Top 10 Teenage Music Talent of West Bengal (Female)
Aspiring to be a playback singer is one of the goals that most young talent focus on from an early age. Many choose musical reality shows to test their talent and create a lasting impression in the hope of a lucky break. These reality shows are also the best place for most music enthusiasts to find their favourites and generate audience feedback that not only encourages the talent, but helps build a fan base which can translate into rewards at a later stage in their lives.
There are various music reality shows in India covering all age groups. Some are regional and some are national. We focus on the main national shows for the purposes of this article as they are viewed by a wider cross-section of the country, need proficiency in Hindi, and have more diverse competition.
As the title suggests, the article covers only the most successful female talents who are still teenagers. The rationale behind the choice is simple:
a) Teenagers have the longest journey to success, and they are worth following in that journey.
b) There is only one male teenager of note from West Bengal - Shreyan Bhattacharya, a 12 year old from Midnapore, and the joint winner of Zee Sa Re Ga Ma Pa L'il Champs 2017. Shreyan is already well established as a young star and should have a bright future if he transitions well into adulthood.
c) The field is crowded for female teenagers with many aspirants competing against each other with contrasting styles and vocal qualities. Only one or two will have a chance to emerge as successful playback singers, so their story holds more interest.
Music Reality shows are not, perhaps, the most foolproof platform to judge talent. Many factors contribute to the progress of a participant, and some of these are not realted to their ability to sing. These shows are primarily aimed at making revenue for the hosts, and that goal often affects individual fortunes. Most shows rely at some stage on audience voting - and that can get skewed in India as those who feel less included will often vote for the bond rather than the skill. The best way to minimize this bias is to treat those who make the main cut in the show equally. For our purposes I have chosen singers who have performed at least 6 songs on live shows at a single competition. That not only provides us better in-depth knowledge of the skills, it also means that the participant has some inherent talent.
Detailed, below, in alphabetical order, are brief profiles of the girl power that has emerged over this decade from National Reality Shows. Though extremely talented and deserving, none have actually won a national competition. That may have to do with how West Bengal participates in non-vernacular TV offerings. The first 8 are aged 15 years or below. The last two are older, but still in their teens. Information is entirely collected from various web pages/sites. Images used are all from Instagram accounts of the participants / fan clubs.
This blog contains information available as on 16/5/2018.
There is no attempt to judge or rate the talent. I just wish all of them good luck - may they reach their dreams and make everyone happy!
Age: 13
Place: Kolkata
Competition: Sa Re Ga Ma Pa L'il Champs 2014 - 2nd Runner-up
Prize money: Rs. 2 Lacs
1st Public competition: 2011
Managed By: Zee Talent
YouTube song link:
a) https://youtu.be/jI5W6ZjXfGc
b) https://youtu.be/gqyWiVFCub4
Age: 17
Place: Gobordanga, Kolkata
Competition: Dil Hai Hindustani 2017 - 3rd place as duo with Shashwati (mother)
Sa Re Ga Ma Pa L'il Champs 2013
SaReGaMaPa Bangla 2018 - Winner
Prize money: ?
1st Public competition: 2013
YouTube song links:
a) https://youtu.be/-FxunM9HZ1o
b) https://youtu.be/EL0nL4nyEy4
Age: 15
Place: Kolkata
Competition: Sa Re Ga Ma Pa L'il Champs 2014 - Top 6
Winner: Zee Bangla Sa Re Ga Ma Pa L'il Champs 2013
Prize money: ?
Facebook Page Followers: 876
1st Public competition: 2013
Managed By: Zee Talent
YouTube song links:
a) https://youtu.be/Eg3kH3p202M
b) https://youtu.be/-iekP1QMBGg
Age: 16
Place: Alipurduar
Competition: The Voice India Kids 2017 -1st Runners up
Indian Idol 10 - 2nd Runners up
Prize money: Rs 16 Lacs
Facebook Page Followers: 41,230 (67,198)
1st Public competition: 2011
Managed By: Universal Music Live
YouTube song links:
a) https://youtu.be/ltrstdEFaqg
b) https://youtu.be/HNNQNPh9BAU
Age: 14
Place: Agartala/Kolkata
Competition: Indian Idol Junior 2015 - Top 6
The Voice India Kids 2017 - Top 10
Prize money: ?
1st Public competition: 2011
Facebook Page Followers: 9,026
YouTube song links:
a) https://youtu.be/bOnbkaxIBl0
b) https://youtu.be/wXJog5Xy6JU
Age: 12
Place: Kolkata
Competition: Indian Idol Junior 2015 - Top 7
Prize money: ?
1st Public competition: 2011
Facebook Page Followers: 1,381
YouTube song links:
a) https://youtu.be/zZ2i_sb4xOg
b) https://youtu.be/dW82kgFsntg
Age: 15
Place: Kolkata
Competition: Sa Re Ga Ma Pa L'il Champs 2017 - Top 8
The Voice India Kids 2016
Prize money: ?
1st Public competition: 2011
Facebook Page Followers: 1,435
Managed By: Zee Talent
YouTube song links:
a) https://youtu.be/NxNzNHRYKkI
b) https://youtu.be/w32nTAmQYk8
Age: 15
Place: Kolkata
Competition: Sa Re Ga Ma Pa L'il Champs 2017 - Runner-up
Indian Idol Junior 2013 - Top 6
Prize money: Rs. 2 Lacs
1st Public competition: 2011
Facebook Page Followers: 23,774
Managed By: Zee Talent
YouTube song links:
a) https://youtu.be/fe45KWyfo5s
b) https://youtu.be/lHw-oMOTC3k
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Age: 19
Place: Kolkata
Competition: Sa Re Ga Ma Pa 2016 - Top 9
Prize money: ?
1st Public compettion: 2013
Facebook Page Followers: 18,496
Managed By: Zee Talent
YouTube song links:
a) https://youtu.be/Rx9Kt_WmIio
b) https://youtu.be/zDFcKobWtBE
10. Debanjana Karmakar
Age: 19
Place: Midnapore/Kolkata
Competition: Indian Idol Junior 2013 - 1st Runner-up
Prize money: ?
1st Public competition: 2013
Managed By: Universal Music Live ?
Facebook Page Followers: 57,542
YouTube song links:
a) https://youtu.be/wfBhTXboH0U
b) https://youtu.be/boYgz9H8IF8
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