Neha Kakkar

2019 began with the release of three remade songs in collaboration with Bagchi. "Chamma Chamma", recreated for the film Fraud Saiyyan–original composition from the film China Gate (1998)–was considered "memorable", while "Coca Cola Tu" from Luka Chuppi and "Hauli Hauli" from De De Pyaar De were acknowledged by some critics for giving the songs "a new flavor" though other critics disapproved her latest trend of "annoying" association in the remade song. The year marks her first collaboration with Vishal Mishra and Vishal-Shekhar, where she performed the female version of "Ki Honda Pyaar" from Jabariya Jodi for the former and "The Hook Up Song" for the latter, which was well received by critics; Sen from The Times of India wrote: "The zing in Neha Kakkar’s sultry voice adds to the flirty feel of the upbeat track". The trio of Kakkar, Bagchi and the dancer Nora Fatehi re-united for two other chart-buster songs, "O Saki Saki" from Batla House and "Ek Toh Kum Zindagani" from Marjaavaan. The former being a remake of Musafir's "Saaki", originally performed by Sukhwinder Singh and Sunidhi Chauhan was criticised for the lack of "power" compared to the original version. During the year, Kakkar lent her voice for the foot-tapping club number "Dheeme Dheeme", composed by Bagchi and the romantic love song "Tu Hi Yaar Mera" composed by Rochak Kohli, in which Tuteja from Bollywood Hungama appraised her "different avatar" in the latter.

Kakkar is very active on social media platforms including Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube page, where she interact with her fans and regularly post updates about her life. She is one of the most followed Indian artiste on Instagram. In October 2019, she received the Instagram trophy, celebrating the first Indian musician and the fifth Indian to reach the milestone. In 2017, Kakkar was included in the list of 35 boldest entrepreneurs of India who are changing the game in various industries. The same year she appeared in the Forbes Celebrity 100, a list based on income and popularity of India's celebrities. She was listed at the sixty-fourth spot in 2017 and twenty-ninth spot in 2019.

Kakkar's first release of 2018 was the Yo Yo Honey Singh's "Chhote Chhote Peg" fromSonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety, a remake of the Anand Raj Anand-composition "Tote Tote Ho Gaya" from Bichhoo (2000), and was positively received by the critics. This was followed by Bagchi's recreation of "Aashiq Banaya Apne" included in the soundtrack album of Hate Story 4, originally performed by Himesh Reshamiyya and Shreya Ghoshal. Umesh Punwani from Koimoi feels that Kakkar did a "good job" while trying to "give her voice a new shape" although the retained original portions of the song were the only good thing about this version. The duo collaborated for five other projects, from which "Dilbar" fromSatyameva Jayate and "Aankh Maarey" from Simmba became popular with music listeners, both songs reaching the list of most-viewed Indian videos on YouTube and the former being the first Indian song to reach number three on the Billboard YouTube Music Chart. Devansh Sharma from Firstpost praised the former and remarked, "The soul of the new track is Neha Kakkar who brings a sensual-yet-never-raunchy appeal through her vocals. Her range allows her to switch from the meditative stanzas to the uninhibited chorus like a chameleon". Apart from rendering the folk pop song "Dholida" from Loveyatri alongside Udit Narayan and Palak Muchhal, Kakkar performed a traditional-themed-contemporary Punjabi track "Bhangra Da Sajda" from Veere Di Wedding, composed and co-sung by Shashwat Sachdev. Firstpost in its review of Badhaai Ho appraised Kakkar's accent and "good support in the smaller" part of the song "Nain Na Jodeen" while crediting "her versatility" in the bhangra number "Morni Banke" which was a remake of the 2010 release of Panjabi MC's song of the same name. The trend continued with the item number "Gali Gali" included in the Hindi-dubbed version of the Kannada film K.G.F: Chapter 1. During the year, she appeared as a judge alongside Anu Malik and Vishal Dadlani in the tenth season of the Indian television music competition, Indian Idol.

From 2017 onwards, Kakkar, primarily, in collaboration with Tanishk Bagchi, became more associated with the trend of remaking old to very recent songs, which resulted in several backlashes targeted for the singer, though she personally favoured the trend of recreations and opined that they have been well-appreciated. Apart from playback singing, Kakkar has appeared in several music videos and as a judge on several television reality shows including Indian Idol, the same show she participated during her early days. On these shows, she has been trolled in social media several times for crying on-screen. She openly admits that she is a "proud emotional girl." She appeared in the India Forbes Celebrity 100 in 2017 and 2019.

