Shreya Ghoshal

Shreya Ghoshal (born 12 March 1984) is an Indian playback singer who mainly sings in Hindi (715 songs), Kannada (215 songs), Telugu (195 songs), Tamil (127 songs), Bengali (120 songs), and Malayalam (47 songs) films as well as in other Indian languages such as Assamese, Gujarati, Marathi, Nepali, Oriya, and Punjabi. She has received numerous awards and nominations, including four National Film Awards for best playback singer, three State Film Awards, five Filmfare Awards (four for best playback singer), and seven Filmfare Awards South. She has established herself as a leading female playback singer in Indian cinema.

Ghoshal's career began when she won the Sa Re Ga Ma Pa contest. Her Bollywood playback singing career began with Devdas, for which she received a National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer, a Filmfare Award for Best Female Playback Singer, and a Filmfare RD Burman Award for New Music Talent. Since then, she has received many other awards. Ghoshal was also honored from the U.S. state of Ohio, wherein governor Ted Strickland declared 26 June as "Shreya Ghoshal Day". She was also featured in Forbes' list of the top 100 celebrities of India. She was declared the most popular artist on Saavn (an Indian music streaming service) in 2013, followed by Arijit Singh, A. R. Rahman, Atif Aslam, and Mohit Chauhan.

Early life and background

Shreya was born on 12 March 1984 to a Bengali Brahmins family in Berhampore, Dist: Murshidabad, West Bengal.Thereafter, she spent the next three months in her birthplace in West Bengal. She grew up in Rawatbhata, a small town near Kota, Rajasthan, where her father was transferred. Her father, Bishwajit Ghoshal is an electrical engineer and works for the Nuclear Power Corporation of India, and her mother, Sarmistha Ghoshal, is a literature post-graduate. She also has a brother named Soumyadeep Ghoshal, who is seven years her junior. Regarding her family, she said in an interview to the The Hindu, "There is no separate entity. We are one. We function as a team."

Ghoshal lived at Rawatbhata for thirteen years and completed her schooling up to eighth grade at the Atomic Energy Central School, Rawatbhata. In 1997, when her father was transferred to the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Ghoshal relocated to Mumbai with her family. In Mumbai, she studied at the Atomic Energy Central School in Anushaktinagar. She joined the Atomic Energy Junior College to study science. This field held little appeal for her, however, as her musical career in Bollywood had already begun. So, she withdrew from the junior college and enrolled at the SIES College at Sion in Mumbai, where she took up arts with English as her major. The Atomic Energy Central School at Anushaktinagar. Ghoshal studied here from ninth grade to higher secondary

In Rawatbhata, Ghoshal experienced the existence of several cultural programmes and social assemblages, which facilitated the beginning of her musical style. A cultural inclination of her parents and the luck of having a mother as a singer accelerated her musical journey. Her mother sang during rehearsals and she used to repeat by buzzing the same songs with infantile pronunciation. Ghoshal's mother turned out to be her first teacher when, at the age of four, she accompanied her on the harmonium and started practicing songs, chiefly Bengali songs. Her first stage performance was made at their club's annual function. When she turned six, she started her lessons in Hindustani classical music. She was trained in Hindustani classical music by Rakesh Sharma of Kota, Shri Jayawardhan Bhatnagar, the music teacher of her school, and finally from Mahesh Chandra Sharma of Kota. Her introduction to Hindi film songs and Rajasthani folk was made by Shri Jayawardhan Bhatnagar.

In 1995, Ghoshal became the winner of the All India Light Vocal Music Competition in New Delhi, which was organised by the Sangam Kala Group, in the Light Vocal group at a sub-junior level. She made her first on-screen appearance Awaz Nayi Andaz Wohi, which was aired on the channel EL TV. Kalyanji-Anandji and Pandit Rajan and Sajan Mishra served as the judges. She made her first studio recording with the show in 1996. As a child, she won the 75th Children's Special episode of the Sa Re Ga Ma (now Sa Re Ga Ma Pa) contest on Zee TV. She was successful in later episodes of Sa Re Ga Ma when she participated there for a second time. Ghoshal's last connection with Sa Re Ga Ma was the "mega-final" held during the 200th episode on January 1999. It included such judges as Ustad Zakir Hussain, Pandit Ram Narayan, Ustad Vilayat Khan, Girija Devi, Anil Biswas, and Pandit Shivkumar Sharma. Ghoshal was declared the winner of the competition.

