1995–2000: Career beginnings, Mast and Fiza In 1995, Chauhan performed at the
40th Filmfare Awards with the group "Little Wonders", when late music director
Aadesh Shrivastava heard her and recorded her voice for the film,
Shastra. During the year, she won the first singing reality show on
DD National titled
Meri Awaz Suno, where she was honoured with the "Lata Mangeshkar Trophy" for the best female singer of India. Besides, she recorded her first solo album,
Aira Gaira Nathu Khaira which was ultimately promoted as a children's album. Chauhan then realised her "limitations" and got formal training in classical singing from Gautam Mukherjee. Within two weeks' time, Chauhan was signed to lend her voice for the film's song where she recorded the title track along with "Ruki Ruki Si Zindagi" and "Suna Tha". For the song "Ruki Ruki Si", she won the
RD Burman award, at the Annual
Filmfare awards, and was nominated for the
Best Female Playback Singer, at the same ceremony. By the end of the year, she worked with
Anand–Milind for
Jaanwar and with Shrivastava for two films:
Dahek and
Bade Dilwala. Chauhan's second breakthrough was released in 2000, where she collaborated with composer-singer
Anu Malik, for the song "Mehboob Mere" from
Fiza which was picturised on
Sushmita Sen. She considered the track that came to her the "most naturally", as recording of the song was completed in 15 minutes. She was also heard in
Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy-composed folksy flavoured "Bumbro" from
Mission Kashmir, which was promoted from being a "background song into the foreground" because of "its beauty". The director of the film,
Vidhu Vinod Chopra, wanted an innocent voice for the song when he roped Chauhan to sing for
Preity Zinta. Both the songs were highly successful and highlighted Chauhan's versatility. "Meri Zindagi Mein Ajnabee" was her first romantic song. She credited Malik for playing a major role in her "evolution", as he "fought" with the producers to give her the songs, because of that she was "accepted in typical heroines romantic numbers". Besides, she was heard in Malik's
Yaadein; "Alaap", "Jab Dil Miley" and "Yaadein Yaad Aati Hain" were critically acclaimed. concert, 2010 Chauhan collaborated with Malik for four films during the year 2002. Apart from the title track, she performed three other songs; "Maine To Khai Kasam", "More Sawariya" and "Ya Habibi" for the film
Awara Paagal Deewana. During the year, she teamed up with
Ismail Darbar for the first time and released the song "Ai Ajnabi" from
Deewangee which she described as her most difficult song. Chauhan made her second screen appearance in 2003 with
Ram Gopal Varma-directed
Bhoot, where she was featured in the promotional music video of "Bhoot Hoon Main", composed by
Salim–Sulaiman. According to Malik, he roped in Chauhan to playback for
Kareena Kapoor in two songs of
Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon, since "Chauhan came in for the passion, as she understands [him] in such songs". She later worked with him for the song "Dekh Le" from
Munna Bhai M.B.B.S.. In 2004, she collaborated with
Sandesh Shandilya for
Chameli. Chameli was a significant album in Chauhan's career as she sang all tracks for the album, out of which Chauhan received most recognition with the songs "Bhaage Re Mann" and "Sajna Ve Sajna". Her higher octave "carefree delivery" of the former was appreciated by the critics while she chose the latter as her "personal favorite" song in her career. Chauhan received her third Filmfare nomination for Best Female Playback Singer for the song "Dhoom Machaale" from
Dhoom (2004), which was a critical and commercial success. One of the dance numbers released during the year was "Aisa Jadoo" from
Khakee composed by
Ram Sampath, followed by "Ishq Kabhi Kario Na" and "Saaki" from
Musafir. Reportedly, Sampath asked Chauhan to stand two feet away from the mike while recording the song "Aisa Jadoo", as the "equipment couldn't handle her pumped-up voice throw." In her review of
Musafir, Verma wrote: "Chauhan's husky vocals do complete justice to "Ishq Kabhi Kario Na" by adding just the right amount of sauciness and oomph." 2005, marked the first collaboration of Chauhan with composer
Shantanu Moitra where she recorded "Aao Nee Kudiyon" for
7½ Phere and the seductive track "Kaisi Paheli Zindagani" for
Parineeta. Sahaya Ranjit from
India Today called her voice a "westernised edge" and "sensuous texture" with a jazz influence in her rendition. Apart from recording the Rajasthani folk influenced "Phir Raat Kati" in
Paheli, alongside
Sukhwinder Singh, she was heard in a slow pace club number "Jadoo" from
Padmashree Laloo Prasad Yadav. During the year, she performed with
Abhishek Bachchan in Vishal-Shekhar's composition, "Right Here Right Now" from
Bluffmaster!. She worked with Vishal-Shekhar in few other compositions including
Dus (2005) and
Shabd (2005). She was heard in "Chahaton Ka Silsila"—duet with Kumar Sanu, "Khoya Khoya"—duet with Sonu Nigam and "Sholon Si"—duet with Vishal Dadlani, from
Shabd. Chauhan received two more Filmfare award nominations for her rendition of the song "Deedar De" from
Dus and "Kaisi Paheli Zindagani" of
Parineeta. Apparently, Sonu Nigam picked her as the most outstanding voice of 2005, for her rendition of those songs.
