Alisha Chinai is a renowned Indian playback singer and pop singer, widely known as the “Queen of Indipop.” Born as Sujata Chinai on 18 March 1965 in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, she became one of the most recognisable female voices in Indian pop and Hindi film music.
She is best known for her iconic 1995 pop album Made in India, produced by Biddu. The title song became a major cultural phenomenon and established Alisha as one of India's leading independent pop artists.
Her popular film songs include “Kaate Nahin Kat Te,” “Kajra Re,” “Made in India,” “Tinka Tinka,” “Aaj Ki Raat,” “Bebo,” “Dilbar Dilbar” and “Tera Hone Laga Hoon.”
Alisha Chinai was born as Sujata Chinai on 18 March 1965 in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India. She grew up in a musical environment and developed an interest in singing from a young age.
Her professional singing career began in the 1980s. Music director and composer Bappi Lahiri played an important role in introducing her to Hindi film playback singing. She subsequently recorded songs for several films and became associated with the disco and pop sound that was popular in Hindi cinema during the 1980s.
During this period, she worked with Bappi Lahiri on films including Adventures of Tarzan, Dance Dance, Commando, Guru and Love Love Love. She also provided playback vocals for several leading actresses of Hindi cinema.
Alisha released her debut pop album Jadoo in 1985. She subsequently released albums including Baby Doll and Aaah Alisha, establishing herself beyond conventional film playback singing.
One of her memorable early film performances was “Kaate Nahin Kat Te” from Mr. India (1987), which she recorded with Kishore Kumar under the music direction of Laxmikant–Pyarelal. The song remains one of the memorable romantic songs of 1980s Hindi cinema.
Her biggest career milestone came in 1995 with the release of the album Made in India, produced by British-Indian music producer Biddu. The title track became enormously popular and helped establish the Indian independent-pop music industry as a major force in the 1990s.
The success of Made in India earned Alisha widespread recognition and the popular title “Queen of Indipop.” The album's songs, particularly “Made in India” and “Lover Girl,” became closely associated with the Indian pop culture of the 1990s.
Alisha later returned strongly to Hindi film playback singing. She worked with music directors including Anu Malik and Nadeem-Shravan, among others. Her later popular songs include “Kajra Re” from Bunty Aur Babli, “It's the Time to Disco,” “Aaj Ki Raat,” “Bebo,” “Tinka Tinka” and “Tera Hone Laga Hoon.”
For “Kajra Re” from Bunty Aur Babli (2005), Alisha received the Filmfare Award for Best Female Playback Singer. She subsequently continued recording songs for Bollywood films and independent music projects.
Alisha has also appeared as a television personality and served as a judge on Indian Idol 3. Her career has therefore extended beyond playback and pop singing into television and entertainment.
She remains active in music. Apple Music lists releases associated with Alisha Chinai as recently as 2026, including “Tinka Tinka (Synthpop)”, demonstrating that she continues to be associated with contemporary music releases.