Re: Who is really the king? Mohd Rafi? Sonu Nigam? Kumar Sanu? or Udit?
Sonu Nigam thinks of Rafi as his "Bhagwaan". And no one can be better than his or her bhagwaan. Sonu Nigam can be a god to somebody else but for him Rafi is "the" god. People came to know Sonu only after he sang gazillions of Rafi songs; no one knew him before. He is a great singer trying to copy his seniors but no match for a singer like Mohammed Rafi.
Noor Jahan may be a bit senior than Lata, just a bit. But the magic that Lata has in her voice is just not there in Noor Jahan's.
Part of the reason that Rafi and Lata are the best even today, and for that matter I can even include Asha, is their humility. They never had false pride and arrogance come near to them. Kept themselves sincere to their work; did not say any thing bad about anybody. That is a quality of just not a great singer but a great human being. They always complimented seniors as well as their juniors. These are some of the reasons that they had and still have purity in their hearts, voices, and performances and an immense effect on their listeners.
Re: Who is really the king? Mohd Rafi? Sonu Nigam? Kumar Sanu? or Udit?
So now Rafi is compared with people like Nigam, Sanu, Udit...
Rafi is originality; these are just people with a nice voice. It is difficult to sing the song (lyrics) for the first time, and Rafi has provided more variety than any other male singer in India and in subcontinent.
Re: Who is really the king? Mohd Rafi? Sonu Nigam? Kumar Sanu? or Udit?
Lata Mangeshkar is the most talented female i have heard...And for males i have to go for Sonu Nigam...admittedly my exposure to Noor Jehan and Rafi is limited so i cant really comment on them...but Lata and Sonu work for me...
P.S To the guy who said dont talk about Indian singers in the Pak Forum...this is the World Entertainment section...last time i checked India was part of the World...
Re: Who is really the king? Mohd Rafi? Sonu Nigam? Kumar Sanu? or Udit?
Dear Umer Ashraf,
I am surprised too. There is in fact no comparison between Rafi and today's singers. Unfortunately new generation has not heard him enough so they have a very limited idea of what good singing is all about. "Andhon main kana Raja" fits here very well since in a mob of bad-sounding, screaming, noisy singers/musicians with shallow poetry Sonu Nigam or Udit Narayin may sound better. Anyways, I stop here without saying more.
Re: Who is really the king? Mohd Rafi? Sonu Nigam? Kumar Sanu? or Udit?
This discussion is totally unrealistic. Its is like comparing gulaab and raat ki raani, like comparing mangos with pears. Different singers are liked by different people for different reasons. Running down Lata just because she is a Hindu (which is what I suspect) only shows your bias. I like both Lat and Noor Jahan as well as Nayyara not to mention unginat great Indian singers in classical music. Don't call anybody the greatest singer before hearing Bade Ghulam Ali's "Kya karoo sajani, aaye na balam". Nusrat fateh Ali is also great. Rafi has entertained generations. Let's just wait for fea years and see how long likes of Sonu are remembered.
Re: Who is really the king? Mohd Rafi? Sonu Nigam? Kumar Sanu? or Udit?
Oh please.
Expat, I know this is a bit hard for you to believe, but not everything posted on GS is a big anti-Hindu conspiracy. I can’t stand Lata either and that has nothing to do with her religion but more to do with her irritating voice.
Re: Who is really the king? Mohd Rafi? Sonu Nigam? Kumar Sanu? or Udit?
It's my personal opinion my dear. She was fine in her glory days. In the past decade or so, her voice has gone down and even her sister doesn't sound that great anymore. Old age seems to have that affect on people. The same can be said for Noor Jehan, she was fine in her glory days, but the older she got, the less 'wonderful' her voice sounded. Suitable for songs back in the day, but now, no thanks.