Regarding her participation in Sa Re Ga Ma, Ghoshal said, "Sa Re Ga Ma, a popular Indian television show at the time, was on the lookout for talented singers. I grabbed the opportunity and mailed my songs in a cassette. Within days, I was called to audition." The late Kalyanji, who also judged the competition, convinced her parents to move to Mumbai. He asked her father to get transferred if he really wanted a Bollywood career for his daughter. Her father requested a transfer to the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre in Mumbai. She was trained in playback singing by Kalyanji for 18 months and she continued her classical music training with the late Mukta Bhide in Mumbai.

Shreya recorded her first song as a professional singer on mike in Marathi. It was a cover version of Ganraya Rangi Nachato, which was originally sung by Lata Mangeshkar and the recording was done at Suresh Wadkar's studio in Mumbai.

Music career

Ghoshal in 2012

Her first studio album was Bendhechhi Beena, which was released in 1 January 1998, with 14 tracks. Some of her earlier albums include O Tota Pakhi Re, Ekti Katha (1999), Mukhor Porag (2000), and many more, all in the Bengali language.

Ghoshal recorded devotional songs in albums like Banomali Re (2002), and later, Krishna Bina Ache Ke (2007), singing bhajans in praise of Lord Krishna.

Some of her popular early tracks include "Bendhechi Beena Gaan Shonabo" (Bendhechhi Beena, 1998), "Kon Se Aalor Swapno Niye" (Bendhechhi Beena, 1998), "O Tota Pakhi Re" (O Tota Pakhi Re, 1998), "Beje Jaaye Ki Ragini" (O Tota Pakhi Re, 1998), "Mayabono Biharino Ami Noi" (Mukhor Porag, 2000), "Koiray Amar Gopal Krishna" (Banomali Re, 2002), "Songsarye Keu To Karo Noy" (Banomali Re, 2002), "Projapati E Mon" (Jabo Tepantor, 2003) and many more.^citation needed]

2002-04: Devdas and entry into Bollywood

Ghoshal caught the attention of director Sanjay Leela Bhansali when she participated in the 75th Children's Special episode of Sa Re Ga Ma. Bhansali's mother was watching the show and during Shreya's performance, she called him to watch the performance of the "girl". After watching Shreya's performance, Bhansali made up his mind that he would select the girl for his next project. According to him, Shreya's voice had the innocence needed for the character of Paro in Devdas. He faced some difficulty when trying to locate her after the show, as the only thing that he remembered regarding the girl's name was that it started with the Hindi letter '¶'. So, he contacted Gajendra Singh, the creator of the show and told him every details of the girl he knew (thin, black curly hair etc.), to which Singh replied that the girl must be Shreya.

In 2000, Bhansali and music director Ismail Darbar offered her the opportunity to be the voice of Paro, the lead female character of Devdas, who was portrayed by Aishwarya Rai. While recollecting the incident when Bhansali called her for the first time, Ghoshal said in an interview, "Sanjayji tried to trace me. I remember that phone call. I could not believe that the director of Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam was on the line, asking for me. The film was such a hit, yet Sanjayji was so polite and humble. I was speechless." Ghoshal sang five songs in the film, namely, "Silsila Ye Chaahat Ka", "Bairi Piya", "Chalak Chalak", "Morey Piya", and "Dola Re Dola", with established singers like Udit Narayan, Vinod Rathod, Kavita Krishnamurthy, KK, and Jaspinder Narula. "Bairi Piya" was an instant success and topped the charts. " I remember I was asked to rehearse the song once before finally recording it. I simply closed my eyes and sang without a break. When I opened my eyes, I noticed a lot of excitement and chaos outside the recording room. Then Sanjayji told me I had sung the song so well that they had recorded it at one go. "

--Ghoshal sharing the experience of her first Bollywood recording, "Bairi Piya"

She was only 16 when she recorded the first song for the film, "Bairi Piya" with Udit Narayan. According to her, to date she has not rehearsed so much for a film as she did for Devdas. She was a part of the recording for Devdas right from the beginning i.e., when the songs were composed and lyrics were penned, and she used to go to the recording studio everyday. Her Higher Secondary Examinations were nearing that time and she would take her books and notebooks to the studio in order to study during downtime. She added, "I have always admired Aishwarya. I was so excited when I realised I would sing for her. I met her first on the sets of Devdas. She is so humble. I remember between shots, we would sit together, and Sanjayji would ask me to sing Lataji's songs. Aishwarya has a ear for music, so she would join in too. When I sang, I imagined myself to be Paro. Just like Aishwarya, I tried to bring in the Paro's pain, confidence and innocence."

