Kanika Kapoor is the voice behind some of our wildest party nights – from “Baby Doll” to “Chittiyaan Kalaiyaan”, from “Lovely” to “Desi Look”, this diva has made sure our dance floors never stayed empty. But behind all that glitz, beats, and glitter, there’s a raw, unfiltered truth about the music industry that’ll make your jaw drop. Spoiler: It’s got nothing to do with stardom and everything to do with survival.
Kanika Kapoor discloses receiving Rs 101 as payment
While we’ve been grooving to her bangers, Kanika recently revealed the not-so-sweet side of being a singer in India. Chatting with Uorfi Javed on her show Bunkk With Uorfi, Kanika admitted that when it comes to payment, singers are basically handed ?101 as “fees” for blockbuster songs.
She explained, “Singers don’t really get paid. I’ll show you all the contracts, they get only ?101. They say that they are doing you a favour. I can tell you about the greatest singer of India. And I’m not going to take names, but it’s very obvious. I don’t think even he has been paid for most of his greatest songs ever. Nor does he have any publishing or royalty structure. There is nothing like that in India today.”
Kanika spilled that even some of the biggest voices in India don’t see real money for their iconic tracks. No royalty, no publishing rights, no big fat cheques rolling in. Instead, the industry treats it as if they’re doing the singers a favour by giving them a platform. Brutal, isn’t it?
So how do singers actually survive? Kanika’s answer was as blunt as it gets: “Only if you are alive and can sing, if your voice is working and you can do shows. As long as you’re able to perform shows, you will get money. But if something happens tomorrow, there is no pension plan for singers. If something happens tomorrow, there’s no pension plan for singers.” If tomorrow your voice gives up, the industry just moves on without batting an eyelid.
Of course, Kanika’s journey has been nothing short of iconic. She exploded onto the scene with “Baby Doll” in Ragini MMS 2 (2014), followed it up with hits like “Lovely” (Happy New Year), “Chittiyaan Kalaiyaan” (Roy), “Desi Look” (Ek Paheli Leela), and “Beat Pe Booty” (A Flying Jatt). Even her recent track “Gori Hai Kalaiyan” from Mere Husband Ki Biwi had fans vibing hard.
So while we’re still blasting her songs on full volume, Kanika’s confession is a major wake-up call, reminding us that behind every chartbuster is an artist who often doesn’t get the credit (or the cash) they deserve. Bollywood may give us endless beats, but clearly, it still owes its singers more than just ?101.
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