The Most Famous
COMPOSERS from India
Top 10
The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 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. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Indian Composers.
1. Tyagaraja (1767 - 1847)
With an HPI of 53.18, Tyagaraja is the most famous Indian Composer. His biography has been translated into 24 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 and composer 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 (b. 1951)
With an HPI of 48.02, Zakir Hussain is the 2nd most famous Indian Composer. His biography has been translated into 31 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, & 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 received seven Grammy Award nominations, with four wins. He received three Grammys in February 2024.
3. R. D. Burman (1939 - 1994)
With an HPI of 43.70, 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) 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 Mohammed Rafi, Kishore Kumar, Lata Mangeshkar, and Asha Bhosle. 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 and his Bengali lyricist wife Meera 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 (b. 1960)
With an HPI of 37.82, Anu Malik is the 4th most famous Indian Composer. His biography has been translated into 26 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. Bombay Jayashri (b. 1950)
With an HPI of 34.38, Bombay Jayashri is the 5th most famous Indian Composer. Her biography has been translated into 16 different languages.
"Bombay" Jayashri Ramnath is an Indian Carnatic vocalist, singer, and musician. She has sung songs in multiple languages, including for Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, and Hindi movies. Born into a family of musicians, Jayashri represents the fourth generation of music practitioners in her family. Trained by Lalgudi Jayaraman and T.R. Balamani. She was awarded India's fourth highest civilian award, the Padma Shri, in 2021. In December 2023, she was awarded the most prestigious award in the Carnatic music field, the Sangeetha Kalanidhi, by the Madras Music Academy. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song (Oscar) for Pi's Lullaby from Life of Pi movie. She has become one of the most sought-after Carnatic musicians today.
6. Kailash Kher (b. 1973)
With an HPI of 30.44, Kailash Kher is the 6th 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; Filmfare Award for Best Male Playback Singer for the Hindi film Fanaa (2006) and Filmfare Award for Best Male Playback Singer – Telugu 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.
7. Aadesh Shrivastava (1964 - 2015)
With an HPI of 29.48, Aadesh Shrivastava is the 7th most famous Indian Composer. His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.
Aadesh Shrivastava (4 September 1964 – 5 September 2015) was a music composer and singer of Indian music. Initially, he had worked as a drummer to music composers including R. D. Burman, Rajesh Roshan before working independently as a music director. Over the course of his career, he had composed music for over 100 Hindi films. Just a day after he turned 51, he died of cancer in Kokilaben Hospital.
8. Pritam (b. 1971)
With an HPI of 28.50, Pritam is the 8th most famous Indian Composer. His biography has been translated into 20 different languages.
Pritam Chakraborty (born 14 June 1971), also popularly known mononymously as Pritam, is a National Award Winning Indian composer, instrumentalist, guitarist, music producer and singer from Kolkata, India. Graduating from FTII in Sound Engineering, he worked 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 movie 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 one National Film Award, six Filmfare Awards for Best Music Director and four Mirchi Music Award for Music Composer of The Year and many more.
9. Yo Yo Honey Singh (b. 1983)
With an HPI of 28.41, Yo Yo Honey Singh is the 9th most famous Indian Composer. His biography has been translated into 20 different languages.
Hirdesh "Honey" Singh (born 15 March 1983), known professionally as Yo Yo Honey Singh, is a singer, music producer and actor. He commenced his career as a hip-hop music producer in 2003, working as a session and recording artist within the underground music scene until the release of his debut studio album, International Villager.
10. Anirudh Ravichander (b. 1990)
With an HPI of 22.87, Anirudh Ravichander is the 10th most famous Indian Composer. His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.
Anirudh Ravichander (born 16 October 1990) , also credited mononymously as Anirudh, is an Indian composer and playback singer who works primarily in Tamil cinema, in addition to Hindi and Telugu films. He has won two Filmfare Awards South, ten SIIMA Awards, six Edison Awards and five Vijay awards. His debut song "Why This Kolaveri Di", composed for the 2012 film 3, went viral across the globe and has achieved over 450 million views on YouTube. A.R. Murugadoss signed him to compose music for Kaththi (2014) starring Vijay & Samantha which included the viral hit "Selfie Pulla". The soundtrack for the film became Anirudh's highest profile soundtrack until he was signed to compose music for Rajinikanth's Petta in 2019. In 2016, he signed a record deal with Sony Music, which publishes his independent albums and live concerts. In the same year, he featured with Diplo on the remix of Major Lazer's hit single "Cold Water".
People
Pantheon has 10 people classified as Indian composers born between 1767 and 1990. Of these 10, 7 (70.00%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Indian composers include Zakir Hussain, Anu Malik, and Bombay Jayashri. The most famous deceased Indian composers include Tyagaraja, R. D. Burman, and Aadesh Shrivastava. As of April 2024, 3 new Indian composers have been added to Pantheon including Bombay Jayashri, Aadesh Shrivastava, and Anirudh Ravichander.
Living Indian Composers
Go to all Rankings
Zakir Hussain
1951 - Present
HPI: 48.02
Anu Malik
1960 - Present
HPI: 37.82
Bombay Jayashri
1950 - Present
HPI: 34.38
Kailash Kher
1973 - Present
HPI: 30.44
Pritam
1971 - Present
HPI: 28.50
Yo Yo Honey Singh
1983 - Present
HPI: 28.41
Anirudh Ravichander
1990 - Present
HPI: 22.87
Deceased Indian Composers
Go to all RankingsTyagaraja
1767 - 1847
HPI: 53.18
R. D. Burman
1939 - 1994
HPI: 43.70
Aadesh Shrivastava
1964 - 2015
HPI: 29.48
Newly Added Indian Composers (2024)
Go to all RankingsBombay Jayashri
1950 - Present
HPI: 34.38
Aadesh Shrivastava
1964 - 2015
HPI: 29.48
Anirudh Ravichander
1990 - Present
HPI: 22.87
Overlapping Lives
Which Composers were alive at the same time? This visualization shows the lifespans of the 3 most globally memorable Composers since 1700.
