It was in the 60s when Lata Mangeshkar famously demanded Rs 1 more than the lyricist and composer as remuneration in a silent protest against the low salaries of playback singers in Bollywood. The industry surely has come a long way since then. Today, the biggest and most popular singers in India charge in lakhs per song, let alone the entire album. But the highest-paid of them all is not even a full-time singer.
India’s highest-paid singer is...
Music composer AR Rahman is the highest-paid singer in India currently. According to reports, the composer and occasional singer charges as much as Rs 3 crore to sing one song. This is several times higher than any of the other highest-paid singers of India. The reason for this is that Rahman ony sings occasionally and likes to keep a premium on his singing, making sure that he is not approached very often and only when it matters. More often than not, Rahman sings his own songs and very rarely does he lend his voice to a song composed by someone else.
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Other highly-paid Indian singers
Shreya Ghoshal is the highest-paid singer in India after Rahman as she charges up to Rs 25 lakh per song. She is followed by her friend and rival Sunidhi Chauhan alongside Arijit Singh, both of whom reportedly earn Rs 18-20 lakh per song. Both Shaan and Sonu Nigam are estimated to be the next in the list with reported fees of Rs 15-18 lakh per song. Several other singers charge over Rs 10 lakh per song, including Diljit Dosanjh, Badshah, Mika, and Neha Kakkar.
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