1 A reality show contestant
Back then, when having a TV was big deal; when getting a cable connection was luxury; when participating in a reality show was Real; yes, that's exactly when we discovered the global icon whom we sobriquet today as the Melody Queen, Mistress of Music, Nightingale, Muscular Dove, Bollywood Queen, Shreya Ghoshal. She was nurtured and harnessed by the Greats and Legendary musicians of India. And that's why we could see clearly, she deserved to Win- That day and today. In those non emotional, non back story show; all that one was judged on, was singing and nothing. Only talent was picked and only proficiency could lead you further.
2 Blockbuster debut
Winning the show was an end to greatest beginning of all times in Indian music industry. A lil school going girl, was chosen to lend voice to the most beautiful woman in the world. Her innocence and honesty in voice were her sole companions. Her hard work and diligence were her sole swords. Her earnesty and quest were her sole tickets to take off. And she did take off like a pro. Not one, not two. Straight five songs in a magnum opus musical blockbuster of Bollywood of all times. Bagging the National award for her debut song was her first medal of excellence. The newspapers flashed with headlines reading "Sixteen year old, Ghoshal records her debut song in a single take."; to which Shreya replied as "I simply closed my eyes and sang".
3 Versatility proved in no time
But before anyone could stereotype, Shreya as a romantic, love, soft song voice; she broke the TV and radio (not internet definitely in those days) with songs like Jaadu Hai Nasha hai, Chalo Tumko Lekar Chale, Tu hi Bata Zindagi, Har Taraf, Ye kya hua and many more. She was here to stay. Also, by that time she had already started rendering songs in Tamizh. A bengal born, Rajasthan brought up, shifted to Mumbai girl, was learning to sing in Tamizh. Point to prove.
4 Awards and accolades
Apart from being honoured with prestigious National Award for her very first song, Shreya went on to bag four of them at a very young age (for 5 songs). One after another award, every year in multiple languages, she must definitely be having a separate room to keep her awards. She has also been awarded State awards by different states in India. Also being honored as the Maharastrian of the Year, 2018.
5 TV show title tracks and ads
She didn't contain her singing to film music. She went on to being part of title tracks of highest trp rated, prime time television serials. Her voice was being heard on big screen and small alike, thus making her a favorite from 8 to 80 years.
6 Foraying into Regional music
Apart from singing for hindi songs, Shreya lends her voice to almost all the regional film industry. Be it Marathi or be it Bengali; be in Kannada or be it Telugu; be it Malayalam or be it Tamizh; be it Assamese or be it Odia; be it Nepali or be it Punjabi; be it Bhojpuri or be it Angika; be it Gujarati or be it Tulu, name it and you have a Shreya Ghoshal song. A favorite for everyone whether it's their respective language or not, breaking barriers of language compatibility.
7 Brand Ambassador of Indian music
With her advances into the regional music industry and lending voice to all genres of songs, Shreya Ghoshal is the brand ambassador of Indian music. She can boast of singing a thumri or classical song as well as a peppy dance number or even a ghazal. She caters to a wide range of listeners, and this thrives in the hearts of vast audience with varied music sensibilities.
8 Ultimate Mentor as Judge in reality show (life came full circle)
After being successful in her stint as a musician, Shreya also began to be a part of different reality shows in different TV channels. Shri. Pyaarelal Ji, who came to Indian Idol Junior as a special guest mentioned how a talented and an absolutely fantastic singer like Shreya would point out the mistakes perfectly and mould the participants into better with utmost honesty.
9 Girl next door image
Shreya Ghoshal is definitely a household name in India. Be it for the simplicity and innocence she harbors in her words and action or be it for being a star singer in multiple languages, she was everyone's "own thing" , personal favorite. Shreya is always seen as a welcoming pleasant face, an angelic personality with angelic voice. Her interactions with fans on social media make her one of the most humble celebrity ever.
10 An idol and inspiration to aspiring musician
If you were to question any aspiring singer today, they'd never hide how Shreya Ghoshal is an inspiration and how much they crave to become someone like her. Every newcomer in the industry has acknowledged to having listened to Shreya's singing to learn the beauty of vocal acrobatics. So much so that any girl participant who performs beautifully is compared as to being the next Shreya Ghoshal. Such is her deep impression in the music industry.
