Biography

Sunidhi Chauhan (pronounced ; born 14 August 1983) is an Indian playback singer. Born in Delhi, she began performing in local gatherings at the age of four and made her career debut at the age of 13, with the film Shastra (1996). During the year, she won the first singing reality show titled Meri Awaz Suno. She rose to prominence after recording "Ruki Ruki Si Zindagi" from Mast (1999), ultimately winning the Filmfare RD Burman Award for New Music Talent and was nominated for the Best Female Playback Singer.

Her second breakthrough was released in 2000, with the song "Mehboob Mere", for which she received another Filmfare nomination. Through her career, she performed mostly item songs and was described in the media as the "queen of item songs". Chauhan received her third Filmfare nomination with the song "Dhoom Machale" (2004) followed by two more nominations during the next year for "Kaisi Paheli" and "Deedar De". 2006 was one of the most successful years in her career, where she was bestowed with her first Filmfare award for her rendition of the song "Beedi" and further two nominations for "Soniye" and "Aashiqui Main". The following year, she was prominently recognized for the title song of Aaja Nachle (2007) and "Sajnaaji Vaari", both critically and commercially well received.

Chauhan received her 12th Filmfare nomination with "Chor Bazaari" (2009) preceded by "Dance Pe Chance" (2008). 2010 marked her International singing debut, where she was featured in the song "Heartbeat" alongside Enrique Iglesias. During the year, she received her second Filmfare award with the item song "Sheila Ki Jawani" (2010) and was nominated for international styled carnival song "Udi" (2010). In the year, Chauhan appeared as a judge in the 5th season of the Indian television music competition, Indian Idol followed by its 6th season during the year 2012. She also served as a coach in the Indian version of The Voice.

Being an inspiration to many upcoming singers, her work has received praise from veteran artists and some of her contemporary singers. Besides her career in music, she has also been involved in various charities and social causes.

Early life

Sunidhi Chauhan was born on 14 August 1983, in New Delhi, India in a Rajput family. Her father, Dushyant Kumar Chauhan, who is from Uttar Pradesh, is a theatre personality at the Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra. Her mother, a homemaker, inclined Chauhan to persuade a career in music. She also has a younger sister. At the age of four, Chauhan started performing at competitions and local gatherings, subsequently convinced by her father's friends to take singing seriously. During that time, she was doing live shows and trained herself with "regular riyaaz by listening to cassettes and CDs of popular numbers".

She did her studies from Greenway Modern School and used to stay with her family members in Dilshad Garden, Delhi. She discontinued studies right after schooling to pursue a career in the music industry. She said: "I quit because I did not feel like studying. I made the decision to pursue my dream as a singer and I don't regret it one bit".

When actress Tabassum spotted her, she made her sing live in her show Tabassum Hit Parade and asked her family to shift to Mumbai. She then introduced Chauhan to Kalyanji Virji Shah and Anandji Virji Shah. When she was 11, her dad quit his career and brought her to Mumbai. Initially, the family had financial difficulties in adjusting life to the city. After shifting there, she worked in Kalyanji's academy for few years and became the lead singer in his "Little Wonders" troupe. She was then offered with many shows, though her father insisted on singing for films.

Read More from Wikipedia