2006–09: Omkara, Aaja Nachle and Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi Chauhan was bestowed with her first Filmfare Award for her rendition of the song "Beedi Jalaile" from
Omkara (2006). The song being a critical and commercial success,
Bipasha Basu—who was featured in the song—said: "Sunidhi is a goddess. Her singing is so powerful. She added another dimension to my dancing". She received two further nominations during the year for "Soniye" from
Aksar and "Aashiqui Main" from
36 China Town. Apart from the latter, she worked with
Himesh Reshammiya in ten other films. Songs like "Keh Do Naa" and "Meethi Meethi Baataan" from
Aap Ki Khatir, along with "Ishq Kiya Kiya" and "Let's Rock" from
Anthony Kaun Hai? were moderately received by the critics. Chauhan made her third screen appearance with the promotional song "Dheemey Dheemey" from
Bas Ek Pal, along with
KK.
Komal Nahta wrote: "Sunidhi Chauhan and KK have sung brilliantly throughout the album. They have modified their style to convey the feel and emotion of every song". Chauhan's collaboration with Pritam during the year was appreciated by the music critics. Her rendition of "Tere Bin", "Aa Kushi Se Khud Kushi Karle" and Opera-style singing of "Afreen" was well received. Besides, their work in "Crazy Kiya Re" of
Dhoom 2 was widely acclaimed, however
Gangster's "Lamha Lamha" was labelled as a "romantic irritant" song by Rediff.com. During the year, she performed her only duet with
Shreya Ghoshal—though they have contributed in multi-singer songs together—with the
Salim–Sulaiman's composition, "Imaan Ka Asar" from
Dor. According to Rediff.com; "The usually confident Sunidhi Chauhan appears to be conscious of inevitable comparisons to Asha Bhosle's version of the same". The song, which was included in the soundtrack of the 2006 film
Don, was met with mixed reactions; some people considered her voice more huskier than it requires, while other complimented her vocals. However, she personally felt that the song would sound much better if she had "sung the song on a higher note". In 2007, Chauhan lent her voice for
Madhuri Dixit in her comeback film
Aaja Nachle, where she rendered "Soniye Mil Ja" along with
Sukhwinder Singh and "Koi Patthar Se Naa Maare" alongside Nigam and Ghoshal, apart from the title track. In spite of rendering the title track for Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy composed
Jhoom Barabar Jhoom, Chauhan lent her voice for
Shantanu Moitra in
Laaga Chunari Mein Daag, where she performed "Hum To Aise Hain" along with Ghoshal which also had
Swanand Kirkire and Pranab Biswas lending supporting vocals. In a review from Rediff.com,
Raja Sen wrote; "The two-sister song works, from moustache-and-cow similes to paan spits to a fantastic 3–2–1–2–7–2 count, the female vocalists doing the upbeat words justice". However, he found "Kachchi Kaliyaan" from the same film less appealing with its "bad remix background" though praised Chauhan, Ghoshal, KK and Nigam for giving the song the "required vim". Chauhan received her eleventh Filmfare nomination for Best Playback Singer Award with Salim–Sulaiman's composition, "Dance Pe Chance" from
Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (2008). Apart from rendering the club dance song "Lucky Boy" from Vishal-Shekhar's
Bachna Ae Haseeno, Chauhan provided vocals for "Dekho Nashe Mein", "Mujh Pe Jadoo", "Race Saason Ki" and its "high-on-English lyrics" version titled "Race Is on My Mind" for Pritam-composed
Race, which were equally well received for its energy on vocals and composition. Another release of the year, "Desi Girl" from
Dostana was a commercial success. She later worked with Vishal Bhardwaj for
U Me Aur Hum, where she recorded both "Phatte" and "Saiyaan" along with
Adnan Sami. Besides, Chauhan dubbed for Kareena Kapoor with her "husky vocals" in the song "Chhaliya" and "Dil Dance Maare", included in the soundtrack album of
Tashan. 2009 marks Chauhan's second collaboration with
Ilaiyaraaja by singing "Batla De Koyi" from
Chal Chalein and "Hichki Hichki" from
Paa. In a review of the latter by
Sify, they considered it a "situational number that does not impress too much". During the year, Chauhan received critical acclaim with the Vishal Bhardwaj-composed "Raat Ke Dhai Baje" from
Kaminey for having a "seamless" transition of alternating voices by Chauhan and co-singer
Rekha Bhardwaj. Along with "Gazab" from
Aa Dekhen Zara, Chauhan worked with Pritam in
Dil Bole Hadippa! and performed the club song "Hotty Naughty" for
De Dana Dan. Despite the positive response received for songs like "Chor Bazaari" from
Love Aaj Kal, Chauhan was criticised for her pronunciation in the title track of
Kambakkht Ishq, composed by Anu Malik. Chauhan received another Filmfare nomination for the former. During the year, she also worked with Sajid–Wajid for films
Main Aurr Mrs Khanna and
Wanted where she performed both "Happening" and "Mrs. Khanna" for the former and both "Ishq Vishq" and "Tose Pyar Karte Hain" for the latter.