11 Works with Legends
Shreya Ghoshal considers herself lucky to have been trained by Kalyan ji in her early days. She is also amongst the few blessed musicians to have worked with almost all the Legends in India, right from Shri K J Yesudas to Shri Illayaraja to Shri A R Rahman to Smt K S Chitra and so many others. Her 3 note stage performance for Shri Illayaraja alongside Late Shri SP Balasubramaniyam is one of the finest piece of art.
12 Words from Colleagues
Shreya is showered upon with confettis every time you ask about her to her colleagues and contemporaries. AR Rahman mentions how Shreya is one the best artists we have in India. Whereas Sonu Nigam says that if all time greatest playback singers were to be listed, Shreya's name would definitely be there amongst top ones. Shankar Mahadevan asked his students to imbibe the goodness of Shreya in their singing as well as personality. Amaal Mallik rates her 15/10 as a singer while Armaan Malik thinks she's angelic. Salim Merchant narrates how it's difficult to choose between the variations that she sings as each of them are incredibly beautiful. Deepak Pandit also confesses how a singer like Shreya Ghoshal lifts the song above the lyrics and composition, with her singing. And so on...
13 Love from true music lovers
Shreya is one of the most loved Indian artists across the global. Her songs are full of emotions, honesty and sincerity. Her diction in multiple languages are pitch perfect. Over the years, she has remained constant in everyones playlist. Her romantic songs play when you're in love; her meditative soft songs uplift your spirits on your blue days and her humming become your alarm and caller tones.
14 Global recognition
26th June was declared as "Shreya Ghoshal Day" by the Governor Ted Strickland of Ohio, United States of America. 24th July was declared as "Shreya Ghoshal Day of Entertainment and Inspiration" subsequently.
She was honoured in London by the selected members of House of Commons of the United Kingdom. She has also featured five times in the Forbes list of the top 100 celebrities from India. In 2017, Shreya became the first Indian singer to have her wax figurine in Madame Tussauds Museum.
15 Non film music
Shreya's aspirations in developing and establishing herself as a leading vocalist wasn't restricted to film music. Very early on, she was a part of a number of non film album songs like Ye Kya hua, Pyaar mein tere, Leja leja re, Kismat Se, Kandu Njan Kannane, Ye love, Theeya and many more. That apart, Shreya launched her own non film music albums like Humnasheen, Mon Kemoner Station and Gulzar In conversation with Tagore( a collab with Gulzar saab, Shantanu Moitra and Shaan). All these albums met with positive reviews from audience and critics alike.
16 Independent Singles
With growing internet rage, Shreya embarked her journey towards independent music singles on her own YouTube channel. She first came up with a vintage, rooted Dhadkane Azad Hain. This was followed by thumri based Tere Bina. Up next was her jump into electro music song where she collaborated with her brother, Soumyadeep Ghoshal for Nah Woh Main. She then joined her favorite people, Shantanu Moitra and Swanand Kirkire for a patriotic Apni Maati. Later, she came up with raaga based bandish converted into song jammed with electronica, a music chartbuster Angana Morey, again collaborating with her brother. Angana Morey ruled the Thriller x Billboard charts for weeks.
17 Live concert star
A Shreya Ghoshal Live in concert is the best thing you gift yourself with. Her vocal prowess, picking up impromptu requests and humorous conversation on stage, make her shows adorable. She not only sings her own beautiful songs in these concerts but also pays a tribute to the yesteryear musicians as well as AR Rahman beauties. Recently she also started performing her concerts with Symphony Orchestra consisting of almost 40 musicians of stage. She has performed at the prestigious venues like The Royal Albert Hall, Brisbane convention center, SSE arena, Sydney Opera House, Global Village, Dubai and many others too. A treat to the soul and the best evening of your life for sure.
18 Social media icon
Shreya Ghoshal is one of the most followed and liked Indian on all social medias. This includes massive million followers on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Shreya doesn't have any PR team to manage her accounts. She herself maintains them and ensures that there always exists a direct connection between her fans and herself, making them feel like a big extended family.
19 Social work
A portion of many of Shreya's concerts were donated as charity for various purposes. She however struck novelty by coming up with "Act of Love" to celebrate Valentine's Day by helpingthe society in one way or another. She also urged her followers to follow suit. She participated and performed in a number of virtual concerts for charity purposes when the world was down with pandemic and lockdown. An angel owning angelic heart, voice and soul.
Happy Nineteen Shreya Magical Ghoshal ! Long live.
