Meet Bollywood's young playback singers

Playback singing in Bollywood is most Indian singer’s dream. And the past year saw young artists realising this dream in an industry that values experience over talent. But thanks to newer music directors, singers as young as 15 got a chance to sing in films that made the box offices around the world ring like crazy. Here are a few of those singers, with their own different journeys, who have not only entertained us, but also stood their ground in their own melodious ways.
Meghna Mishra
Age: 15
After Nazia Hassan, Meghna Mishra is the youngest girl to win the Filmfare award for best playback singer.Currently a school-goer,, Meghna’s singing potential was discovered by her father who noticed that his little girl had something special in her and decided to hone it. By 11, she had already sung for the Marathi film 'Vitti Dandu'. Secret Superstar happened as a sweet accident, when she sent an audio recording on WhatsApp of her singing ‘Phir Le Aaaya Dil’ to Amit Trivedi’s manager, but that doesn’t mean that life’s a cakewalk for her. As someone who has decided to stick to playback singing, Meghna attends school, sings and even performs with Amit Trivedi at concerts. With someone who has performed for thousands of fans, this special girl walks with a hooded jacket in school. Reason? “I like to hang out with my friends, but the juniors would often come to me and ask for an autograph, which makes me feel extremely awkward! So, I wear this hoodie now and don’t go out often. I feel awkward when people ask me fore my autograph, but manaa bhi nahi kar sakti unko,” she laughs.
Kushal Chokshi
Age: 21
Kushal debuted in Bollywood as a playback singer with the romantic number I’ll Miss You in 'Secret Superstar'. Those who have heard it, will never guess that this young man started out as a bhajan singer. A budding composer who dabbles in electronic music, Kushal was already ahead of the curve and singing professionally. “I dabble between Mumbai and Ahmedabad where I live. Singing in reality shows helped me build confidence to sing for a live audience.” Kushal was chosen over 17 other people to sing for his first film, but he didn’t know till the end that he would be singing for Aamir Khan. While he wants to be a music director and is currently fusing house music with Bollywood and folk, Kushal believes that to be a successful playback singer, one needs to think like one. “An original song has to be felt before you can sing it. Recording my debut song only strengthened that belief.” His tip for people who want to get into playback singing? “I can only say that one needs to feel the song, keep practicing and keep learning,” says Kushal, adding that it has worked for him, at least.
Armaan Malik
Age: 22
Armaan Mallik is 22 and has double that number of films to his credit. 2018 is the year he completes a decade as a playback singer. While it has been a ‘surreal journey, it has never been easy. Talking about it, Armaan says, “I have been singing since I was seven and it has been a crazy journey. People don’t count the time I sang for advertisements and other projects, but I was earning money with that.” The only constant, other than his love for music has been the need to stay relevant and fresh. Explaining how he has done that, he says, “My voice has changed at every stage and I have taken it as a challenge to reinvent myself constantly. And I believe it is important for any singer to do that.” He made his debut with a Vishal Shekhar song, Mere Buddy in 2008 and recently, 10 years later, sang another song for them in a Telugu movie starring Allu Arjun. For someone so young, Armaan talks like someone who is wiser than his years. He says, “Whenever my brother Amaal records with Sonu Nigam or Arijit Singh, I make it a point to be there because I learn so much from them. In fact, I want to be a student of music all my life.”
When Armaan talks about singing, it’s as if some old soul is doing the talking. He says, “Whenever a new singer bursts on the scene, they sing so much, do several live shows and overuse their voices and it (the voice) gets tired. I don’t want to commit the same mistake. A guitar can be re-strung but not your voice because it is like a muscle. So what I do is, when I’m not singing, I remain quiet. For me, a lasting voice is more important.”
Pawni Pandey
Age: 25
Pawni Pandey has had an incredible journey as a singer. The 'Laila Main Laila' hitmaker knew she wanted to become a singer as a kid. For that reason alone, she shifted from Jaipur to Mumbai as a kid. Talking about it, she says, “I was 12, when I sang my first song with Uttam Singhji. I was super nervous, but still completed the recording in half an hour.” While she has sung in several films, her moment in the sun is the wildly popular number Laila... She says, “For every singer, there is that one song that transports them to the next level. With me, 'Laila.'.. was that song.”
As a playback singer, Pawni believes that acting through her voice is most important for her. “As singers, we need to make the song our own and have to act with our voices. That is an essential part of playback singing. That’s why it helps a lot if I know who I am singing for and what the situation is.” While she has fun doing live shows, playback singing comes first for her. “Singing live is when I get to connect with my fans, but playback singing is where I get the songs that I can sing in front of my fans,” she adds.