
Usha Uthup is one of India’s most celebrated singers, whose career spanning over five decades has redefined popular music across languages and genres.
Uthup started her music career in Chennai in 1969, singing in a small nightclub called Nine Gems in the basement of the erstwhile Safire Theatre complex on Mount Road,] wearing a saree and leg calipers. Her performance was so well received that the owner of the nightclub asked her to stay on for a week.
Her repertoire bridges pop, jazz, and Indian folk traditions, and she is credited with introducing a contemporary global sound to Indian music in the 1970s and 1980s.
For over five decades, Usha Uthup has been one of India’s most beloved and distinctive voices; an artist who has crossed genres, languages, and generations to create music that unites. Fondly known as Didi, she has built an extraordinary career blending Indian traditions with global rhythms, transforming the soundscape of popular music while remaining rooted in authenticity and grace.
Notable Work
Reasons to choose her as a speaker
