Asha Bhosle opens up about childhood imitations that shaped her iconic singing career

Mumbai, Oct 7 (IANS) Legendary singer Asha Bhosle had once opened up about her childhood fascination with films and music, revealing how imitating singers at home helped shape her unique style.

From experimenting with different voices to drawing inspiration from the English singer Carmen Miranda, she shared how these early experiences played a key role in her iconic singing career. In an old interview with Waves OTT, Asha talked about how as a child, she enjoyed watching films and listening to songs, then imitating the singers she admired. This was a common habit in her household, but for her, it became a kind of training ground.

She specifically mentioned Carmen Miranda, a flamboyant Portuguese-Brazilian singer known for her high-energy performances and fruit-laden hats. Asha tried to imitate her style, even though her family were classical musicians. The singer said, “Since childhood, I had a habit of watching films, listening to songs, and imitating them. I tried to imitate the voice of a singer. Everyone had this habit at home, including me. Let me tell you about an English singer named Carmen Miranda. She used to wear strange clothes, and there were fruits on her cap. My family is a classical singer, but when I used to sing this song at home, my mother used to think that I was imitating a ghost.”

“My mother used to beat me. Let me tell you about that song. I will also tell you how it helped me later. I used to sing this song at home. Many years later, I got the opportunity to sing Sir Ramchandraji's song. No matter how much I sang, they didn't like it.”

Asha Bhosle added, “So, I thought of that woman. I sang it during the take and everyone loved it. They asked me, how did you do this? I didn't tell them that I imitated Carmen Miranda. In the same way, I changed my singing every time. I changed my voice and style. There was a time when I used to sing Qawwali. I used to sing this song a lot. I used to sing this song a lot. Then, this song came along with it.”

Celebrated for her remarkable versatility, Asha Bhosle is considered among the greatest voices in Hindi cinema. Across a career of over eight decades, she has lent her voice to films and albums in various Indian languages and has been honoured with multiple awards, including two National Film Awards.

Bhosle will be turning 92 on September 8, 2025.

--IANS

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