Divya Kumar

From ballads to rock and devotional songs, playback singer Divya Kumar is one of India’s most popular film voices. Born in Ahmedabad into a family of musicians, including his grandfather Pandit Shivram and father Bhagwan Shivram, Kumar was enrolled from the age of nine in a singing troupe called Little Wonders, where he was guided by legendary Bollywood music directors Kalyanji-Anandji. After moving to Mumbai, Kumar started out as a music producer, programmer and composer assisting music duo Sachin-Jigar. By 2012, Kumar had made his singing debut in Bollywood on the Amit Trivedi-composed rock song “Aafaton Ke Parinde” for the film Ishaqzaade, sharing vocal credits with Suraj Jagan. Adept at leading on songs of fervour, such as “Maston Ka Jhund” for Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy from Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, playful tunes like “Shake Your Bootiya” for Sachin-Jigar and those rooted in folk, such as “Shubhaarambh” from Kai Po Che, Kumar has found that his biggest hits have come via the Stree film franchise. Dance-floor-friendly tracks “Kamariya” from Stree in 2018 and “Aaj Ki Raat” from 2024’s Stree 2 introduced the singer’s easy-going and sublime vocals a wider audience.