Kanika Kapoor claims Indian singers get paid only Rs 101

Singer Kanika Kapoor has made shocking revelations about the payment structure for singers in India. The Baby Doll singer, in conversation with Uorfi Javed on her show Bunking with Uorfi, spoke about how singers are grossly underpaid in the industry and revealed how they truly earn their livelihood.

Kanika Kapoor reveals how much Indian singers earn

When Uorfi asked Kanika about a viral song of hers for which she didn’t get paid, Kanika admitted that singers don’t usually get paid for their songs. She added, "Singers don’t really get paid. Main saare contracts dikhaati hu, 101 rupees milte hain. (I can show you all the contracts. I was paid Rs 101). They say that they are doing you a favour. I can talk to you about the greatest singer of India. I am not going to give names, but very obvious. I don’t think that even he is being paid for most of his greatest songs ever. Or has any publishing, or has any royalty structure. There is nothing like that in India today."

Kanika clarified that while she hasn’t seen every singer’s contract, the reality remains that many artists are only paid as little as Rs 101.

How do singers in India earn?

During the conversation, Kapoor shed light on the true source of income for singers. She said that live shows are the only way for them to make money. "Only if you are alive and you are able to sing, agar aapki awaaz chal rahi hai, aur aap shows kar paa rahe hain. Jab tak aap shows kar paa rahe hain, tab tak aapko paise milenge. Kal ko kuchh ho jaaye to koi pension plan nahi hai singers ke liye (As long as your voice is working and you’re able to perform shows, you’ll keep earning. But if something happens tomorrow, there’s no pension plan for singers)."

About Kanika Kapoor

Kanika rose to fame with her chartbuster debut song Baby Doll from the film Ragini MMS 2 (2014). The song that features Sunny Leone became an overnight sensation and established her as one of Bollywood’s most sought-after voices. Following the success of the track, Kanika went on to sing several hit tracks including Lovely (Happy New Year), Chittiyaan Kalaiyaan (Roy), Desi Look (Ek Paheli Leela), and Beat Pe Booty (A Flying Jatt).