Sonu Nigam admits using auto tune for ‘certain songs’: ‘Everything now is digitised, raw voice will sound off…’

The usage of auto-tune has sparked debate from time to time in the Indian music industry. The latest one to talk about auto-tune is singer Sonu Nigam, who admitted to using the feature in his selected songs. He also blamed digitalisation for using auto-tune and reasoned why it might be impossible to use live voice directly into songs.

Sonu Nigam on riwaaz, auto-tune and more

In a conversation with senior trade analyst Komal Nahta on his Game Changers: The Music Series podcast, Sonu was asked about the importance of training as a singer. He answered, "Absolutely. Kisi bhi kaam k liye (everything requires practice)."

He also shared how song recording has evolved in the digital age. He said, "The era of auto-tune has certainly brought a lot of changes. People say a lot of bad things about it, but I say ‘Jo bhi hua hai aacha hua hai (Wharever has happened is for the good)’. In earlier days, you had to sing without auto-tune, and we are lucky to riyaaz (practise) without it, and now we don't need it. But still, I would say I use auto-tune on certain songs of mine. Everything now is so 440; previously, everything was live. We had live sarangi; live strings, so somewhere our pitch didn't have to be perfect. Everything now is digitised; everything is going in a straight line, and your voice will sound off if it's raw. Previously, with live music, we used to adjust according to the live music, but now your song will stand out.”

“Bring it to 100% with auto tune”

However, Sonu Nigam also warned against unchecked use of auto-tune at work. “It's our responsibility that we don't use the resources to fix the voices of those who can’t sing. You give your 99% and bring it to 100% with auto-tune. Many actors use auto-tune for their songs, and it's absolutely fine if they use it to enjoy their dreams. But they cannot replace singers,” he added.

Sonu Nigam's latest song

On the work front, Sonu Nigam recently crooned the song Tabassum from Batwara 1947, which released on 14 August. Composed by AR Rahman and written by Javed Akhtar, the song features actors Ali Fazal, Isha Sandhir, Karan Deol and Kanikka Kapur. Directed by Rajkumar Santoshi, Batwara 1947 is headlined by Sunny Deol, Shabana Azmi, Preity Zinta and Abhimanyu Singh.

Upcoming show

Apart from films, Sonu Nigam is also gearing up for his upcoming live performance in the US. He is scheduled to perform at Los Angeles’ Dolby Theatre on August 30 as a part of his ongoing Revolution Tour.