Jagjit Singh

• Genre: Light Classical
• Hometown: Sriganganagar, Rajasthan

About

Jagjit Singh and his wife Chitra are considered to be single-handedly responsible for the revival of ghazal as a music form. The couple met in Mumbai in the 1970s; both were singing advertising jingles while hoping to break into the music industry. They began singing together at mehfils (intimate musical gatherings), and their renderings of the light classical ghazal -- which had fallen in popularity for years -- drew a huge following. In 1976 they released their debut album, aptly named The Unforgettables. This launched them into the stratosphere: a string of hit albums followed. Though Singh seldom recorded for the film industry, films like Arth and Saath Saath benefited from his contributions, and ghazals reappeared in films largely because of the duo.

- Sarah Bardeen