Himesh
This composer-singer-actor has topped the music charts for a long time in
spite of drawing flak for his nasal twang. Criticism about his ‘nasal singing’
upsets him (he prefers calling it high-pitched singing and the voice has
changed considerably, post his vocal surgery) and Himesh once stated that no
one had ever raised that point about legendary singer-musician RD Burman. The
statement irked the celebrated singer Asha Bhonsle (who was married to Burman)
to the level that she expressed a desire to slap Himesh for saying that.
Sensing the trouble he had gotten into, Himmesh apologised for dragging the
name of the legend in such a petty issue.
Yo Yo Honey Singh
You can love him or hate him, but you can’t
ignore him. Known for his foot-tapping music, this Delhi-born Punjabi rapper
has been in the news for all the wrong reasons, especially for the vulgar and
double-meaning lyrics in some of his songs which are demeaning to women. His
New Year’s Eve concert was also cancelled after protests and complaints by some
NGOs in the wake of the December 16 (2012) gang rape case in Delhi. The singer also faced some legal
issues when FIRs and PILs were filed against him for using offensive lyrics.
Pritam
He is known for making both groovy and soulful music but this Kolkata-born
has also been accused of 'taking' tunes from well-known global tracks. The
practice went unnoticed during his early days but over the past few years,
social media has brought up several stories regarding his ‘inspired’ music.
Pritam has been openly criticised by all and sundry for many of his ‘clever
mixes’ and ‘notorious’ lifts.
Anu Malik
He is mostly blamed for lifting tunes, but Anu was also part of a sexual
harassment controversy when co-worker Alisha Chinai filed a molestation case
against him in 1995. The case was later dropped but this serious accusation
harmed him enough to find him a place in this list.