Tanvi Shah is an Indian singer-songwriter and recording artist known for her multilingual singing and international musical collaborations. She gained worldwide recognition for her contribution to “Jai Ho” from Slumdog Millionaire, for which she shared the Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media in 2010 with A. R. Rahman and Gulzar. She is recognized as the first Indian woman to win a Grammy Award.
Tanvi has performed and recorded in several languages, including Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Spanish, Portuguese and Arabic. Her notable songs and collaborations include “Jai Ho,” “Fanaa,” “Delhi-6,” “Thuli Thuli,” “Magudi Magudi,” “Gudaa Gudaa” and “Snoop Dogg Millionaire.”Tanvi Shah was born in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, and began her professional music career in the early 2000s. Her first major Bollywood opportunity came through A. R. Rahman, who gave her the song “Fanaa” for the film Yuva. She subsequently worked with Rahman on several projects and developed a reputation for her versatility across languages and musical styles.
Her major international breakthrough came with “Jai Ho” from Slumdog Millionaire. Tanvi wrote and performed the Spanish portions of the song, while the song was composed by A. R. Rahman and featured lyrics by Gulzar. The song won the Academy Award for Best Original Song and later earned the Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media.
Following the success of Slumdog Millionaire, Tanvi collaborated with international artists and appeared on “Snoop Dogg Millionaire” with American rapper Snoop Dogg. She has also explored Latin, Afro-Cuban, Arabic and other international musical influences alongside Indian film music.
Tanvi has worked extensively with A. R. Rahman and has contributed to Tamil, Hindi and Telugu film music. Her Apple Music catalogue includes songs such as “Thuli Thuli” from Paiya, “Magudi Magudi” from Kadal, “Boom Boom Robot Da” from Enthiran, and “Goa” from Goa.
She has also participated in social initiatives, including the End Polio campaign of Rotary International, and has supported the Cancer Institute in Chennai. Her musical career continues to include independent recordings and collaborations. Birth Place: Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India Profession: Playback Singer, Singer-Songwriter, Composer, Designer Genres: Bollywood, Indian Film Music, Latin Music, Pop, World Music Years Active: 2004–Present