Debarati S Sen (BOMBAY TIMES; January 3, 2026)

From Chaleya and Besharam Rang to Kaavaalaa and Tere Hawale, Shilpa Rao’s voice has ruled playlists across genres. In this candid chat with Bombay Times, she opens up about the grind behind the glamour, gender bias in the industry, and what success truly means to her.

When people see you winning awards and belting out hit songs, they often overlook the grind that leads up to it. What’s the part of your journey that often goes unnoticed?
Honestly, our lives are often like a report card; you only get to see the highlights, the hits, the high points. I wouldn’t call it a grind, but for example, at one point, I was attending award functions, receiving recognition, and then heading straight back to the studio to record more songs. And yet, eight of my songs didn’t make it. Even in 2025, two songs I worked on didn’t pan out. People only see the songs that do well and top the charts, and of course, that's amazing, but there's a lot that happens behind the scenes. Since 2005, what I've come to value is the time spent in the studio; that moment when you find the exact right zone for a song and it just clicks. That’s real success for me. It’s what keeps pulling me back to music. And as long as I get to do that, every single day, I’ll keep going, no matter what.

It’s often said that female voices don’t get equal space in the industry. Have you faced gender bias or felt the pressure to fit in?
There were years when female voices and female-led songs were few and far between. We were often asked to sing just a line or two, or maybe a chorus line. That was the reality. But I have to give credit to every female artiste who stood her ground and made those few lines count. Even if it was just two lines, I’d sing them as if it was the whole song. That’s the beauty of it. It’s not about quantity but about making an impact with what you have. Even though female artistes had less work, every time we stepped into the studio, we gave our best. Take Bulleya, for example. My antara comes in the second half of the song. Yet, Pritam gave me the space to express myself fully. I had to be unique, different.

While actors often enjoy the spotlight, singers tend to stay in the background. Have you ever felt overlooked because of that?
Yes, there have been times when I’ve felt overlooked or not fully seen. I think that happens to everyone in this field at some point. But here’s the thing: whether people see me more or less doesn’t matter. What truly matters to me is that they love my voice. If you can hear me and recognize my voice, that means everything to me, even beyond awards. My friends often joke that when my songs are played at a party, no one knows it’s me. They say I should wear a T-shirt that says - I look like Shilpa Rao (laughs).”