Usha Uthup, The Queen Of Indian Pop Turns 76 

Author : Aarohi Agarwal

What turns music artists into legends are not just songs but the indomitable spirit they possess. Introducing, the living legend and the Queen of Indian Pop music, Mrs. Usha Uthup. She was born on 7 November 1947, the same year when the Nation celebrated its independence. The legend turns 76 this year and she didn’t stop winning the hearts of her listeners. The singer who has been reigning in the Bollywood industry for so many years has a past full of struggles and yet she managed to handle it with her talent, resilience, and dedication to music. Let’s find out more about this living legend of music on her birthday which is also celebrated by her fans.

Breaking the Stereotype 

Usha was born in a Tamil Brahmin family who was fluent in Tamil but she tried to grow out of her comfort zone and accept the challenges of the musical journey as she grew up. She was thrown out of her musical class from the school for having a husky voice. “Usha, don’t come for music classes hereafter. Music is not your cup of tea. You have a strange voice”, the words of her music teacher at the Convent of Jesus and Mary School in Bombay. The Teacher, Ms Davidson later came for an overdue apology with hugs and tears when she attended her program at Ashoka Hotel in Delhi.

The shaming she had to go through for having a deep voice did not come from outside only, but inside her family too. Her bother Shyama Sundar asked her whether she was singing for Dara Singh when she got her first chance to sing as a playback singer in Bollywood. It is quite remarkable to see how people as well as the music industry considered husky voices to lack femininity. However, Usha was absolutely unfazed by her unwavering aura she continued reigning in the Indian music industry.

From Nightclubs to Bollywood

Struggle is evident in Usha Uthup’s successful musical journey which started quite early in her life. She started her music career in a small nightclub called Nine Gems in Chennai. She was much judged for being a girl who sings in the nightclubs but it could stop the indomitable aura in Uthup. She made it clear that singers at the nightclubs are also talented enough to sing in Bollywood. After Chennai, she went to Kolkata and she performed in Delhi too. Actor Shashi Kapoor introduced her to another legendary music director of Bollywood, R.D Burman after listening to her singing at the Oberoi Hotel. Her first work in a Bollywood movie was for ‘Kabhi Dhoop Kabhi Chhaon’.

Music Contributions 

Usha’s music career is highly challenging at the beginning and for a quite long time for a lot of reasons. However, it is amazing to witness how this artist took care of everything single-handedly with nothing but her zeal and consistency. Though she is mainly main for Tamil background and Hindi songs in Bollywood; she has sung in 15 Indian languages, including Hindi, Bengali, Kannada, Tamil, Gujarati, Punjabi, Marathi, Telegu as well as foreign languages like French, German, and Italian.

There are many hits numbers in Bollywood sung by Usha such as “Doston Se Pyar Kiya”, “Shaan Se…”, “Koi Yahan Aha Nache Nache“, “Hari Om Hari“, “Doston Se Pyar Kiya”, and the list goes on. She also has a huge collection of Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam tracks like “Nanthyar Vilakkum”, “Peethambara” “Vegam Vegam Pogum Pogum”, etc many others.

Usha’s ‘Dum Maro Dum’ is Better Than Original

The well-received song ‘Dum maro dum’ of ‘Hare Rama Hare Krishna’ is often mistaken as Usha’s work for many since she sings it so well that it overlaps the original number. Though Usha has set fire on numerous stages with her performance on this track, the original track was not sung by her due to some controversial reasons. Music director R.D Burman earlier decided to assign Lata Mangeshkar and Usha as a due for the track. Everything was fixed and it was like a dream come true for Usha to sing beside Lata Ji. She was all prepared for the recording and then found out that she had been replaced with Lataji’s sister Asha Bhosle. She was definitely heartbroken but decided to make an even better rendition in her voice that is still liked by millions of people across the country.

Love At First Sight

When Usha used to sing at Trinca’s nightclub in Calcutta, she found Keralite Jani Chacko Uthup at the club who was a tea sommelier there. It was very sweet and simple and Usha fell in love with his smile and talking style.

Their romance brewed over time soon they got married. Uthup’s line of work took the couple back to Kerala. Their daughter Anjali and son Sunny were born there.

The Unwavering Personality

Creating rage in Indian Pop Music Space, Usha could be seen clad in a vibrant Kancheepuram saree and enriching the stage with her unwavering presence. Not to mention, the jasmine in her hair and the iconic big bindi are what created a signature. She has released the most number of English music albums than any other Indian singer. The singer once said, “When it comes to music, I regret that I can’t read any musical notation. That knowledge could have helped me in my stage shows. I learn each notation by listening and singing repeatedly. You can take a call on whether I am a good singer or a bad singer. But one thing is for sure, I am a cent percent original singer”.

May this original singer and musical legend receive more happiness and appreciation in the coming days of her never-ending musical journey.

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