Shreya Ghoshal: Bollywood playback singer's journey to motherhood

Shreya Ghoshal has sung in over 18 languages and is one of the most prolific pan Indian singers of the current generation. A celebrated playback singer, she has sung in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Bengali, Bhojpuri, Rajasthani among other Indian languages. This is her journey into the world of singing, her rise to superstardom and her newest role, as mother.

Ghoshal, who was born in West Bengal on March 12, 1984, had music in her bones. She was already singing and performing for her parents’ local club’s annual gala as a four year old.

Ghoshal’s father was an electrical engineer and for some time it seemed like the girl with the golden pipes was going to follow in his footsteps. She graduated from Rawatbhata's Atomic Energy Central School before enrolling in Atomic Energy Junior College in Mumbai.

However, as classes got more and more intense, she realized that science was not for her. She dropped out of Atomic Energy Junior College to pursue singing: she had decided to become a Bollywood playback singer. She subsequently went to Sion's SIES College to study art.

While she comes from a family of educators, Ghoshal has chosen an unconventional path. She sealed her spot in the limelight when she sang on the TV show ‘Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Small Stars’, which she won, of course, at age 16.

That same year, Ghoshal became the voice of stars. Did you know, for instance that she was the voice of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s Paro in ‘Devdas’. Her debut song was ‘Bairi Piya’.

She is a well-known performer and one of the most in-demand Hindi playback singers. But why stop at one language? Ghoshal has also performed in various languages including Angika, Assamese, Bengali, Bhojpuri, French, Gujarati, Malayalam, Malayalam, Marathi, Nepali, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Pakistani, Tulu and Punjabi.

On April 26, 2013, the singer’s work was recognised in London through a prize given to her by selected members of Parliament at the House of Commons. Later, the Governor of Ohio, US, Ted Strickland, declared the June 26 as ‘Shreya Ghoshal Day.’

Her oeuvre extends beyond pop. Ghoshal has sung classical, filmi, ghazal and bhajan songs. She is also a four-time National Film Award winner.

On April 26, 2013, the singer’s work was recognised in London through a prize given to her by selected members of Parliament at the House of Commons. Later, the Governor of Ohio, US, Ted Strickland, declared the June 26 as ‘Shreya Ghoshal Day.’

This year they welcomed a baby boy, whom they named Shreyaditya. Shreya revealed his name on the same day she announced her pregnancy on Instagram in March of this year. She wrote on social media: "The arrival of #Shreyaditya is imminent! Shiladitya Mukhopadhyaya and I are overjoyed to be able to share this good news with you..."