Udit Narayan Jha (b. 1955), born to a Maithil family on the Bihar–Nepal border, is one of the most successful playback singers in Indian film history. The son of a folk singer, he broke through with Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (1988) and went on to sing thousands of songs across more than three dozen languages, winning multiple National Film Awards and Filmfare Awards.
For all his Bollywood fame, he has never let go of his roots — recording in Maithili and Bhojpuri and lending his voice to the music of Mithila. With the Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan to his name, he stands among the region’s proudest exports to the wider world of Indian music.