Alka Yagnik

Alka Yagnik was born on 20 March 1966 in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. She belongs to a Gujarati family. Her father, Dharmendra Shankar, was a businessman. Her mother, Shubha Yagnik, was a trained classical singer. Alka started singing at the age of six for Akashvani (All India Radio) in Kolkata.

At age ten, her mother took her to Mumbai to pursue a career in playback singing. She met Raj Kapoor, who introduced her to music director Laxmikant. He offered her a choice: start as a dubbing artist or wait for a full singing break. Her mother chose the latter.

Alka Yagnik is married to Neeraj Kapoor, a businessman based in Shillong. They tied the knot in 1989. The couple has a daughter named Syesha Kapoor. Alka prefers to keep her personal life private and away from media attention.

She lives in Mumbai, where she continues to work on music projects. Her brother Samir Yagnik is also part of her close family circle. Alka enjoys reading, travelling, and spending time with family.

Alka Yagnik made her playback debut with the song “Thirkat Ang” from the film Payal Ki Jhankaar. Her breakthrough came in 1988 with the song “Ek Do Teen” from Tezaab. Composed by Laxmikant–Pyarelal, the song became a massive hit and won her first Filmfare Award.

Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, Alka became the voice of top Bollywood actresses like Madhuri Dixit, Juhi Chawla, Kajol, and Rani Mukerji. Her songs were featured in blockbuster films like Khalnayak, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Taal, and Tamasha.

Alka Yagnik has sung in Hindi, Gujarati, Marathi, Bengali, Punjabi, Tamil, and Telugu. She has worked with legendary composers like R. D. Burman, Anu Malik, A. R. Rahman, and Nadeem–Shravan.She holds the record for being the most streamed artist on YouTube globally, with over 15.3 billion views in 2022. She has won:

• Choli Ke Peeche Ban: Song banned on Doordarshan for vulgar lyrics.
• Feud with Anuradha Paudwal: Accused her of dubbing Alka’s songs.
• Osama Bin Laden Rumor: Her songs allegedly found in his compound.
• Song Rejections: Faced rejection early due to soft voice.
• Alcohol Use: Admitted to drinking socially, faced media scrutiny.