Alka Yagnik
One of Hindi cinema's best-loved playback singers, with a career of over four decades and two National Film Awards, honoured with the Padma Bhushan in 2026.
For more than forty years, Alka Yagnik’s voice has carried some of the most popular songs in Indian cinema. In 2026 she was named for the Padma Bhushan in the field of art, from Maharashtra [1].
A classical start
Yagnik was born in Kolkata on 20 March 1960 [2]. Her first teacher was her mother, Shubha Yagnik, a classical vocalist, and that classical grounding shaped her singing style [2].
Ek Do Teen and after
Her breakthrough came with “Ek Do Teen” from the film Tezaab, which made her one of the leading voices in Hindi films [2]. Thousands of recordings in several languages followed [2]. Among her best-known songs are “Taal Se Taal Mila” (Taal), “Kuch Kuch Hota Hai”, “O Re Chhori” (Lagaan), “Pardesi Pardesi” (Raja Hindustani) and “Agar Tum Saath Ho” (Tamasha) [2].
A record on YouTube
Her songs have found a new audience online. According to her official citation, Guinness World Records recognised her as the most-streamed artist on YouTube, with 16.6 billion streams in 2020 and 17 billion in 2021 [2].
She has won two National Film Awards and seven Filmfare Awards for best female playback singer, as well as the Lata Mangeshkar Award [2].
Sources
- [1] Padma Awards 2026: list of awardees — Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. Accessed 11 October 2026.
- [2] Padma Awards 2026 investiture ceremony brochure: citation for Alka Yagnik — Press Information Bureau, Government of India. Accessed 12 October 2026.
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