Singer whose singing is pre-recorded for use in film
Indian playback singerLata Mangeshkar recorded thousands of songsPakistani playback singerAhmed Rushdi during a live performance
Aplayback singer, as they are usually known in South Asian cinema, orghost singer in Western cinema, is a vocalist whose performance is pre-recorded for use in movies. Playback singers record songs forsoundtracks, and the actorslip-sync the songs for camera; the actual playback singer does not get filmed or appear on screen. Generally, to synchronize with the emotional situation of the song or complete movie, the playback singer is given an idea or emotional context of that part of the film so that he or she can interpret by taking the right moves in their vocals.
South Asia
South Asian films produced in the Indian subcontinent frequently use this technique. A majority ofIndian films as well asPakistani films typically include six or seven songs. AfterAlam Ara (1931), the first Indiantalkie film, for many years singers made dual recordings for a film, one during the shoot, and later in the recording studio, until 1952 or 1953. Popular playback singers in India enjoy the same status as popular actors and music directors[1][2][3] and receive wide public admiration. Most of the playback singers are initially trained in classical music, but they later often expand their range.[4]
Mohammed Rafi andAhmed Rushdi[5] are regarded as two of the most influential playback singers in South Asia.[6] The sistersLata Mangeshkar andAsha Bhosle, who have mainly worked in Hindi films, are two of the best-known and most prolific playback singers in India.[7][8] In 2011,Guinness officially acknowledged Bhosle as the most recorded artist in music history.[9]
Hollywood
The practice is also employed inHollywood musicals, where such performers are known as ghost singers, though less frequently in other genres. Notable Hollywood performances includeAnita Ellis as the voice ofRita Hayworth's title character inGilda (1946). Both Ellis's and Hayworth's performances were so impressive that audiences did not know that the latter's voice had been dubbed. Called "the sexiest voice of 1946", Ellis's identity was not publicized; Hayworth was instead credited on the soundtrack.
^Earl J. Hess and Pratibha A. Dabholkar,Singin' in the Rain: The Making of an American Masterpiece (Lawrence, Kansas: University Press of Kansas, 2009), p145.
The dictionary definition ofplayback singer at Wiktionary.svg)
