Shreya Ghoshal

Biography:

Shreya Ghoshal, born on March 12, 1984, is a highly acclaimed Indian singer known for her remarkable vocal range and versatility. She is regarded as one of India’s most prolific and beloved singers, having lent her voice to numerous films and albums in various Indian and foreign languages. Her illustrious career has been adorned with numerous awards, including five National Film Awards, four Kerala State Film Awards, two Tamil Nadu State Film Awards, two BFJA Awards, seven Filmfare Awards, and ten Filmfare Awards South.

Shreya Ghoshal’s musical journey began at the age of four, and she commenced formal training in classical music at six. Her breakthrough came at sixteen when she won the television singing reality show Sa Re Ga Ma, catching the attention of filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s mother. This led to her Bollywood playback singing debut in Bhansali’s romantic drama “Devdas” (2002), where she earned accolades, including a National Film Award, a Filmfare Award, and a Filmfare RD Burman Award for New Music Talent.

In addition to her playback singing career, Ghoshal has served as a judge on various television reality shows and appeared in music videos. She has received honors and recognition on both national and international fronts. Notably, she was celebrated in Ohio, USA, where June 26, 2010, was declared “Shreya Ghoshal Day” by Governor Ted Strickland. In April 2013, she was honored in London by selected members of the House of Commons in the United Kingdom. She has consistently featured in Forbes’ list of the top 100 celebrities from India. In 2017, Shreya Ghoshal became the first Indian singer to have her wax figure displayed at Madame Tussauds Museum in Delhi.

Shreya Ghoshal was born into a Bengali Brahmin family in Berhampore, Murshidabad, West Bengal, on March 12, 1984. She spent her childhood in Rawatbhata, a small town near Kota, Rajasthan. Her father, Bishwajit Ghoshal, is an electrical engineer at the Nuclear Power Corporation of India, while her mother, Sarmistha Ghoshal, holds a postgraduate degree in literature. Shreya began learning music at the age of four and has a younger brother, Soumyadeep Ghoshal, who is also a musician.

Her early education took place at the Atomic Energy Central School No.4 in Rawatbhata, where she completed up to the eighth grade. In 1995, she won the All India Light Vocal Music Competition in New Delhi in the Light Vocal group’s sub-junior level. In 1997, due to her father’s transfer to the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, the family relocated to Mumbai, where she continued her education at the Atomic Energy Central School in Anushakti Nagar. She initially pursued science at the Atomic Energy Junior College but later switched to arts with English as her major at the SIES College of Arts, Science, and Commerce in Mumbai.

Shreya Ghoshal’s musical journey included early training from her mother, who accompanied her on the Tanpura for Bengali songs. At the age of six, she began receiving formal classical music training, first with Late Kalyanji Bhai for 18 months and later with Late Mukta Bhide in Mumbai. Her debut stage performance took place at a club’s annual function. She started her Hindustani classical music lessons at the age of six. In the year 2000, at the age of sixteen, she participated in and won the television music reality show Sa Re Ga Ma (now Sa Re Ga Ma Pa) on Zee TV.