Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai
Mumbai, Mar 5: Renowned playback singer Shreya Ghoshal has spoken out against the practice of lip-syncing at concerts, terming it a “lazy act” and emphasising the need for artistes to continuously work on their craft.
In a recent podcast conversation with Raj Shamani, Shreya shared her candid views on singers who rely on pre-recorded tracks during live performances.
“That’s just a lazy act. Apne mehanat nahi kari (You haven’t put in the hard work). In my personal opinion, it’s not a good approach,” she said.
The singer further elaborated that while audience preferences may vary, she holds herself to strict artistic principles. “I can’t discredit what the audience likes, but I have certain principles as an artist. I have a problem with any performance of mine being played publicly that I myself wouldn’t even be able to listen to. For me, that is extremely humiliating and insulting,” she said.
Shreya stressed that artistes should feel uncomfortable if their substandard performance is circulated publicly. “Either you work hard on your craft because you’ve earned that crown or throne — don’t take it lightly thinking you’ve already achieved it. You have to work hard every single day,” she added.
The debate around lip-syncing resurfaced recently when singer AP Dhillon appeared on The Great Indian Kapil Show and was seen lip-syncing to his popular track With You, drawing criticism from viewers who expected a live rendition.
Shreya began her playback career at the age of 16 with Devdas, directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali. She won her first National Award for Best Female Playback Singer for the song Bairi Piya from the film.
Over the years, she has sung in multiple languages including Hindi, Bengali, Kannada, Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam. Some of her popular tracks include Jaadu Hai Nasha Hai, Dheere Jalna, Yeh Ishq Hai, and Pherari Mon from the Bengali film Antaheen.
Most recently, she lent her voice to Maatrubhumi from Battle of Galwan, starring Salman Khan.
Known for her flawless live singing ability, Shreya’s remarks have reignited conversations around authenticity and professionalism in live music performances.