Asha Bhosle

An iconic Indian singer with boundless vocal talent, Asha Bhosle has been singing "playback music" (recorded for on-screen actors to lip-synch during musical numbers) the 1940s. From the very beginning, Bhosle chose popular music over classical, singing for her first film at the age of 10. She hasn't stopped since, today having recorded more than 13,000 songs. Bhosle has pushed hundreds of innocuous film performances with her vocal theatrics, making them into the stuff of legends. In the 1960s, Bhosle met her future husband, the prolific Bollywood composer Rahul Dev (R.D.) Burman. Together Burman and Bhosle would go on to redefine Bollywood music by incorporating Western rhythms into dance-friendly numbers: rock, bossa nova, jazz, and other world influences found their way into Burman's unique compositions. As Burman's muse, Bhosle developed her own developing her own swinging, sexy vocal style that was right at home in 1970s Indian films; one of her most popular songs from the era, "Dum Maro Dum (Take Another Toke)" recreates the experiences of a drug-addled young woman on a commune. Continuously reinventing herself, Bhosle remains beloved in India and around the world, recording playback songs, pop songs and starring in accompanying music videos and dance remixes.