The Queen of Indian Pop: The Authorised Biography of Usha Uthup

Usha Uthup, India’s undisputed icon of pop music, has serenaded an entire generation of listeners with her unforgettable voice and continues to do so. Completing fifty years as a professional singer in 2020 is just another milestone in her fabled career. In this vivid biography, Srishti Jha has captured the entire arc of the queen of Indian pop. From her memorable childhood days in Mumbai, her first gigs singing with jazz standard bands in Chennai’s glitzy nightclubs, her meteoric rise as India’s musical sensation, to her philanthropic work, Jha manages to weave a narrative that is colourful, inspiring and bound to keep any reader enthralled to the end. Usha Uthup-known for evergreen hits such as ‘Hari Om Hari’, ‘Rambha Ho’ and ‘Jeete Hain Shaan Se’, among countless others-has a voice that transcends genres. When she takes the stage, in her elaborately designed saris and her trademark bindis, she brings a unique liveliness unparalleled in the realm of Indian music. Jha meticulously maps Uthup’s sense of freedom, her struggles, and her constructive and creative attitude towards work and life. Originally written in Hindi by Vikas Kumar Jha, this is a pitch-perfect translation that offers the reader a front row seat to the life and times of the inimitable Usha Uthup.