South Asia
South Asian movies produced in the Indian subcontinent are particularly known for using this technique. A majority of Indian movies (particularly Bollywood and other regional films) as well as Pakistani movies, typically include six or seven songs. Popular playback singers in India enjoy the same status as popular actors, and music directors, such as Rahul Dev Burman (1939–1994) and A. R. Rahman, also receive wide public admiration.
Most of the playback singers are initially trained in classical music, though they later often expand their range. The sisters Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle, who have mainly worked in Hindi films, are often referred to as two of the best-known and most prolific playback singers in India. In 1991, Mangeshkar was cited by the Guinness Book of World Records for having sung more than 30,000 solo, duet and chorus-backed song recordings, more than any other singer in the world. In 2011, Guinness officially acknowledged Asha Bhosle as the most recorded artist in music history, surpassing her sister.
Other popular singers include but are not limited to Dr. Bhupen Hazarika, Mohammed Rafi, KJ Yesudas,< Mukesh, Manna Dey, Hemant Kumar, Kishore Kumar, Geeta Dutt, Anuradha Paudwal, S.P. Balasubramaniam, K. S. Chitra, S. Janaki, Swarnalatha, Alka Yagnik, Kavita Krishnamurthy, Udit Narayan, Kumar Sanu, Sonu Nigam, Shreya Ghoshal and Sunidhi Chauhan.
Famous Pakistani playback singers include Ahmed Rushdi, Mehdi Hassan, Masood Rana, Adnan Sami Khan, Noor Jehan, Mala and Runa Laila.
Songs in Bollywood movies — the combined products of the talents of lyricists, music directors/composers, and singers — often determine the extent of success of individual movies; as such, playback singers are an important part of the Indian film industry. Soundtracks for movies are usually released before the movies themselves.
Read more about this topic: Playback Singer
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