Shankar Mahadevan

Shankar Mahadevan, born on March 3, 1967, in Chembur, Mumbai, Maharashtra, is a celebrated Indian singer, composer, and music director who has made significant contributions to both Hindi and Tamil cinema. He is best known as one-third of the acclaimed music composing trio Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy.

Shankar Mahadevan studied Carnatic music from a young age and holds a degree in Computer Science from the University of Mumbai. He gained fame as a solo singer with the iconic breathless song “Breathless” (1998), a four-minute track performed in a single breath. His playback singing career includes memorable Tamil songs like “Anbil Avan” from “Jeans” (1998) and numerous tracks for A.R. Rahman.

As part of Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, he has composed music for Bollywood blockbusters including “Dil Chahta Hai” (2001), “Kal Ho Naa Ho” (2003), “Bunty Aur Babli” (2005), and “2 States” (2014). The trio has also composed for Tamil films like “Naan Ee” (Eega, 2012). Shankar has won the National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer, multiple Filmfare Awards, and has been praised for his versatility in both Hindustani and Carnatic vocal styles. He is also the founder of the Shankar Mahadevan Academy, an online music education platform.