Alka Yagnik Biography 2024 Alka Yagnik, born on 20 March 1966, is an Indian playback singer known for her work in Hindi cinema. She is a highly acclaimed singer from the 90s Bollywood era, having won numerous awards such as two National Film Awards, two Bengal Film Journalists’ Association Awards, and a record seven Filmfare Awards for Best Female Playback Singer out of thirty-six nominations.
Alka Yagnik Biography
Yagnik is recognized as one of the most successful female playback singers and artists in Bollywood. Over her extensive career of more than four decades, she has delivered numerous solo performances for female roles in films. With a repertoire exceeding a thousand films and a record of over twenty-one thousand songs in various languages, she has secured a notable position in BBC’s prestigious compilation of the best forty Bollywood soundtracks. As of January 2023, she holds the top spot on YouTube’s Music Charts & Insights as the leading global artist, maintaining a presence on the chart for 331 weeks with an impressive 371 million views.
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Yagnik has been acknowledged as the top streamed artist globally by Guinness World Records in 2022, accumulating 15.3 billion YouTube views. Out of this total, approximately 12.3 billion views, which is 80%, come from users in India. Additionally, she is the artist with the highest number of views in Pakistan, amassing 683 million. Guinness World Records stated that Yagnik, aged 56 and originally from Kolkata, has maintained her position as the most popular artist on the platform for the last three years, achieving 17 billion streams in 2021 and 16.6 billion in 2020.
Modern High School for Girls, Kolkata, West Bengal, India
Debut
Playback Singer:- Song- “Thirkat Ang,” Film- “Payal Ki Jhankaar”
Family
Father- Dharmendra Shankar
Mother- Shubha Yagnik
Brother- Samir Yagnik
Sister- Not Known
Religion
Hinduism
Hobbies
Singing, Reading & Travelling
Controversies
• More than 42 politicians opposed her song “Choli Ke Peeche Kya Hai” on the pretext of using vulgar words. The song was also banned to be played on Doordarshan and All India Radio.
• Once, Alka Yagnik accused Anuradha Paudwal of stealing her songs and dubbing them in her own voice.
Who is Alka Yagnik?
Alka Yagnik, an Indian playback singer, mostly works in Hindi cinema. She is one of the leading singers in Bollywood during the 1990s and has been honored with multiple awards, including two National Film Awards.
Born: 20 March 1966 (age 58 years), Kolkata
Spouse: Neeraj Kapoor (m. 1989)
Children: Syesha Kapoor
Parents: Shubha Yagnik
Siblings: Samir Yagnik
Instrument(s): Vocals
Alka Yagnik’s Net Worth
Alka Yagnik is estimated to have a net worth of $8 million or Rs 60 crore. In her four-decade career, she has sung 2486 Hindi songs in 1114 films.
Husband
Yagnik married Shillong-based businessman Neeraj Kapoor in 1989, with whom she has a daughter named Syesha.
Early life
Yagnik was born in Kolkata on 20 March 1966 to a Gujarati family. Her father is named Dharmendra Shankar, and her mother, Shubha, was a singer of Indian classical music. At the age of six in 1972, she began singing for Akashvani (All India Radio), Calcutta. When she turned 10, her mother took her to Mumbai to pursue a career as a child singer. Despite advice to wait for her voice to mature, her mother was persistent. During a subsequent visit, Yagnik received a letter of introduction to Raj Kapoor from his Kolkata distributor. Kapoor was impressed after hearing her sing and sent her to renowned music director Laxmikant Shantaram Kudalkar with a recommendation. Laxmikant offered her two choices – an immediate opportunity as a dubbing artist or a future chance as a singer; Shubha opted for the latter for her daughter. Yagnik mentioned that she excelled academically but did not enjoy studying.
Physical Stats
Height (approx.)
in centimeters- 163 cm
in meters- 1.63 m
in feet inches- 5’ 4”
Weight (approx.)
in kilograms- 65 kg
in pounds- 143 lbs
Eye Colour
Black
Hair Colour
Dark Brown
Favourites
Food
Gujarati Cuisines, Maharastrian Cuisine, Italian & Chinese
Actor(s)
Salman Khan, Raj Kapoor, Amitabh Bachchan & Amir Khan
Actresses
Aishwarya Rai, Raveena Tandon, Rekha & Alia Bhatt
Singer(s)
Lata Mangeshkar, Sadhna Sargam, Sonu Nigam, Kumar Sanu & Shreya Ghoshal
TV Shows
Indian: Sa re ga ma pa Little Champs(Zee TV), Indian Idol (Sony TV)
Colour(s)
Black, Yellow, Pink & White
Boys and Affairs
Marital Status
Married
Husband/Spouse
Neeraj Kapoor (Shillong-based businessman)
Marriage Date
Year 1989
Children
Son– None Daughter– Syesha Kapoor
Style Quotient
Car Collection
Range Rover (Black)
Money Factor
Salary
Rs. 12 Lakh/Song
Net Worth(Approx)
$8 million
Career
In 1980, at the age of 14, Alka started her singing career with the song Thirkat Ang in the movie Payal Ki Jhankar. Her voice gained recognition with the song Mere Angane Mein from Laawaris in 1981. A significant milestone was her performance of Ek Do Teen in the film Tezaab in 1988, which earned her the Best Female Playback Singer award at the Filmfare. Following this success, she continued to deliver a series of hit songs in various languages including Hindi, Bengali, Assamese, Gujarati, Punjabi, Bhojpuri, Tamil, Malayalam, Marathi, Manipuri, Odia, and Telugu.
Alka gained attention for her duet with Ila Arun, “Choli Ke Piche Kya Hai,” in 1993, which stirred controversy due to its suggestive lyrics. Despite this, she received her second Filmfare award for the song. Throughout the 90s and 2000s, she delivered many beloved hits such as “Tum Yaad Aaye,” “Tum Aaye,” “Chamma Chamma,” and “Pardesi Pardesi.” Alka also lent her voice to government initiatives like “Shiksha ka Suraj” for the National Literacy Mission of India in 2012, “Phool Khil Jaayenge” for a child health awareness campaign in 2014, and “Maine li Jo Angadai” for Women’s Day in the same year.
Records
Alka has achieved the highest number of Filmfare awards for Best Playback Singer, tying with Asha Bhosle at 7 wins each. She has sung approximately 2500 songs in numerous films. Her song “Taal Se Taal Mila” was voted as the song of the century in a poll by DesiMartini, Hindustan Times, and Fever 104. Additionally, in a survey by Sanona, her song “Choli Ke Piche Kya Hai” was chosen as the hottest song of the century. Alka ranks third in the music industry for the most solo songs sung, following Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle.
Personal life
In 1989, she wed Neeraj Kapoor, a businessman from Shillong who is the nephew of a friend of Alka’s mother. Their professions keep them living apart. They have a daughter named Syesha, who previously resided with Alka but is now married and lives with her husband.
Childhood
Alka was born on 20th March 1966 into a Gujarati family in Kolkata (formerly Calcutta). Her father, Dharmendra Shankar, was a businessman, and her mother, Shubha, was an Indian classical singer. Alka’s passion for singing was ignited by her mother, who provided her with singing lessons from a young age. Accompanying her mother to Indian Classical performances in Kolkata, Alka began singing bhajans for Akashvani (All India Radio) in Kolkata at the tender age of six in 1972.