Devdas helped Ghoshal achieve national fame with the help of awards such as a Filmfare Award for Best Female Playback Singer for "Dola Re", a National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer for "Bairi Piya", an IIFA Award for Best Female Playback for "Dola Re", a Zee Cine Award for Best Playback Singer - Female for "Dola Re", etc. Her performance also won her the RD Burman Award for New Music Talent.

She was an immediate success and was called by various regional film industries for recording songs in her voice. She was soon offered parts in upcoming projects such as Munna Bhai M.B.B.S., Shart: The Challenge, Tujhe Meri Kasam, Julie Ganapathi, Thoda Tum Badlo Thoda Hum, and Desh Devi Maa Ashapura. Ghoshal was a playback singer many times in 2003 for films such as Saaya, Jism, Tujhe Meri Kasam, Armaan, Xcuse Me, Inteha, Out of Control, Munna Bhai M.B.B.S., and LOC Kargil. Her song "Jaadu Hai Nasha Hai" from Jism won her the Filmfare Award for Best Female Playback Singer, the IIFA Award for Best Female Playback, and a Screen Award for Best Female Playback in 2004. The song was also nominated in the Zee Cine Award for Best Playback Singer - Female category. In 2004, Ghoshal lent her voice to various composers for films like Plan, Khakee, Shikaar, Tum - A Dangerous Obsession, Muskaan, Krishna Cottage, Main Hoon Na, Aan: Men at Work, Girlfriend, Garv, Dhoom, Phir Milenge, Tumsa Nahin Dekha - A Love Story, King of Bollywood, Shukriya: Till Death Do Us Apart, Rok Sako To Rok Lo, Musafir, and Dil Maange More. Some of Shreya's favourite songs during this period are "Silsila Ye Chahat Ka from Devdas and "Aye Meri Zindagi" from Saaya. Shreya Ghoshal dubbing a song for 'Saali Khushi'

2005-07: Zeher, Parineeta and into the limelight

2005 was a prolific release year for Ghoshal. The year started with songs from Elaan, Blackmail, Jurm, Fun - Can Be Dangerous Sometimes, and Classic Dance of Love, where she recorded for composers such as Anu Malik, Kalyanji Anandji, Sanjeev Darshan, Bappi Lahiri etc. Ghoshal recorded the song "Agar Tum Mil Jao" for Roop Kumar Rathod, which was featured in the album Zeher (2005). The song topped the charts and was also a part of the compilation album Evergreen Romantic Hits. "Agar Tum Mil Jao" was also well received by critics and reviewers of Planet Bollywood and Glamsham. Her voice also became a part for films such as Shabd, Kuch Meetha Ho Jaye, Mumbai Xpress, Main Aisa Hi Hoon, Nazar, Yakeen, and many more, thereby working for even more composers like Vishal-Shekhar, Himesh Reshammiya, and Ilaiyaraaja. Later on, Shreya came up with the popular romantic track "Piyu Bole" from Parineeta, a composition by Shantanu Moitra, which proved popular in India. The song was also included in the list of Shreya Ghoshal's Top 5 Bollywood songs as published by Bollywood Celebden. The song also received good reviews by Planet Bollywood, Glamsham, and Rediff.com. "Piyu Bole" was also included in the album Saif Ali Khan Hits. It won her another Zee Cine Award and Screen Award . Both "Piyu Bole" and "Agar Tum Mil Jao" were nominated for the Filmfare Award for Best Female Playback Singer, and "Piyu Bole" was also nominated for IIFA Award for Best Female Playback. Shreya's career took a high leap as she received her second National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer for the song "Dhire Jalna" from Paheli, a composition by M. M. Keeravani, which received positive reviews from Planet Bollywood, Glamsham, and Rediff.com. According to her, this second National Award was one of the rarest achievements. Her song "Naam Adaa Likhna" from Yahaan was also commented as one of the best pieces of 2005 by Planet Bollywood. The song is a favourite of Ghoshal's. Further on in 2005, Ghoshal also rendered songs for films like Fareb, Aashiq Banaya Aapne, James, Rain: The Terror Within..., Shaadi No. 1, and Vaah! Life Ho Toh Aisi!.

