Meet India’s highest-paid singer, charges Rs 3 crore per song, not a full-time singer; once was very poor, worked with many superstars, not Sonu Nigam, Asha Bhosle, Arijit

India's highest paid singer has a story of rags to riches. The singer battled mental health as a child and today's creates one of the best music in the industry.

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India's highest paid singer has a story of rags to riches. The singer battled mental health as a child and today's creates one of the best music in the industry. Published: November 20, 2024 9:12 AM IST By It is not everyday that a rags to riches comes to the fore.

Nonetheless, these narratives never fail to inspire and motivate people. This is one such story of India’s highest paid singer. The singer has created some of the best music and cult classic that will generations come will follow.



The voice has been behind several superstars in the film industry, and not just limited to Bollywood. This singer’s creativity spans opan India and today spans a globally as well. The Indian music scene has evolved, as a rite of passage.

Till date there are debates about the pay parity amidst playback singers. Back in the day, singers have always been the soul of the music, but their remunerations did not match their talent. Reportedly, it was Lata Mangeshkar who became one woman voice and changed it for generations to come.

Today, the pay is much better in comparison to the yester years. Arijit Singh, Shreya Ghoshal, Sonu Nigam, Diljit Dosanjh are some of the most heard singers that top the charts. But, these are not even close what the highest paid singer earns.

He is AR Rahman. A poor childhood, started by writing jingles and..

. One of the interesting bits of the the highest paid singer is that he only sings part time. According to several reports, AR Rahman charges a whopping fee of Rs 3 crore per song! Yes, you read that right, not in lakhs but in crores is what an AR Rahman music values upto.

Reportedly, this exorbitant amount accounts to dissuade producers reaching out to him, because he prefers to focus on his own compositions that have earned him two Oscars back in 2009 – in the ‘best song’ and ‘best original score’ categories. He also reportedly charges between Rs 1 to 2 crore for a one-hour live performance. However, things were not handed to him on a silver plate.

Rahman had a childhood where his family struggled with poverty. His father passed away when he was 9 years-old. Speaking to students at the Oxford Union debating society,he recounted his struggle with overcoming suicidal thoughts.

He said, “When I had suicidal thoughts when I was young, my mother used to say, ‘When you live for others, you won’t get these thoughts’. That’s one of the most beautiful advice I got from my mother.” AR Rahman started by writing jingles for ad films.

Rahman’s first film score was for Mani Ratnam’s 1992 Tamil entertainer Roja. While this movie’s soundtrack brought him into the limelight, the award-winning artist had been a trained musician since he was four. According to a report by GQ, he dropped out of school and embraced music as a full-time career, spending his initial days as a keyboard player.

Today, the singer is making headlines due his divorce with Saira Banu. After 29 years of marriage, the couple who are parents to two daughters and a son, announced their separation on November 19. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), the Oscar winning composer addressed the news.

AR Rahman is the man behind some of the cult classic songs in India and is one of the inspiring tales of ‘rags to riches’ in its truest sense. For breaking news and live news updates, like us on or follow us on and . Read more on Latest on .

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