Singer Sonu Nigam has opened up about the use of auto-tune in modern music, admitting that he also uses the technology for some of his songs. The veteran playback singer, however, stressed that pitch-correction tools should be used to refine the performance of a trained singer rather than compensate for an inability to sing.
Speaking on trade analyst Komal Nahta’s podcast Game Changers: The Music Series, Sonu discussed how technology has transformed the recording process and changed the way singers approach studio performances. He acknowledged that auto-tune has attracted considerable criticism, but said he does not view its existence negatively.
“The era of auto-tune has certainly brought a lot of changes,” Sonu said, adding that he uses auto-tune on “certain songs” of his. He explained that the shift from live instrumentation to increasingly digitised music has made pitch correction more common.
According to Sonu, older recordings had a different musical environment because singers performed alongside live instruments such as sarangi and strings. Minor variations in pitch could blend naturally with the musicians and the overall arrangement. Modern recordings, by contrast, are often highly precise and digitally aligned.
“Everything now is digitised; everything is going in a straight line, and your voice will sound off if it’s raw,” he explained. He contrasted this with earlier recording sessions, when singers could adjust their voices naturally according to the live musicians accompanying them.
Sonu also highlighted the importance of riyaaz, or regular musical practice. He said singers from his generation were fortunate to have trained and performed without relying on auto-tune, but acknowledged that the technology has become part of the contemporary recording environment.
At the same time, the singer drew a clear distinction between using auto-tune as a finishing tool and using it to make an untrained singer sound professional. He argued that artists should first deliver a strong performance themselves, with technology merely helping to polish the final result.
“It’s our responsibility that we don’t use the resources to fix the voices of those who can’t sing,” Sonu said. He suggested that a singer should give “99%” through their own ability and use auto-tune to take the performance closer to 100%.
Sonu also addressed the growing trend of actors singing for their own films. He said there was nothing wrong with actors using auto-tune if they wanted to fulfil their desire to sing. However, he insisted that such technology should not be used to replace professional playback singers.
His comments come amid a long-running debate in the Indian music industry over whether excessive reliance on pitch correction has lowered the importance of vocal training.
On the work front, Sonu recently lent his voice to Tabassum, a song from Rajkumar Santoshi’s Batwara 1947. The song has been composed by A.R. Rahman with lyrics by Javed Akhtar. The film, starring Sunny Deol, Shabana Azmi, Preity Zinta and Abhimanyu Singh, released in theatres on August 14.
Sonu is also scheduled to perform at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on August 30 as part of his Revolution Tour.