COMPOSERS from India

Top 7

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Indian Composers of all time. This list of famous Indian Composers is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.

1. Tyagaraja (1767 - 1847)

With an HPI of 52.13, Tyagaraja is the most famous Indian Composer.  His biography has been translated into 22 different languages on wikipedia.

Sadguru Tyagaraja Swami (Telugu: సద్గురు త్యాగరాజ స్వామి) (4 May 1767 – 6 January 1847), also known as Tyagayya, and in full as Kakarla Tyagabrahmam, was a saint composer and of Carnatic music, a form of Indian classical music. Tyagaraja and his contemporaries, Shyama Shastri and Muthuswami Dikshitar, are regarded as the Trinity of Carnatic music. Tyagaraja composed thousands of devotional compositions, most in Telugu and in praise of Rama, many of which remain popular today. However, only 720 of these are in vogue. Of special mention are five of his compositions called the Pancharatna Kritis (transl. "five gems"), which are often sung in programs in his honour. Tyagaraja composed Utsava Sampradaya Krithis (transl. Festive ritual compositions), which are often sung to accompany temple rituals and Divya Nama Sankeertanas (transl. Divine name compositions) which are sung as a part of concerts and in daily life. Tyagaraja lived through the reigns of four kings of the Maratha dynasty – Tulaja II (1763–1787), Amarasimha (1787–1798), Serfoji II (1798–1832) and Sivaji II (1832–1855), although he served none of them.

2. Zakir Hussain (1951 - )

With an HPI of 45.54, Zakir Hussain is the 2nd most famous Indian Composer.  His biography has been translated into 29 different languages.

Ustad Zakir Hussain (born 9 March 1951) is an Indian tabla player, composer, percussionist, music producer and film actor. He is the eldest son of tabla player Alla Rakha. He is widely considered as one of the greatest tabla players of all time. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1988, the Padma Bhushan in 2002, and the Padma Vibhushan in 2023, by the Government of India. On 8 February 2009 for 51st Grammy Awards, Hussain won the Grammy in the Contemporary World Music Album category for his collaborative album Global Drum Project with Mickey Hart, Sikiru Adepoju & Giovanni Hidalgo. He was also awarded the Govt of India's Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1990, Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship, Ratna Sadsya in 2018. In 1999, he was awarded the United States National Endowment for the Arts' National Heritage Fellowship, the highest award given to traditional artists and musicians. Hussain has a total of 5 Grammy awards equalling the tallies of the late sitar maestro Ravi Shankar and the master conductor Zubin Mehta; they are all in top spot, incidentally, on the list of Indians with the most Grammy wins. He received 3 Grammy Awards in February 2024.

3. R. D. Burman (1939 - 1994)

With an HPI of 42.89, R. D. Burman is the 3rd most famous Indian Composer.  His biography has been translated into 23 different languages.

Rahul Dev Burman (27 June 1939 – 4 January 1994), known professionally as R.D. Burman, was an Indian music director and actor, who is considered to be one of the greatest and most successful music directors of the Hindi film music industry. From the 1960s to the 1990s, Burman composed musical scores for 331 films, bringing a new level of music ensemble with his compositions. Burman did his major work with legendary singers Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle, and Kishore Kumar. He also worked extensively with lyricist Gulzar, with whom he has some of the most memorable numbers in his career. Nicknamed Pancham, he was the only son of the composer Sachin Dev Burman. He was mainly active in the Hindi film industry as a composer, and also provided vocals for a few compositions. He served as an influence to the next generation of Indian music directors, and his songs continue to be popular in India and overseas. Many years after his death, his songs continue to be inspiration for new singers and composers.

4. Anu Malik (1960 - )

With an HPI of 33.90, Anu Malik is the 4th most famous Indian Composer.  His biography has been translated into 25 different languages.

Anwar Sardar "Anu" Malik (born 2 November 1960) is an Indian music composer, singer, music arranger and score composer. He is an Indian National Award and Filmfare Award winning musician, who primarily composes music for the Hindi film industry. He is the son of Sardar Malik. As a music director, he has composed music for various genres of films, and has created several commercially successful songs for the Hindi (Bollywood) film music industry. Malik is also known for the use of the tabla in some of his songs, including "Taal Pe Jab"' and "Mere Humsafar" from the film Refugee, "Tumse Milke Dilka Jo Haal" from Main Hoon Na, "Eli Re Eli" from Yaadein and "Baazigar O Baazigar" from the film Baazigar. Malik's song "Chamma Chamma" from China Gate was used in the Hollywood film Moulin Rouge! starring Nicole Kidman. Malik was a judge on Indian Idol from its first season in 2004 until 2018 when he left after "Me Too" allegation. He returned as a judge for the show's 11th season in 2019, but left after three weeks, and he was one of the judges for part of the 12th season. He also was a judge for the children's reality singing show Sa Re Ga Ma Pa L'il Champs 2022.

5. Kailash Kher (1973 - )

With an HPI of 25.04, Kailash Kher is the 5th most famous Indian Composer.  His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Kailash Kher (born 7 July 1973) is an Indian music composer and singer. He sings songs with a music style influenced by Indian folk music and Sufi music. He was inspired by the classical musicians Kumar Gandharva, Hridaynath Mangeshkar, Bhimsen Joshi, and the Qawwali singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.Kailash Kher received the Padma Shri award in 2017 from the Indian government. He has also received two Filmfare Awards for Best Male Playback Singer: one for the Hindi film Fanaa (2006) and one for the Telugu film Mirchi (2013), along with several other nominations. With his powerful voice and his unique style of music, Kher has established himself as one of the most popular playback singers of India.

6. Pritam (1971 - )

With an HPI of 23.78, Pritam is the 6th most famous Indian Composer.  His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Pritam Chakraborty (born 14 June 1971)Kolkata, West Bengal, India. also known mononymously as Pritam, is an Indian composer, instrumentalist, guitarist, music producer and singer. Graduating from FTTI in Sound Engineering, he was working as an ad jingles composer, later he debuted as a co-composer in the 2001 Hindi film Tere Liye. He debuted as a solo composer with the album Dhoom. Composition of the title track of Dhoom became the first viral music of indian film history, helped him win the Zee Cine Award for Best Track of the Year & vast acknowledgements. In a career spanning over two decades, he has composed music for more than 125 Bollywood Movies, and he has been the recipient of numerous awards, including six Filmfare Awards for Best Music Director and 4 Mirchi Music Award for Music Composer of The Year from 14 nominations.Pritam's years active in the music industry is from 2001 to present day, his labels are T-Series, Sony music india, YRF music, Eros, Saregama, Tips, Zee music company.

7. Yo Yo Honey Singh (1983 - )

With an HPI of 22.37, Yo Yo Honey Singh is the 7th most famous Indian Composer.  His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Hirdesh Singh (born 15 March 1983), known professionally as Yo Yo Honey Singh, or simply Honey Singh, is an Indian rapper, singer, music producer and actor. He started in 2003 as a session and recording artist, and became a bhangra, hip hop, and Punjabi music producer.