Right from the beginning of 2006, people experienced many of Ghoshal's songs in films like Jawani Diwani: A Youthful Joyride, Holiday, Fight Club - Members Only, Malamaal Weekly, Chand Ke Paar Chalo, Banaras, Saawan... The Love Season, Ankahee, Chup Chup Ke, Krrish, The Killer, Omkara, Anthony Kaun Hai?. Shreya herself mentioned the songs "Ek Pal" from Ankahee and "O Saathi Re" from Omkara as some of her favourites in her official website. Later that year, Ghoshal came up with a hit song from the film Lage Raho Munna Bhai named "Pal Pal Har Pal", a composition by Shantanu Moitra. Planet Bollywood commented that the song was by far the best piece in the soundtrack and amongst the most melodious tracks of the year. It was also regarded as an excellent track by Oneindia.in. The song was nominated for the Filmfare Award for Best Female Playback Singer and IIFA Award for Best Female Playback categories. Later on, her songs in 2006 were carried in films like Naksha, Shiva, Kachchi Sadak, Dor, Iqraar by Chance, Vivah, With Love Tumhara, Aryan, Bhagam Bhag, and many more.

The year 2007 started with a hit song for Ghoshal, "Barso Re" from Guru, a composition by A.R. Rahman. It received mixed reviews from critics of Planet Bollywood and Rediff.com. Reviewers of Oneindia.in praised Ghoshal's rendition of the song and opined that it was a different incarnation of Shreya Ghoshal in comparison to her previous records. It also received positive remarks from news agencies like Apun Ka Choice, Glamsham, and Bollywood Mantra. The song won her popular accolades like the Filmfare Award for Best Female Playback Singer, the IIFA Award for Best Female Playback, the Zee Cine Award for Best Playback Singer - Female, the Screen Award for Best Female Playback, and the Apsara Award for Best Female Playback Singer. After singing for films like Salaam-e-Ishq: A Tribute to Love, Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd., Ta Ra Rum Pum, Cheeni Kum, Aap Kaa Surroor, Heyy Babyy, Dhokha, Victoria No. 203, Aag, Apna Asmaan, and Dhol, Ghoshal came up with another hit classical number, "Mere Dholna" from Bhool Bhulaiyaa, composed by Pritam Chakraborty. It received praise from Glamsham, Planet Bollywood, Rediff.com, and Business of Cinema. The song was nominated for the IIFA Award in the Best Female Playback category. Soon after that, Shreya came up with the song ""Yeh Ishq Haaye" from Jab We Met, which was successful in earning her a third National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer. The song was nominated for the IIFA Award for Best Female Playback, the Filmfare Award for Best Female Playback Singer, and the Screen Award for Best Female Playback categories. After this, Ghoshal sang for films like Laaga Chunari Mein Daag, Mumbai Salsa, Om Shanti Om, Aaja Nachle, Khoya Khoya Chand, Welcome, and Showbiz.

2008-present

Shreya at Teen Kaniya's song recording, 2012

After singing for films like U Me Aur Hum, Sirf, Ghatothkach, Dashavatar, Mere Baap Pehle Aap, De Taali, Haal-e-dil, Khushboo, Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic, Thodi Life Thoda Magic, and Kismat Konnection, Shreya recorded another hit song for Singh Is Kinng, titled "Teri Ore", which was composed by Pritam Chakraborty. It received mixed reviews from critics of Glamsham, Rediff.com, Planet Bollywood, Hindustan Times, and Apun Ka Choice. This song earned her a fourth Filmfare, fourth IIFA, and second Apsara Award. After that, she lent for voice for films like Bachna Ae Haseeno, God Tussi Great Ho, Chamku, Welcome to Sajjanpur, Hari Puttar: A Comedy of Terrors, Kidnap, Cheenti Cheenti Bang Bang, Karzzzz, Ek Vivaah... Aisa Bhi, Deshdrohi, Dostana, Yuvvraaj, Ru Ba Ru and others. Among these, she stated that the songs "Latto" (Ghajini), "Tujh Mein Rab Dikhta Hai" (Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi) and "Main Chali Main Chali" (Black and White) as her favorites. In this year, she also received her fourthNational Film Award for the songs "Pherari Mon" (Antaheen) and "Jeev Dangla" (Jogwa).

