Playback singer

A playback singer is a singer whose singing is pre-recorded for use in movies. Playback singers record songs for soundtracks, and actors or actresses lip-sync the songs for cameras, while the actual singer does not appear on screen.

South Asia

South Asian movies produced in the Indian subcontinent are particularly known for using this technique. A majority of Indian movies as well as Pakistani movies, typically include six or seven songs. After Alam Ara (1931), the first talkie film, for many years singers made dual recordings for a film, one during the shoot, and later in the recording studio, this practice continued till 1952–53. Popular playback singers in India enjoy the same status as popular actors, and music directors, such as Rahul Dev Burman (1939–1994),Ilaiyaraaja and A. R. Rahman, also receive wide public admiration. Most of the playback singers are initially trained in classical music, though they later often expand their range.