Shreya Ghoshal on vocal nuance: How she studies creators to perfect regional songs
Synopsis
Shreya Ghoshal doesn't just sing regional songs — she inhabits them. By studying the accents, body language, and creative intent of composers and lyricists in the studio, she constructs vocal authenticity that transcends technical proficiency. Her newly released All Hearts Tour live album is a testament to this meticulous, culture-conscious approach to performance.
Key Takeaways
Shreya Ghoshal studies the body language and speech patterns of composers, lyricists, and producers to perfect regional language songs.
She maintains a mental reference library of how established regional singers interpret folk and genre-specific material.
Ghoshal has been singing in regional languages — Tamil, Malayalam, Gujarati, Telugu, and Kannada — since the start of her career.
Her All Hearts Tour live album has been released under Sony Music India .
For Ghoshal , vocal expression and cultural immersion are inseparable from technical skill.
Playback singer Shreya Ghoshal has revealed the meticulous process behind her approach to singing in India's diverse regional languages, crediting close observation of composers, lyricists, and native speakers for infusing authenticity into her performances. Speaking while on tour globally, Ghoshal underscored that vocal expression extends far beyond technical skill — it demands cultural immersion and continuous learning.
Learning through observation
When recording regional tracks — whether Tamil, Malayalam, or Gujarati — Ghoshal studies the body language, accent, and speech patterns of the creative team in the studio. "As soon as the whole team, the composer, lyricist, producer or sometimes director, enters the studio, I study their body language, their accent or how they speak each word," she explained to IANS. "My observation from people helps me to be close to these songs that I do in regional languages."
Building a mental reference library
Beyond language mechanics, Ghoshal constructs an internal archive of vocal touchstones. For folk-inflected compositions, she mentally references how established regional singers might interpret the material. "If a song has a lot of folk elements, I remember some references in my mind — if it's Gujarati folk, then how would Usman Mir sing it, if he had sung this part," she said. This practice of drawing inspiration from peers and predecessors shapes her interpretive choices without resorting to imitation.
An endless learning curve
For Ghoshal, mastery is not a destination but a continuous process. She derives creative input from "whoever is there, the creators of that song, and anyone who knows the language or knows the story." This philosophy has sustained her versatility across Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam film industries over two decades.
The All Hearts Tour live album
Ghoshal's recently released live album, recorded during her All Hearts Tour, is now available under Sony Music India. The project captures her performances across multiple languages and showcases the vocal precision she brings to each regional idiom.
Point of View
Not just linguistic competence. By treating the studio as a space for anthropological observation — studying how native speakers breathe, inflect, and emphasize — she has built a career that respects the integrity of each language's musical tradition. In an industry where playback singers often treat regional work as a secondary income stream, her commitment to deep learning stands out.
NationPress
10 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
How does Shreya Ghoshal approach singing in regional languages?
Shreya Ghoshal studies the body language, accent, and speech patterns of the composers, lyricists, and producers in the studio. She observes how native speakers articulate each word and uses these observations to infuse authenticity and cultural nuance into her vocal performance.
What is Shreya Ghoshal's All Hearts Tour?
The All Hearts Tour is Shreya Ghoshal's global concert tour. A live album capturing her performances across multiple languages and regional styles has recently been released under Sony Music India.
Which regional languages does Shreya Ghoshal sing in?
Shreya Ghoshal has been singing in multiple regional languages since the start of her career, including Tamil, Malayalam, Gujarati, Telugu, and Kannada, in addition to Hindi.
Does Shreya Ghoshal draw inspiration from other singers?
Yes. For folk-inflected songs, she mentally references how established regional singers might interpret the material. For example, she considers how singers like Usman Mir would approach a Gujarati folk composition to inform her own interpretation.