Shreya Ghoshal had the experience of working with numerous music directors, some of which in alphabetical order are Aadesh Shrivastava, Adnan Sami, Ajay-Atul, Amar Mohile, Amit Trivedi, Anand Milind, Anand Modak, Anu Malik, Anand Raj Anand, A.R. Rahman, Bapi Tutul, Bappi Lahiri, Bharathwaj, Debajyoti Mishra, Deepak Pandit, Devi Sri Prasad, G. V. Prakash Kumar, D.Imman, Harris Jayaraj, Himesh Reshammiya, Illayaraja, Ismail Darbar, Jatin Lalit, Jeet, Joy Sarkar, Kailash-Naresh-Paresh, Karthik Raja, Koti, K. M. Radha Krishnan, Lalit Sen, Mani Sharma, M. M. Keeravani, M. Jayachandran, Monty Sharma, Mano Murthy, Nadeem Shravan, Nikhil Vinay, Pyarelal, R. P. Patnaik, Pritam Chakraborty, Rajesh Roshan, S. A. Rajkumar, Raju Singh, Ranjit Barot, Ram Sampath, Ravindra Jain, Roop Kumar Rathod, Sajid-Wajid, Salim-Sulaiman, Sandesh Shandilya, Sanjay Bhansali, Sanjeev Darshan, Sen Brothers, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, Shantanu Moitra, Sukhvinder Singh, Uttam Singh, Vidyasagar, Viju Shah, Vishal Bhardwaj, Vishal-Shekhar, Yuvanshankar Raja, and many others.

She has received State Film Awards from the Malayalam and Tamil industries and Filmfare awards in Hindi, Malayalam, Bengali, Kannada, Tamil, and Telugu industries. She debuted in the South through the song "Yen Chellam" in Vasantha Balan's Tamil film Album, and she received success after singing "Munbe Vaa" from Sillunu Oru Kaadhal under composer A. R. Rahman. She debuted in Malayalam through a studio album of composer Alphons Joseph and later gave voice to his song "Vida Parayukayano" from Big B. Her songs in the Malayalam film Anwar became hits in Kerala and topped several charts. She is known for her frequent association with Malayalam music director M Jayachandran. In 2010, Ghoshal sang for the English independent film When Harry Tries to Marry.

Concerts and other activities

Ghoshal at her concert in Toronto, 2012

From the year 2011, Ghoshal became active in musical concerts all over the world. In 2011, she performed at the Wembley Arena in London and the De Montfort Hall in Leicester. In 2012, she performed at the Rosemont Theatre in Chicago, the Sun National Bank Center in Trenton, New Jersey, the Hershey Centre in Toronto, the Ovens Auditorium in Charlotte, North Carolina, the Colden Center Auditorium in Queens College, City University of New York, the Ohio Theatre in Columbus, Ohio, the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida, the Cullen Center in Houston, the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre in Atlanta, the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C., the Garland Special Events Center in Garland, Texas, the San Jose Center for the Performing Arts in San Jose, California, the Mohegan Sun in Connecticut, and many more in other places like Connecticut, Georgetown, Guyana etc.

In 2013, Shreya performed in various places in Australia and New Zealand such as the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre, the Dallas Brooks Center in Melbourne, the Sydney Opera House in Sydney, the Vodafone Events Centre in Auckland, etc. She also performed at the Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium in United Arab Emirates.

In 2013, Ghoshal paid a tribute to the casualties of an excessive rainfall in Mauritius with a concert at the The Swami Vivekananda International Convention Centre inPailles. After the concert she tweeted, "Thank you Mauritius for showing up today in spite of all the unfortunate that struck us! My sincere prayers to the departed souls. Hope the families find strength in these times. May this paradise called Mauritius never ever see such wrath of nature. God bless this beautiful country."

Along with singer Hrishikesh Ranade, Shreya made a stage performance during the 18th annual day celebration of Airports Authority of India in 2013 and sang some of her hit songs. Later in 2013, Ghoshal made a UK and Europe tour in which she sang at various places in Europe, as a celebration of 100 years of Bollywood. She performed at the Bridgewater Hall in Manchester, the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham, the Newport Centre in Newport, the Kultur Casino in Bern, the PWA Silverdome in Zoetermeer, the De Montfort Hall in Leicester, and the Royal Albert Hall in Westminster, London. She gave a tribute to many legendary playback singers of Bollywood. After Royal Albert Hall she tweeted, "Thank you London for giving me this high tonight. Being able to perform here at the Royal Albert Hall itself was a dream come true. And you just elevated this experience of a lifetime to just another level. Thank you for being this brilliant audience".

