Sowmya Raoh – born in Bengaluru, Karnataka, India on April 18, 1973 – is a playback singer who can perform in several different languages including Kannada, Hindi, Telugu, and Tamil. Born into a musical family – her parents are also singers, and her brother is an actor. Inspired by seeing her mother record in the studio, Sowmya Raoh began singing at the age of seven. While attending school, she took a break from singing but after six years, she reignited her musical passion and began to study Carnatic music. She began her career singing for south Indian films but didn’t get her first big break until 1996 when she sang the song “Greeku Veerdu” in Telugu for the film Ninne Pelladata. She then sang several songs in Tamil for Kollywood films such as Kaadhal Kavithai (1998), Suriya Paarvai (1999), and Friends (2001). Her Bollywood debut came in 2001 with her performance – in Hindi - of “Roundhe” from the film Pyaar Tune Kya Kiya. She subsequently recorded hundreds of songs including “Laila Laila” (from 2003’s Samay: When Time Strikes), “Dilbara” (from 2004’s Dhoom), “Dreamum Wakeupum” (from 2012’s Aiyyaa), “Welcome Kanakam” (from 2013’s Baadshah), and “Karagida Baaninalli” (from 2013’s Simple Agi Ondh Love Story). Sowmya Raoh has won several awards including the Best New Singer award from the Stardust Awards (2003) and Best Female Playback Singer from the Filmfare Awards (2013).
