat Barfi Rabta Agent Vinod Tum Hi Ho Aashiqui 2 Dilliwali Girlfriend Kabira Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani Arijit Singh Tum Tak Raanjhanaa Mujhme Tu Special 26 Nakkadwale Disco Udharwale Khisko Delhi Belly Keerthi Sagathia Ishq Wala Love Student of the Year Jiya Re Jab Tak Hai Jaan Nazar Laaye Raanjhanaa Neeti Mohan Main Kya Karoon and Aashiyan Barfi Nikhil Paul George Tu Mera Hero Desi Boyz Ek Main Aur Ek Tu Ek Main Aur Ek Tu Tera Naam Japti Phiraan Cocktail Party On My Mind Race 2 Shefali Alvares Meethi Boliyaan Kai Po Che Mili Nair Subhanallah Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani Sreeram Second Hand Jawaani Cocktail Neha Kakkar