Shreya also performed at the North American Bengali Conference 2013 Concert in Toronto, serving as the Chief Guest of the grand event.

The Project Resound

In 2013, Ghoshal collaborated with singer Kailash Kher for the first time for a mission named "The Project Resound: Upgrade your Ears", in which they composed a song of their own named "Naina Chaar". The mission, which was initiated by Sony Music India, aims to make people aware of the rising technological advancement in the field of music, which may make it difficult to distinguish between noise and music. This project also promotes the use of Sony headphones. Regarding this mission, Shreya said, "For the past two years, I have been craving to do something different...the kind of sound and experimentation you don't get in the daayra of Bollywood. It's only when you get this kind of independence that your music takes flight."

On-screen appearances

Shreya Ghosal on the sets of X Factor India

Ghoshal was a judge for Star Voice Of India-Chhote Ustaad with singer Kunal Ganjawala and composer Pritam Chakraborty. She was one of the three judges in X Factor India with Sonu Nigam and Sanjay Leela Bhansali. In 2012, Ghoshal appeared as the celebrity judge for the first season of Josco Indian Voice on Malayalam channel Mazhavil Manorama, along with singers Sreenivas and Sujatha Mohan. Shreya Ghoshal at the press conference of Indian Idol Junior

Shreya was a captain on the singing show Music Ka Maha Muqqabla along with Shankar Mahadevan, Shaan, Himesh Reshammiya, Mohit Chauhan, and Mika Singh. Her team was called Shreya's Superstars, the members of which included Abhas Joshi, Aneek Dhar, Ujjaini Mukherjee, and Rehman Ali. Her team lost in the semifinals, which was opposite Shaan's team, Shaan's Strikers. Singer Rahul Vaidya, who was a member of Shankar Mahadevan's team, Shankar's Rockstars, proposed to Shreya Ghoshal in this show on national television. Singers Ravi Shukla and Vedala Hemachandra of Mohit Chauhan's Mohit's Fighters and even Mika Singh were reported to flirt with Shreya on the show.

In 2013, Ghoshal appeared as a judge for Indian Idol Junior season 1, along with Vishal Dadlani and Shekhar Ravjiani. Regarding Indian Idol Junior, Shreya told in an interview, "I didn't expect them to be so talented. We will spend a few months in the process of making them stars and we hope we achieve it. These kids have become our responsibility." Four promos of the show featured the three judges in different activities, which included a ball dance and retro style dancing. Along with Vishal-Shekhar, Shreya was featured in the four promo songs: "Tujhe Dekha To Yeh Jaana Sanam", "Yaadon Ki Baarat", "Zohrajabeen", and "Radha".

In 2011, she appeared on TV in advertisements for the jewelry store Joyalukkas in 5 languages: Hindi, Malayalam, Kannada, Tamil, and Telugu. In 2003, Ghoshal made an on-screen appearance in the film Saaya, singing a devotional song, "Har Taraf".

Ghoshal was also seen in a talk show named Ghosh & Co., hosted by the late Rituparno Ghosh, which was aired on the Bengali entertainment channel STAR Jalsha. In the show, Ghoshal shared the experience of her first audio recording as per the request of Rituparno Ghosh. According to her, the day when she recorded "Bairi Piya" for Devdas was a rainy day in July. Director Sanjay Leela Bhansali did not inform her that the day was the recording day itself, having told her to come to the studio for rehearsal. When everything was ready, she closed her eyes and sang the whole song in one go. When she opened her eyes after singing, she saw many happy faces in the monitor room. Sanjay Leela Bhansali complimented her. According to her, she was quite taken aback when she was informed that the song was recorded. Later on, some parts of the song were re-recorded because of some lyrical changes.

Popularity in Social Media

Ms Shreya is immensely popular on Facebook.com. Till August 5, 2014, with 21.29 Million likes she is the most liked Indian closely followed by Sachin Tendulkar (21.22 Million) on the popular social networking site. Despite being a background singer and keeping a low key affair, Ms Ghoshal is ahead of her Bollywood contemporaries on Facebook including AR Rehman (19.8 Million), Salman Khan (17 Million Likes), Amitabh Bachhan (13 Miilion), Sunidhi Chauhan (12 Million) and Shahrukh Khan (9.5 Million).

Galleries of Shreya Ghoshal