2017 marks Kakkar's first collaboration with Tanishk Bagchi which resulted in the rehashing of several Bollywood songs in the coming years. Their first release, "Badri Ki Dulhania" from Badrinath Ki Dulhania performed with Dev Negi, Ikka Singh and Monali Thakur has few segments lifted from the Shankar-Jaikishen classic, "Chalat Musafir" from Teesri Kasam (1966). The song was well received by the critics, where Swetha Ramakrishnan from Firstpost commended the overall work for "living up to previous expectations" while announcing Kakkar as the "perfect fit for the title track". The version became an instant chart-buster among the audience and was included in the list of most-viewed Indian videos on YouTube with over 500 million views. This was followed by another chart-buster by the duo, "Cheez Badi" from Machine, a re-creation of the 1994-released Mohra song "Tu Cheez Badi Hai Mast Mast", which got mixed reviews from critics; Vijayakar from India West found Kakkar to be "strictly okay to ho-hum as co-singer" while the re-creation "lacks the obnoxious quotient" of the original. Her next release was the dance song "Main Tera Boyfriend" from Raabta which was a recreation of a non-film track "Na Na Na Na". Reviewing the song from Daily News and Analysis, Prachita Pandey wrote: "Kakkar complements [Arijit] well, but we felt her vocals to be a bit toned down in terms of energy". The trend was carried forward with Judwaa 2 where she rendered two remake songs, co-composed by Sandeep Shirodkar and Anu Malik and one original song composed by Meet Bros. Tuteja from Bollywood Hungama credited Kakkar and co-singers for "retaining the impact as the originals" with their vocals in the remade songs of the same name while complimenting her as "quite impressive in her trademark naughty vocals" in the song "Aa Toh Sahi". During the year, she appeared as a judge alongside Himesh Reshammiya and Javed Ali in the sixth season of the Indian television music competition, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa L'il Champs. Reminiscing her participation in the music competition, Kakkar stated, "I started from being a contestant to now becoming a judge. Being on another side of the table is a different feeling altogether. I travel back in time and see myself standing there and being scared of judges remarks". The year ended with another recreated song, "Mehbooba" from Fukrey Returns, originally performed by Mohammed Rafi Dharam Veer (1977), where the new version was commended for the "stylish rendition" of the singers.

2016 was a successful year for Kakkar where she performed the popular song "Mile Ho Tum" from the film Fever, composed, written and co-sung by Tony Kakkar, which she considers as the "closest song to her heart". Credited as the most-viewed Bollywood song on YouTube, the song received a positive response from critics and audience. Reviewing the song, Mohar Basu from The Times of India wrote: "Kakkar shows her versatile vein with [the song, where] she keeps her voice subtle and sticks to the mellow meter". Also, she contributed to the soundtrack album of Baar Baar Dekho by performing the wedding-song "Kala Chashma" which became the "party anthem of the year". Included in the list of the most viewed Bollywood songs on YouTube, "Kala Chashma" was admired by the critics for its use of "dub-step, hip-hop beats, and a very groovy bass" for which Surabhi Redkar from Koimoi applauded Kakkar's "powerful vocals" in the song. She worked with Epic Bhangra for the film Sanam Re, where they released the song "Humne Pee Rakhi Hai", a mix of club and EDM which was deemed as an "unncesessary addition to the album" and Kakkar vocals were noted to be "awfully shrill". She also provided her vocals for an additional song in the album, "Akkad Bakkad", a rap song performed along with Badshah to celebrate the music of the film. Apart from lending her vocals to the party song, "Kar Gayi Chull" from Kapoor & Sons, which was a remake of the Haryanvi track "Chull" and her first recording for Dharma Productions, Kakkar performed several other recreated songs during the year including, "Maahi Ve"–a remake of the song "Maahi Ve" from Kaante (2002)– and "O Janiya"–a remake of the song "Kaante Nahi Kat Te" from Mr. India (1987)–for Wajah Tum Ho and Force 2 respectively. Joginder Tuteja from Bollywood Hungama opined that Kakkar's rendition in the former is "decent but not as good as the original" while he noted that "Kakkar, the young woman is just the right follow up to Alisha Chinai as her voice comes with the right mix of naughtiness and seduction" in the latter.

