His contribution to the Indian music industry was recognised by Lata Mangeshkar, who bestowed upon him the title Prince of Playback Singing.
He made his Hindi playback debut with Mohammed Rafi in Unees-Bees (1980), while got widespread recognition for his playback singing in Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (1988).
In recognition of his contribution to Nepalese music, the King of Nepal, Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev, awarded him the Order of Gorkha Dakshina Bahu in 2001. He is the only male singer in Filmfare Awards history to have won across three decades: the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s.As many as 21 of his tracks feature in BBC's "Top 40 Bollywood Soundtracks of all time.
In 1970, Narayan performed as a staff singer for Radio Nepal at the age of 15 and sang in hotels around Kathmandu. He made active efforts to pursue a musical career, which were not supported by his father, who urged him to pursue a profession as a doctor or engineer.
In 1978, he received a music scholarship through a cultural-exchange programme to study classical music at Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan in Mumbai.
While in Mumbai, he visited several music directors' offices and auditioned frequently, initially struggling to secure opportunities.
1980s: Hindi Cinema debut and Breakthrough
Narayan’s Bollywood career began in 1980 when music director Rajesh Roshan offered him his first playback opportunity in the film Unees-Bees, where he recorded a duet with Mohammed Rafi.
His major breakthrough came in 1988 with the soundtrack of Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, performed with Alka Yagnik. The song Papa Kehte Hain became a nationwide hit and earned him the Filmfare Award for Best Male Playback Singer in 1989.
In the 2000s, Narayan remained a leading playback singer in Hindi Cinema and collaborated with composers such as A. R. Rahman, Anu Malik, Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy, Vishal–Shekhar and Himesh Reshammiya.
He contributed to major soundtracks, including Lagaan (2001) and Gadar: Ek Prem Katha (2001).
For his work in 1999, he won his fourth Filmfare Award for Best Male Playback Singer for the song Chand Chhupa Badal Mein from the film Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (2000).
He sang Bairi Piya from Devdas (2002), composed by Ismail Darbar with debutante Shreya Ghoshal. Rediff.com affirmed Narayan successfully captures the eternal romanticism of Devdas. He won his fifth Filmfare for the song Mitwa from the film Lagaan (2001). For the same song, he also won his first National Film Award, sharing with his other song Jaane Kyon Log from Dil Chahta Hai (2001).
His second National Film Award in this category came for Chhote Chhote Sapne from Zindagi Khoobsoorat Hai (2002), and his third for Yeh Taara Woh Taara from Swades (2004). In addition, he won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Bhojpuri in 2005 as the producer of Kab Hoi Gawna Hamar.
Narayan at an album launch event in 2010
In the 2010s, Narayan shifted focus to live performances, mentoring, and judging reality shows. He remained active in regional languages and served as a judge on several music reality shows, including Indian Idol and Sa Re Ga Ma Pa.
In 2016, Narayan was awarded the Padma Bhushan, India’s third-highest civilian award, in recognition of his contribution to Indian music and playback singing.
Nepali Cinema
Although primarily known as a playback singer, Narayan also made appearances as an actor, primarily in Nepali cinema.
In 1979, Narayan sang a song for the Nepali film Sindoor directed by Prakash Thapa, which marked his debut as a playback singer. This was a comedy song for the Nepali comedians Gopal Raj Mainali (Chankhe) and Basundhara Bhushal (Nakkali). He sang the song with Sushma Shrestha, who later became known as Poornima in Hindi films. It was Nepal's second coloured film and the first silver jubilee film in Nepal, running for 52 consecutive weeks in Kathmandu cinemas.
His debut as an actor was in the 1985 Nepali film Kusume Rumal, directed by Tulsi Ghimire, in which he both played the lead character and performed the soundtrack, which became an all time highest grosser in Nepali cinema. This record was broken in 2001 by Darpan Chaya, of the same director Tulsi Ghimire. He also acted in another Nepali movie Pirati (1987).
In interviews, Narayan has stated that he took the acting role to support his career while establishing himself as a singer. In 2001, the King of Nepal, Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev, awarded him the Order of Gorkha Dakshina Bahu in 2001 for his contribution to Nepali music and cinema.
In 2004, he released his first non-film Nepalese album, Upahaar, in which he sang duets with his wife Deepa Jha. Narayan has also released many solo albums, including Bhajan Sangam, Bhajan Vatika, I Love You, Dil Deewana, Yeh Dosti, Love is Life, Jaanam, Jhumka de Jhumka, Sona No Ghadulo, Dhuli Ganga, and Ma Tarini, which earned him multiple awards in Nepal, including Record of the Year and Album of the Year during the Hits FM Awards 2004. Narayan sang in numerous Nepali movies in the 1990s and 2000s and regarded among the most prolific singers of Nepal.
Other works
Narayan has performed in numerous stage shows in India and abroad and has received many awards, including the Screen Videocon Award, MTV Best Video Award, and Pride of India Gold Award. In 2010, he collaborated with Madhushree to sing for the English independent film When Harry Tries to Marry. He also sang the title song for the TV show Yeh Duniyan Gazab Ki with Kumar Sanu. In 2015, he participated in the mega-series campaign Melancholy, where 421 Nepali artists performed a 33-minute 49-second environmental song, in which 365 artists set a Guinness World Record on 19 May 2016 at Radio Nepal Studio, Singha Durbar, Kathmandu. The song was written, composed, and directed by environmentalist Nipesh DHAKA.
Narayan with Bollywood playback singers in the 2010s.
Early life
Udit Narayan was born in 1955 to Nepali father Hare Krishna jha and Indian mother Bhuwaneshwari jha
In early 2025, veteran Indian playback singer Udit Narayan faced significant backlash after videos surfaced online showing him kissing female fans during live performances. One widely circulated clip captured Narayan performing the song "Tip Tip Barsa Pani" from the 1994 film Mohra, during which several female fans approached him for selfies. While some fans kissed him on the cheek, Narayan was seen reciprocating by kissing one fan on the lips .
The incident sparked widespread criticism on social media, with many users labeling his behavior as inappropriate and dubbing him a "serial kisser," a term previously associated with actor Emraan Hashmi . In response to the controversy, Narayan defended his actions, describing them as expressions of affection between him and his fans. He stated, "There is a deep pure and unbreakable bond between my fans and I. What you saw in the so-called scandalous video was a manifestation of the love between my fans and I" .
Despite his defense, the videos led to debates about consent and appropriate behavior during public performances. The controversy highlighted the evolving discussions around celebrity conduct and fan interactions in the digital age.
↑"National Film Award Winners". Directorate of Film Festivals – Official. Directorate of Film Festivals, Government of India. Retrieved 6 December 2025.
