The Indian sub-continent is made up of several diverse nations. These nations differ greatly from one another. However, as a whole, the sub-continent exhibits homogeneity amid diversity by sharing a similar culture up to a good extent. Because of their shared musical heritage and aesthetics, Pakistan and India have both admired singers from the other country. The list of singers is long, but we would try to cover Top 3 singers of India and Pakistan.
Top 3 Male Singers of India
India has always been rich in art and proud of its culture but despite the changes brought about by modernity, the love of music in people’s hearts has remained unchanged. A few of the most popular singers in India are:
1) Kishore Kumar
Unquestionably, one of the greatest playback singers in Indian cinema, Kishore Kumar had a significant impact on the country’s film industry. With the 1948 release of the movie Ziddi, he started his singing career. He has sung in more than ten Indian regional languages and has won 8 film fare awards and numerous other accolades. His ability to take chances and produce groundbreaking masterpieces like “Mere Mehboob Qayamat Hogi”, “Aake Seedhi Lage”, and countless more earned him widespread acknowledgement.
2) Mohammad Rafi
Mohammad Rafi performed numerous lovely melodies in a variety of regional languages. He was exceptional in his capacity to alter his voice according to the character he was singing for in the film. He performed almost 4,000 songs and won six film fare awards for playback singing. Rafi transformed every song into one that listeners will never forget, whether they were qawwals, melodies, patriotic songs, or any other genre. He is referred to as the pioneer of male playback singing by some.
3) Udit Narayan
Udit Narayan is one of the most prominent singers of Bollywood throughout the 1990s and early 2000s. For several Bollywood stars, he had been the on-screen singing voice. He performed songs in several other languages, including Telugu, Kannada, Tamil, Bengali, and Bojhpuri. Udit won 4 National Film Awards and 5 Filmfare Awards. Alka Yagnik, Kavita Krishnamurthy, and music director Ankit Tiwari are some of Narayan’s young artists who have commended his work. On the list of notable 90s playback singers, Mid-Day included him.
Top 3 Female Singers of India
1) Lata Mangeshkar
Lata Mangeshkar was the most prominent, admired and respected female playback singer. Her career in the music industry has lasted over seven decades; she was also known as the Nightingale of India. She bestowed us with many lovely songs, including “Lag Jaa Gale”, “Aaja Re Pardesi”, “Pyar Kiya Toh Darna Kya”, and a long list of others with her hypnotic voice, which had a range of more than three octaves. Lata is undoubtedly regarded as India’s greatest and most influential singer.
2) Asha Bhosle
Asha Bhosle (Lata’s younger sister) is renowned for her versatile singing. More than a thousand movies have used her playback singing. From upbeat cabaret numbers and ghazals, qawwalis, folk songs, bhajans, and more to romantic and sensual songs; there isn’t any genre that she couldn’t entirely dominate. In her six-decade career, she has worked with almost all of the illustrious music composers of Indian cinema and won seven film fare awards. Moreover, she won many national and international awards and holds the “Guinness Book of World Records” record for being the most-recorded artist in music history.
3) Alka Yagnik
Alka Yagnik is one of the most active female playback singers and has sung a large number of female solos in her Bollywood career. Almost every movie has at least one song performed by her during her glory because she was such a big hit. Alka has won seven film fare awards and two national film awards. She performed over 20,000 songs in her three-decade-long career, many of which are recognized as some of the most memorable songs in the Indian cinema.
Top 3 Male Singers of Pakistan
Similar to India, there is no dearth of singing talent in Pakistan. Pakistani singers have proven this on almost every stage and arena. In fact, band or pop music (non-filmi music) was first gained the popularity in Pakistan.
Music is an essential part of Pakistani culture. Whether it is a wedding celebration, a festival, or any kind of celebration or special occasion, it’s not complete without music. Therefore, it’s not surprising that Pakistan also has some of the best playback singers in the history of cinema. Top 3 renowned singers of Pakistan are:
1) Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
Khan was a Pakistani singer, lyricist, and music director who specialised in the Sufi devotional music called qawwali. Nusrat was well-recognized for having a powerful voice and could perform at a high level of intensity for hours. Early in the 1980s, Oriental Star Agencies, Birmingham, England, signed him. Khan received multiple awards including the President of Pakistan’s Award for Pride of Performance, UNESCO Music Prize and PTV Lifetime Achievement Award. Also, he experimented and collaborated with Western artists, emerging as a prominent artist in global music.
2) Mehdi Hassan
Mehdi Hassan is referred to as the “Shahenshah-e-Ghazal” (Emperor of Ghazal) and is recognized as one of the greatest and most influential personalities in the history of ghazal singing. He is unique in his melodic patterns and for upholding the integrity of the ragas in inventive ways. For his contributions to the arts, Mehdi was awarded the Nishan-e-Imtiaz, Tamgha-e-Imtiaz, Pride of Performance, and Hilal-e-Imtiaz by the Government of Pakistan.
3) Amanat Ali Khan
One of the greatest classical and ghazal singers of all time. Amanat was a Pakistani vocalist from the Patiala gharana lineage of music. Khan performed several patriotic songs throughout his career. He was particularly well recognized for his full-throated and flamboyant upper register singing. For his contributions to classical music, Amanat Ali was honoured with the highest national literary award of Pakistan – the Pride of Performance by the President of Pakistan in 1969.
Top 3 Female Singers of Pakistan
1) Noor Jehan
Noor Jehan is recognized as one of the greatest and most prominent singers on the subcontinent, India and Pakistan. In her adolescence, she migrated to Pakistan from India. She was given the honorific name Malika-e-Tarannum. She held the record for having sung the most film songs in the history of Pakistani cinema. Noor Jehan won more than 15 Nigar Awards for Best Female Singer. She has also received the Millennium Singer Award in Pakistan.
2) Abida Perveen
Abida Perveen is a Pakistani singer, composer and musician of Sufi music. She is often referred to as “The Queen of Sufi Music”. The audience respects her greatly on the stage, and the crowd is captivated by her voice. She had participated in several Indian and Pakistani shows, notably Chhote Ustaad, Star Voice of India, and Pakistan Idol. Abida has won Pride of Performance Award, Hilal-e-Imtiaz Award, Sitara-e-Imtiax Award, Lifetime Achievement Award, and Nishan-e-Imtiaz Award by President Arif Alvi.
3) Nazia Hassan
Nazia Hassan was a Pakistani Pop singer and songwriter. She was also known as the “Sweetheart of Pakistan” and “The Queen of Pop Asian Music”. She released some of her albums, including Boom, Young Tarang, and Hotline. She won the Film Fare Award at the age of 15, making history as the first celebrity from Pakistan. She was honoured with numerous national and international awards, such as the Pride of Performance and Golden Disc Award.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it can be said that India and Pakistan, both have some most renowned, respectable and unmatchable singers who are not only recognized in these countries but also internationally. Like food is popular in India and Pakistan, music is also on the same boat, it is well-known and liked as food. In this blog, we tried to give a glimpse of top 3 singers of India and Pakistan, we hope that you liked it.