Sowmya Raoh is an Indian playback singer who has performed in Tamil, Kannada, Hindi and Telugu languages.[2][3]

Sowmya Raoh
Sowmya Raoh (3rd from left in top), at the formation of Indian Singer's Rights Association (ISRA) event
Sowmya Raoh (3rd from left in top), at the formation of Indian Singer's Rights Association (ISRA) event
Background information
Birth nameSowmya Raoh
Born (1973-04-18) 18 April 1973 (age 51)[1]
Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
GenresPlayback singing
Years active1993–present
Websitewww.sowmyaraoh.com

Early life and career

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Sowmya was born in a Kannada speaking family to veteran singer B. K. Sumitra and Sudhakar in Bangalore, Karnataka, India.[3][4][5] Sowmya has a brother named Sunil Raoh, who is an actor in the Kannada film industry.[6] Her mother is popular playback and devotional singer in Kannada.[4] As a child, Sowmya would accompany her mother to the studios for recording.[4] She then slowly graduated to become a child singer. Sowmya's father worked in Reserve Bank of India.[4]

Sowmya started singing at the age of seven.[5] She took a break from singing while she was in school as she thought that would affect her studies.[2] After a period of five to six years, she gradually turned her attention towards singing by learning Carnatic music.[4] However, she ended up becoming a voice actor before venturing into films.[2] She claims that, "I wanted to train for singing for heroines, not children".[2]

Musical career

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Sowmya started her career as a singer in south Indian films in 1993, and got a break in Bollywood nine years later.[5] Her major break happened when composer Sandeep Chowta was looking for a singer who could sing well in Hindi.[4] He chose Sowmya for a song ("Greekuveerudu") in the Telugu film Ninne Pelladata. The song gave her a much needed break.[4] She went on to record the song in the Tamil and Hindi versions too.[4]

Sowmya started her career in Bollywood in 2000. Her first assignment was for the song "Soul of Jungle", followed by a background track for the film Pyaar Tune Kya Kiya.[5] Company was her first as a singer in Hindi.[5] By this time she also sang for other Hindi films such as Dum and Bunty Aur Babli.[5] In 2012, her item number 'Dreamum Wakeupum' for Sachin Kundalkar's Aiyyaa emerged a chartbuster and the song was also appreciated for its dance performance by Rani Mukerji and Prithviraj Sukumaran.

Having worked with composers such as Ilaiyaraaja and A. R. Rahman, she recorded over 200 songs in Tamil, Telugu and Kannada, as of 2006.[5]

Selected discography

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Year Film Language Song Co-singers
1996 Ninne Pelladata Telugu "Greeku Veerudu"
1998 Kaadhal Kavithai Tamil "Aalana Naal Mudhala"
1999 Suriya Paarvai Tamil "Boom Blast It"
2000 ‘’Kushi‘’ Tamil “Macerina Macerina” Devan Ekambaram
2001 Friends Tamil "Rukku Rukku" Yuvan Shankar Raja, Vijay Yesudas
2001 Pyaar Tune Kya Kiya Hindi "Roundhe"
2002 Company Hindi "Ankhon Mein"
2002 Bollywood Hollywood Hindi
2002 Dhool Tamil "Ithunundu Muthatthile" Udit Narayan, Premgi Amaren
2003 Dum Hindi "Dil Hi Dil Mein" Sonu Nigam
2003 Raktha Kanneeru Kannada "Baa baaro rasika "
2003 Samay: When Time Strikes Hindi "Zindagi"
2004 Dhoom Hindi "Dilbara" Abhijeet Bhattacharya
2003 Ek Aur Ek Gyaarah Hindi "O Dushmana" Sonu Nigam
2005 Bunty Aur Babli Hindi "Nach Baliye" Shankar Mahadevan, Loy Mendonsa
2005 Super Telugu "Gichhi Gichhi" Sandeep Chowta
2006 Khosla Ka Ghosla Hindi "Intezaar Aitbaar Tumse Pyar" Qadar Niazi Qawwal
2006 Varalaru - History of Godfather Tamil "Kama Karaiyil" Naresh Iyer
2006 Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu Tamil "Nerupae" Franko, Solar Sai
2006 Suntara gaali Kannada "Shame shame"
2006 Family Hindi "Qatra qatra"
2006 Family Hindi "Janam Janam"
2007 Guru Hindi "Shauk Hai"
2007 Tara Rum Pum Hindi "◦Nach le ve"
2007 Welcome Hindi "Welcome" Shaan, Wajid
2007 Bheema Tamil "Enadhuyire" Nikhil Mathew, Chinmayi, Sadhana Sargam
2007 Pachaikili Muthucharam Tamil "Un Sirippinil" Raphi
2008 Krazzy 4 Hindi "O re lakad "
2008 Bindaas Kannada "Gubbachi goodinalli" Udit Narayan
2009 Raam Kannada "Nanna Tutiyalli" Udit Narayan
2009 Vamanan Tamil "Aedho Saigirai" Javed Ali
2009 Wanted Hindi "Le le mazaa le" Hrishikesh Lamrekar, Nikita Nigam, Suzanne D'Mello
2009 Do Knot Disturb Hindi "Beautiful Woman" Neeraj Shridhar
2009 Junglee Kannada "Hale Patre" Kailash Kher
2009 Josh Telugu "Awara Hawa" Sandeep Chowta
2011 Vishnuvardhana Kannada "Yede olage" Tippu
2012 Aiyyaa Hindi "Dreamum wakeupumm" Amit Trivedi
2013 Baadshah Telugu "Welcome Kanakam" Thaman
2013 Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster Returns Hindi "Idhar Gire"
2013 Simple Agi Ondh Love Story Kannada "Karagida Baaninalli"

Accolades

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Filmfare Awards

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Stardust Awards

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References

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  1. ^ "About Me". sowmyaraoh.com. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
  2. ^ a b c d "If you sing Hindi songs, you are have[sic] a wider audience". Rediff. Retrieved 28 August 2012.
  3. ^ a b c Sowmya Raoh Profile, Sowmya Rao, retrieved 11 November 2008
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h "A chit chat with Sowmya Raoh". Oneindia.in. Retrieved 18 August 2012.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g "Steadfast support". The Telegraph (India). 15 April 2006. Archived from the original on 3 February 2013. Retrieved 28 August 2012.
  6. ^ "For the record". The Times of India. 16 April 2006. Retrieved 28 August 2012.
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