Kakkar's first release of 2015 came with "Ek Do Teen Chaar" from Ek Paheli Leela which was composed, penned and co-sung by Tony Kakkar. The song received mainly negative reviews from critics, calling it a "failed attempt on a potential number". Rajiv Vijayakar from Bollywood Hungama, reviewing the soundtrack album wrote: "Neha tries to be saucy and coquettish, but the composition lacks the strength to let this mood bloom". She then collaborated with the music composer duo, Amjad-Nadeem where she performed the tracks "Naughty No 1" and "Daaru Peeke Dance" for Barkhaa and Kuch Kuch Locha Hai respectively; both of which failed commercially. Followed by few other "dull" releases, Kakkar received recognition with her "seductive" performance in the Meet Bros Anjjan-composed "Tu Isaq Mera" from Hate Story 3. Her last release of the year was "Tukur Tukur" from Dilwale, an "energetic number" which captures the spirit of Goa and performed alongside Arijit Singh, Kanika Kapoor, Siddharth Mahadevan and Nakash Aziz as a separate, video version of the song. Kakkar, an ardent fan of Shah Rukh Khan, expressed her excitement once she figured out the song was recorded for his album, "When I recorded "Tukur Tukur", I did not know it was for his film. I am over the moon". However, the version was criticised for Kakkar's "jarring" vocals and the "lack of the sheer exuberance" compared to that of the audio version performed by Singh. The same year, she featured alongside Shilpa Shetty in the video single "Wedding Da Season", composed by Amaal Malik, as insisted by the choreographer Ganesh Acharya, who saw her performing off-screen.

In 2015, Kakkar was noted as the "innovative brain" behind the selfie videos of several songs that got viral on YouTube, which she started in 2012 with the song "Botal Khol" from Prague. The trend which media attributed to her, was considered by her as "lively interaction with her fans" which have sound, actions and emotions. Rewarding her with the title "Expression Queen", Aastha Banan from Mid Day wrote: "She sings looking into her phone, smiling sensuously and raising her eyebrows to the tune, emoting skillfully which helped her earn the title".

2014 saw the rise of Kakkar with the release of three popular songs. The first release of the year was a collaboration with Yo Yo Honey Singh for the film Yaariyan, for which, The Times of India credited her as the "perfect voice for dance numbers". The duo collaborated once again for Bollywood's first trance number, "Manali Trance" from The Shaukeens, which was recorded in twenty-five minutes. The song mainly received positive reviews from critics, due to the "innovative contribution to this Bollywood-unfriendly genre". Her first work with Amit Trivedi, a wedding song titled "London Thumakda" was released in the same year, which received positive reviews from critics. Mohar Basu from Koimoi wrote: "Singers [did] a brilliant job as this one remains the album most energetic number". On the occasion of Mother's Day, Kakkar shot and released a song for her mother which gained positive response among the audience.

Kakkar and actor Himansh Kohli were in a romantic relationship since 2014. In September 2018, they officially announced their relationship on national television and revealed that they will tie the knot soon. However, three months later, the couple broke-up which was hinted by an emotional message she posted on Instagram. In an interview with Bombay Times she opened up about her life post the split and revealed how she regrets "making her personal life so public". In August 2019, she shared an alarming post on Instagram about "depression" and "thinking of ending her life" after rumours of an affair with an Indian Idol contestant surfaced.

Kakkar's first release of 2013, "Botal Khol" from Prague met with controversy, where Central Board of Film Certification raised objections on the song citing that its lyrics contain double meaning. In an interview with Hindustan Times, Kakkar stated, "We do discuss with our lyricists when we are recording. But we cannot stop making or singing such songs just because certain sections of the society do not like it". This was followed by a Sachin-Jigar's item number composed for Ramaiya Vastavaiya. Titled "Jadoo Ki Jhappi", the song met with negative reception from critics, where Rajiv Vijayakar from Bollywood Hungama rated the song as weakest track on the album and wrote: "Kakkar cannot impart the magic that marks the vocals of the most successful item numbers". She next collaborated with Pritam for another item song "Dhating Nach", performed alongside Nakash Aziz and Shefali Alvares.

