Latest news with #FameGurukul
Hindustan Times
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Abhijeet Sawant feels Arijit Singh, Neha Kakkar got more success than Indian Idol winners: ‘Talented artists lose…'
Singer Abhijeet Sawant, the winner of Indian Idol Season 1, believes that staying relevant is more crucial than just winning reality shows. He points out that Arijit Singh and Neha Kakkar, who didn't win a reality show, are more successful than the winners today. Also read: Abhijeet Sawant reveals being on Tinder even after marriage, speaking 'a lot' with 2-3 women; 'bichari' wife didn't know During an interview with Galatta India, Abhijeet was asked what's more important for him -- winning a reality TV show or staying relevant after the victory. To which, Abhijeet said, 'I believe reaching somewhere is the real challenge. Winning the trophy isn't the ultimate goal. It's great if you win, but the real achievement is when people start recognising you, when you rise above your background and build a career from there". As per him, victory is not the key but the visibility that a reality show gets. Talking about fan following playing a bigger role, Abhijeet shared, 'Many times, we've seen winners chosen based on popularity, not necessarily skill, and sometimes, talented artists lose simply because they lack a fan base... Take Arijit Singh or Neha Kakkar, they didn't win, but they reached a far higher position than many winners. I say this very honestly and modestly: being noticeable and building an identity matters more than a trophy.' Neha Kakkar was a contestant on Indian Idol 2 where she was eliminated early, while Arijit Singh finished 6th in Fame Gurukul. Abhijeet Sawant became the first winner of Indian Idol in 2005. The singer's first solo album, Aap Kaa Abhijeet Sawant, was released in 2005, followed by other albums Junoon in 2007, Farida in 2013 and Fakira in 2018. He also did playback singing for films such as Aashiq Banaya Aapne (2005), Chittagong (2012) and Dishoom (2016). Abhijeet was caught in a controversy earlier this year when he called out Indian Idol for favouring sob stories over actual singing talent.
Hindustan Times
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
The most popular artist on Spotify has never released an album or single, yet beat Taylor Swift, Beyonce, Rihanna, BTS
The streaming platform Spotify is one of the largest music platforms in the world. Most music artists globally boast millions of followers on the platform, which validates their stardom. So, it is reasonable that the biggest names in music today - like Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, Eminem, and Drake - are among the top 10 in the list of most followed artists on the platform. Yet, they were all beaten for the top spot by one man who has never released a studio album or single. (Also read: India's Spotify 2024 report card: I-pop on rise, Ranveer beats Joe Rogan, Punjabi tunes rule, Aashiqui 2 still…) Indian playback singer Arijit Singh is the most-followed artist on Spotify globally. With 144 million followers on the music streaming platform, Arijit beat Taylor Swift (136 million) and Ed Sheeran (120 million) to the top. Four other artists - Billie Eilish, Ariana Grande, The Weeknd, and Eminem - have over 100 million Spotify followers each. Some other global superstars are surprisingly not in the top 10, including BTS (#11), Rihanna (#13), Coldplay (#16), and Selena Gomez (#21). Pop superstar Beyoncé does not even make it to the top 25. Other Indian artists in the top 25 include AR Rahman (#15), Pritam (#23), and Neha Kakkar (#24). Arijit Singh began his career as a contestant on the reality show Fame Gurukul at the age of 18. Immediately after the show, Arijit was signed by Tips for his maiden album, but it was never released. He eventually turned into a music producer and programmer, working for several successful composers. Eventually, he made his singing debut in 2010 with the Telugu song Neeve Na Neeve Na. In 2012, he found success in Hindi music as well with the song Raabta. However, his real breakthrough was the successful soundtrack of the 2013 film, Aashiqui 2, in which he sang most of the songs, all of which were chartbusters. Over the last decade, he has sung several chartbusters, winning the National Film Award twice and the Filmfare Award seven times. He has also collaborated with successful international artists like Ed Sheeran and Martin Garrix.
