Playback singer

A playback singer is a singer whose singing is prerecorded for use in movies. Playback singers record songs for soundtracks, and actors or actresses lip-sync the songs for cameras, while the actual singer does not appear on screen.

Contents

South Asia

South Asian movies produced in the Indian subcontinent are particularly known for using this technique. A majority of Indian movies (particularly Bollywood and other regional films) as well as Pakistani movies, typically include six or seven songs. Popular playback singers in India enjoy the same status as popular actors, and music directors, such as Rahul Dev Burman (1939–1994)[1][2] and A. R. Rahman,[3] also receive wide public admiration.

Most of the playback singers are initially trained in classical music, though they later often expand their range.[4] The sisters Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle, who have mainly worked in Hindi films, are often referred to as two of the best-known and most prolific playback singers in India.[5][6][7][8][9] In 1991, Mangeshkar was cited by the Guinness Book of World Records for having sung more than 30,000 solo, duet and chorus-backed song recordings, more than any other singer in the world.[10][11] In 2011, Guinness officially acknowledged Asha Bhosle as the most recorded artist in music history, surpassing her sister.[12]

Other popular singers include but are not limited to Dr. Bhupen Hazarika, Mohammed Rafi,[5] Mukesh, Manna Dey, K. J. Yesudas, P Jayachandran, Kishore Kumar, Geeta Dutt, Anuradha Paudwal, S.P. Balasubramaniam, K. S. Chitra, P. Susheela, S. Janaki,[13] Swarnalatha,[14] Alka Yagnik, Kavita Krishnamurthy, Udit Narayan, Kumar Sanu, Sonu Nigam, Shreya Ghoshal and Sunidhi Chauhan.[15][16]

Famous Pakistani playback singers include Ahmed Rushdi,[17] Mehdi Hassan, Masood Rana, Adnan Sami Khan, Noor Jehan, Mala and Runa Laila.[18][19]

Songs in Bollywood movies — the combined products of the talents of lyricists, music directors/composers, and singers — often determine the extent of success of individual movies; as such, playback singers are an important part of the Indian film industry. Soundtracks for movies are usually released before the movies themselves.

Hollywood

Playback singing is not as common in Hollywood given the fact that musicals are not as frequent. It was, however, more widely used in the past. Notable Hollywood performances include Bill Lee voicing the Christopher Plummer character in The Sound of Music,[20], Lindsay Ridgeway for Ashley Peldon's character as Darla Dimple in the animated film Cats Don't Dance, and Betty Noyes singing for Debbie Reynolds in Singin' in the Rain,[21] a movie in which playback singing is a major plot point.

See also

References

  1. ^ Wolk, Douglas (April 1999). "Kill Your Radio: Music On The 'Net". CMJ New Music (Electro Media): 61. 
  2. ^ D. Booth, Gregory (2008). Behind the curtain: making music in Mumbai's film studios. OUP USA. pp. 275–276. ISBN 0195327640. 
  3. ^ Srinivasan, Meera (27 February 2009). "Fans spend a sleepless night". The Hindu. http://www.hindu.com/2009/02/27/stories/2009022759331200.htm. Retrieved 2009-08-18. 
  4. ^ Rajamani, Radhika (17 February 2003). "Realising a dream". The Hindu. http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/mp/2003/02/17/stories/2003021701130200.htm. Retrieved 2009-07-22. 
  5. ^ a b Gangadhar, v. (18 May 2001). "Only the best preferred". The Hindu. http://www.hindu.com/2001/05/18/stories/09180701.htm. Retrieved 2009-07-22. 
  6. ^ Gulzar; Nihalani, Govind; Chatterji, Saibal (2003). Encyclopaedia of Hindi Cinema. Popular Prakashan. pp. 72–73. ISBN 8179910660. 
  7. ^ Arnold, Alison (2000). The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music. Taylor & Francis. pp. 420–421. ISBN 0824049462. 
  8. ^ Yasmeen, Afshan (21 September 2004). "Music show to celebrate birthday of melody queen". The Hindu. http://www.hindu.com/lf/2004/09/21/stories/2004092114010200.htm. Retrieved 2009-08-19. 
  9. ^ Pride, Dominic (August 1996). "The Latest Music News From Around The Planet". Billboard: 51. 
  10. ^ Puri, Amit (24 February 2003). "Dedicated to Queen of Melody". The Tribune, Chandigarh. http://www.tribuneindia.com/2003/20030224/login/music.htm. Retrieved 2009-08-18. 
  11. ^ "Melody Queen Lata rings in 75th birthday quietly". The Tribune, Chandigarh. 29 September 2004. http://www.tribuneindia.com/2004/20040929/nation.htm#12. Retrieved 2009-08-18. 
  12. ^ Banerjee, Soumyadipta (2011-10-22). "It’s a world record for Asha Bhosle". DNA India. http://www.dnaindia.com/entertainment/report_its-a-world-record-for-asha-bhosle_1601969. Retrieved 2011-10-23. 
  13. ^ "Glorious 50 years". The Hindu (Chennai, India). 13 April 2007. http://www.hindu.com/fr/2007/04/13/stories/2007041300740300.htm. 
  14. ^ BBC World Service 70th Anniversary Global Music Poll: The World's Top Ten. 2002. Retrieved 5 February 2011.
  15. ^ Kumar, Divya (5 February 2009). "Shreya rocks". The Hindu. http://www.hindu.com/mp/2009/02/05/stories/2009020550270100.htm. Retrieved 2009-10-14. 
  16. ^ Locapally, Vijay (5 January 2008). "Singing star". The Hindu. http://www.hindu.com/mp/2008/01/05/stories/2008010551090400.htm. Retrieved 2009-08-19. 
  17. ^ http://www.dawn.com/2007/03/23/top11.htm. Retrieved 2009-07-22 "Nisar Bazmi passes away". DAWN. 2007-03-23.
  18. ^ Mazhar Iqbal, Mazhar.dk. "Ahmad Rushdi". http://mazhar.dk/film/singers/ahmadrushdi/. Retrieved 2006-04-12.
  19. ^ Alavi, Omair (2006-10-01). "The rise and fall of playback singing". DAWN. http://www.dawn.com/weekly/images/archive/061001/images4.htm. Retrieved 2009-07-22. 
  20. ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059742/fullcredits
  21. ^ Earl J. Hess and Pratibha A. Dabholkar, Singin' in the Rain: The Making of an American Masterpiece (Lawrence, Kansas: University Press of Kansas, 2009), 145.