News Mania Desk / Piyal Chatterjee / 11th November 2024
When Lata Mangeshkar sought the same compensation as film composers and lyricists in the 1960s, it caused quite a commotion in Bollywood. Despite their popularity, singers received little compensation. At the time, artists like Manna Dey and Mohammed Rafi charged ₹300 for each song. However, things changed as a result of Lata’s stand. As albums gave way to YouTube and then streaming, singers became increasingly important. The most well-known singers in India today can command lakhs of rupees per song. Nevertheless, one man dwarfs them all while not even being a “full-time” singer.
At the moment, India’s highest-paid singer is AR Rahman. Rahman reportedly costs up to ₹3 crore for each song he contributes his voice to, according to many sources verified by industry insiders.
This is twelve to fifteen times what other Indian singers charge. Rahman reportedly charges this fee in an effort to deter composers from contacting him. Rahman hardly never performs anything other than his own songs since he prefers to concentrate on his compositions. However, the producer must pay him that premium each time he contributes his voice to someone else’s work.
Shreya Ghoshal continues to be the highest paid “full-time” singer in India. According to reports, the 40-year-old costs ₹25 lakh for each song she records. Third place goes to Shreya’s contemporaries Sunidhi Chauhan, who bills between ₹18 and ₹20 lakh each song. According to sources, Arijit Singh charges the same price.
Sonu Nigam, who reportedly charges ₹15–18 lakh for a single song, completes the top five. Singer Diljit Dosanjh and rapper Badshah have reportedly increased their prices in recent years and could soon challenge for a spot in the top five.