She had a single Bollywood release in 2011, Sandeep Chowta-composed "Woh Ek Pal", performed alongside Arijit Dutta, which lacked the needed coverage from the music listeners. She then made an appearance in the second season of Comedy Circus Ke Taansen alongside Kapil Sharma and Ali Asgar which she considered an "amazing experience" where the "atmosphere on the sets was positive and the jokes had us all cracking up. I particularly enjoyed it since I am bubbly and always smiling". The following year, her collaboration with Pritam for the dance track "Second Hand Jawani" from Cocktail proved to be a major breakthrough for Kakkar. The song went to become popular among the music listeners, though it received mixed to negative reviews from critics, calling it a "distraction amidst rest of the album". Besides, she got a "tremendous response" for her "Shah Rukh Khan Anthem" on YouTube, for which Shah Rukh Khan thanked her by saying he "loved the song".

In 2010, Kakkar made her movie debut with Sooraj Barjatya's film Isi Life Mein...! (2010) in which she played the role of a college student. The film received negative reviews from critics and was a box office failure. The same year, she debuted in both the Kannada and Telugu music industry by performing a total of four tracks for Sandeep Chowta. She lent her voice for the title track of the Kannada film Thamassu and the song "Nodu Baare" alongside Master Saleem, which were appreciated by the reviewers from Bangalore Mirror and the former resulted in her only Filmfare Awards South nomination as the Best Female Playback Singer. Also, the same publication complimented Kakkar's rendition in the song "Neeve Na Neeve Na" and "Jaaniya Jaane" from the Telugu film Kedi.

In 2008, she launched her debut album Neha The Rockstar with music by Meet Bros in which she performed some romantic songs. During the time, she recorded for a music album, Romeo Juliet composed by her brother, Tony Kakkar. The song "Mohabbat Hai" from the album received limited recognition from the listeners which resulted in the offer to render her first Kotak Mahindra jingle, "Mera Jaisa Koi Mere Zindagi Main Aaye".

A year later, a friend of Kakkar called her from the studio of composer Sandesh Shandilya, who was looking for a new voice to record the song "Hai Rama" from Meerabai Not Out (2008). The following year, she was featured in an A.R. Rahman's composition, the theme song of Blue (2009) where she provided the chorus vocals for the song. She then lent her voice for the title track of the Hindi-language soap operaNa Aana Is Des Laado (2009) which holds a special place in her heart, as the "song was a touching experience since it focused on women".

In 2006, at the age of sixteen, Kakkar auditioned for the second season of Indian Idol where she got eliminated early in the show. Being the youngest participant, she was naturally "pampered" on the sets, and recalls that the show gave her "great memories and fame". Commenting on her short-journey, she said, "I feel, whatever happens, happens for a reason. I am just glad the way my journey worked out. It has been a tremendous learning experience". According to her, people "appreciated my voice saying that you sing well but nobody ever told me that I am a great singer". Hence, determined to prove that she can sing well, Kakkar worked on "polishing" her voice afterwards.

In the early 90s, Kakkar along with her family moved to Delhi, in order to try her luck in singing. At that time, the family was reeling under a financial crisis. Hoping to "contribute" to the family, Kakkar, at the age of four, started performing at local gatherings and religious event with her siblings which she credited for "boosting" her self-confidence. "I only sang bhajans from four to sixteen years. I would attend four to five jagrans in a day, which became my training ground". Having music talent at home, she never felt the need to get any formal training in singing. In 2004, she moved to Mumbai with her brother, Tony Kakkar.

Neha Kakkar (born 6 June 1988) is an Indian singer. She began performing at religious events at the age of four and participated in the second season of the singing reality show, Indian Idol, in which she was eliminated early. After several struggles, she made her Bollywood debut as a chorus singer in the film Meerabai Not Out. She rose to prominence upon the release of the dance track "Second Hand Jawani" from Cocktail which was followed by several other popular party songs including "Sunny Sunny" from Yaariyan and "London Thumakda" from Queen.

Kakkar was born on 6 June 1988 in Rishikesh, Uttarakhand. She is the younger sister of playback singer Sonu Kakkar and singer-composer Tony Kakkar. During the early days, her father, Rishikesh Kakkar used to sell samosa outside a college for a living while her mother Niti Kakkar was a homemaker. In the city, Kakkar shared a rented single room house with her whole family, in which they used to sleep and simultaneously convert to a kitchen by putting a table.