Popular singer Kanika Kapoor, who has chart-topping hits like Baby Doll and Chittiyaan Kalaiyaan, recently revealed a harsh reality about the Indian music business.
In a candid discussion with Uorfi Javed on her show Bunkk with Uorfi, Kanika disclosed that, in contrast to what is commonly assumed, Indian singers frequently do not receive a fair amount of money from their songs and mainly depend on live performances.
Addressing a viral track of hers for which she received negligible compensation, Kanika said, “Singers don’t really get paid. Main saare contracts dikhaati hu, 101 rupees milte hain. (I can show you all the contracts. I was paid ₹101). They say that they are doing you a favour. I can talk to you about the greatest singer of India. I am not going to give names, but very obvious. I don’t think that even he is being paid for most of his greatest songs ever. Or has any publishing, or has any royalty structure. There is nothing like that in India today.”
When Uorfi asked how singers actually earn, Kanika elaborated, “Only if you are alive and you are able to sing, agar aapki awaaz chal rahi hai, aur aap shows kar paa rahe hain. Jab tak aap shows kar paa rahe hain, tab tak aapko paise milenge. Kal ko kuchh ho jaaye to koi pension plan nahi hai singers ke liye. (As long as your voice is working and you’re able to perform shows, you’ll keep earning. But if something happens tomorrow, there’s no pension plan for singers).”
She further emphasised that despite not seeing every contract in the industry, the harsh reality remains: singers often receive only ₹101 for their work.
As one of Bollywood's most sought-after voices, Kanika Kapoor shot to fame with her amazing debut Baby Doll from the 2014 movie Ragini MMS 2.
She established herself as a top playback singer with a string of hits that followed, such as Lovely (Happy New Year), Beat Pe Booty (A Flying Jatt), Desi Look (Ek Paheli Leela), and Chittiyaan Kalaiyaan (Roy).
The audience has also responded favourably to her most recent song, Gori Hai Kalaiyan from Mere Husband Ki Biwi, which features Arjun Kapoor, Bhumi Pednekar, and Rakul Preet Singh. IP Singh wrote the song's lyrics, Akshay and IP composed the music, and Badshah contributed a rap segment, giving the catchy tune a modern spin.
The harsh realities of the Indian music industry are brought to light by Kanika's disclosures, which also show how vulnerable even well-known singers can be financially.
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