Shamshad Begum

• Genre: Hindi

About

One of the earliest playback singers, Shamshad Begum started out singing in the Lahore film industry in the 1930s. She also sang in the Punjabi film industry before moving to Bombay in 1944, following Ghulam Haider, a composer she'd worked with for years. That same year the film Humayun introduced Begum's voice to Hindi-speaking audiences, and she went on to a prolific recording career that lasted until she was eclipsed by the Mangeshkar juggernaut in the 1950s. "Meri Neendon Main Tum" from Naya Andaz and "Duniya Badal Gayi" from Babul are just a few of the many memorable tracks Begum recorded. She died in 1998 in Bombay.

- Sarah Bardeen