Illuminated Artiste - Arijit Singh

Featuring in the Illuminated Artiste of the Month spotlight BollyCurry has a man with the velvet voice, one who has captured billions of hearts worldwide with his soulful singing. Even though he just arrived in the Bollywood music industry, the very talented and rather young singer is definitely here to stay as his compositions continue to top the weekly charts at home as well as internationally. We're talking of none other than the mesmerizing Arijit Singh.

Singh is a well-trained classical singer in both Hindi and Bengali and so began his professional musical career when he migrated to Mumbai to pursue his lifelong dream of having his voice heard by the masses. While he was still in college, he received the perfect chance with the reality show Fame Gurukul in 2005 where he challenged his array of capabilities and quickly proved his versatility, thus leaving the show as one of the top six contestants. The show earned him many loyal fans and so he also participated in another reality show named 10 Ke 10 Le Gaye Dil on public demand, which he went on to win with the help of audience vote. 

Carrying on with his singing career in high spirits, Singh worked for the music company TIPS and done some freelance work. However, the small jobs were not taking him to heights of fame he initially anticipated or was touted for. It was not until he was selected as one of the lucky few by ace music directors Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy that his hard work started to reap him some credit, having already been acquainted with Shankar Mahadevan from his Fame Gurukul days. The trio gave him his first commercial break with the album High School Musical 2 for the song "All For One". Heard by the masses, including other music directors, his voice started to slowly reach places. 

Singh's rise in Bollywood began with the song "Phir Mohabbat" from Murder 2 (2011) and there was no looking back from there. Realizing that his voice could be used for soulful, soothing tones, he was then enlisted for further such songs, continuously receiving appreciation along the way. However, he hit mega jackpot in 2013 with the song "Tum Hi Ho" from Aashiqui 2 which bagged him his first ever Filmfare Award for Best Playback Singer. The song has made him the most wanted playback singer across the nation with directors booking him in advance to have him featured on their albums. 

To expand his outreach, Singh also tried his voice in other markets and found instant fame in 2012 with the Bengali song Bojhena Shey Bojhena from a film of the same title. He was so loved by the Bengali audience that he carries on singing for the Bengali film industry even today.

Singh's success and avenue reach does not stop there. He has also given his voice for the tracks of the hit television shows such "Hum Hai Deewane" of the much-loved Colors show Madhubala - Ek Ishq Ek Junoon and title tracks of the Bengali shows Dadagiri featuring Sourav Ganguly and Tomay Amay Mile. He is not only a super talented singer but a wholesome performer as well, performing at many stage shows where he has left his fans amazed and satisfied. 

Amongst all the other talented singers of India, Singh indeed is one of the biggest asset one can procure. Therefore, below is a small list of some of his most loved songs to highlight his immense talent. 

Author: Shikha A.

Editor(s): Fatima W. and Jenifer Y.

Graphics: Shikha A.