How Sunidhi Chauhan Being Asked To Sing In A High-Pitched Voice Points To Sexism In Our Music Industry 

You’d be surprised to know that there is a study that says that men find women with higher-pitched voices attractive. Perhaps that’s why, in a recent interview, playback singer Sunidhi Chauhan has revealed that in the early stages of her career, she was rejected and turned down for having a thick voice.

Chauhan said that initially she was asked to sing in a higher-pitched tone, but she denied as that was not her natural voice. The resistance from the music industry was so tough, that she was even told to be prepared to return without any opportunities in hand.

The singer was also told that her voice is too ‘masculine.’ And while I understand that maybe people were trying to define and understand her, is it really so catastrophic for a woman to have a masculine, low-pitched voice?

The truth is that women are shamed for having any trait that is considered stereotypically ‘masculine’ by society. While the same also happens to men (many men are shamed for having stereotypically feminine traits), women are scrutinised and held back from career-related successes at a larger scale because of such judgements. We’re expected to perform femininity like a duty, sadly.

Not only this, but she also admitted that she was boxed-in and categorised too soon. The bold voiced artist was expected to only remain a fast-paced pop-music singer, and nothing more. But, as we all know she has continuously proved everyone wrong.

Whether it’s about Taapsee Pannu being called masculine for the physique she built, or Sunidhi Chauhan being called masculine for her voice, it’s unfortunate that we’re still sticking to such archaic perspectives regarding gender. Can we please move past all this labelling?

The creatives in this article are by Nidhi Tiwari.