2010–13: Euphoria, Guzaarish and Tees Maar Khan 's album
Euphoria, 2010 2010 marked Chauhan's international singing debut, where she featured in an alternate version of the song "
Heartbeat" titled as "Heartbeat (India Mix)" alongside Spanish recording artist
Enrique Iglesias, included on a Special Indian Edition of
Euphoria. During the year, she performed a
holi number, "Chhan Ke Mohalla" from
Action Replayy and a fast-paced Punjabi flavoured dance number "Ainvayi Ainvayi" from
Band Baaja Baaraat. The year marked her only collaboration with
Sanjay Leela Bhansali, where she recorded the international styled carnival song "Udi" from
Guzaarish. Complimenting her "fiery" vocals in the song, Sukanya Verma wrote: "Sunidhi Chauhan aims to burn the floor with her fiery, spunky performance in Udi". She was also part of the soundtrack album
Housefull, where she performed "Aapka Kya Hoga (Dhanno)" and "I Don't Know What To Do" in her usual "sensuous voice". Apart from recording the title track and "Sanu Guzra Zamana" for Reshammiya's
Kajraare, Chauhan was heard in Pritam's cabaret number "Parda" from
Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai which has influences of "Piya Tu" and "Duniya Mein" while brought in an improvised "true retro feel". During the year, Chauhan collaborated with Vishal-Shekhar for three projects;
Break Ke Baad,
I Hate Luv Storys and
Tees Maar Khan. Both the songs, "Bin Tere" from
I Hate Luv Storys and "
Sheila Ki Jawani" from
Tees Maar Khan were commercial success and were included in
The Express Tribune's "Top 10 Bollywood songs of 2010". Described as the "hottest item song of the year", the latter song, along with its crew, faced controversy over the "raunchy" lyrics, though Chauhan felt that the "song has been written in sync with the storyline of the film and does not intend to hurt the female sentiments". She won her second Filmfare Award for Best Female Playback Singer for "Sheila Ki Jawani" and was nominated in the same category for "Udi". During the year, she appeared as a judge alongside
Anu Malik and
Salim Merchant in the 5th season of the Indian television music competition,
Indian Idol. Along with ten other artists, she performed a 30-minute segment titled the
Universal Music of Love comprising Sufi, folk, Indipop and world music performances during the
2010 Commonwealth Games closing ceremony. In 2011, Chauhan collaborated with Pritam for four films, out of which she was praised for her rendition of the slow-paced track "Te Amo" from
Dum Maaro Dum. Her performance in
Sangeet-Siddharth composed sensuous club song "Aa Zara" from
Murder 2 was widely acclaimed both critically and commercially. The year marked her first collaboration with her husband Hitesh Sonik with the song "Tu" from
My Friend Pinto. Besides, she recorded the Sufi inflected love ballad "Ishq Sufiyana" and the disco nightclub song "Honeymoon Ki Raat", for Vishal-Shekhar's
The Dirty Picture. Complimenting her vocal range and flexibility, Verma wrote: "To Sunidhi's credit, she imbues her brand of spice and spunk to
Rajat Arora's [...] lines without making it in-your-face". In 2012, Chauhan appeared as a judge for the second time with the 6th season of
Indian Idol. She teamed up with
Amit Trivedi for the
lavani track "Sava Dollar" from
Aiyyaa, where her "boisterous and bouncy voice" was praised along with her
Marathi accent. The duo also worked with another Marathi styled song "Navrai Majhi" for
Sridevi's comeback film,
English Vinglish, followed by the energetic "Chokra Jawaan" from
Ishaqzaade. She worked with
Ajay–Atul by recording "Gun Gun Guna" from
Agneepath along with
Udit Narayan. Two of the other well received songs were recorded with Pritam; "Kyon" from
Barfi! and "Yaariyan" from
Cocktail, performed with
Papon for the former and
Arijit Singh for the latter. Besides, Chauhan performed some item songs during the year, including songs like "Halkat Jawani", "Kafirana", "The Disco Song" and "Laila". While reviewing the soundtrack album of
Heroine,
NDTV wrote: "Chauhan, the queen of item songs, is flawless [in the song "Halkat Jawani"]. The way she croons Aaja in the beginning is simply mind-blowing". Besides she provided her voice to the character of Sita in the animated film
Sons of Ram. , 2013 Chauhan collaborated with the Pakistani band
Junoon and sung songs like "Galiyan Galiyan Husan Diyaan" for
Mohabbataan Sachiyaan (2007), "Aap Dil Ke Anjuman Mein" and "Dil Dharke Main Tum Se" for
Anjuman (2013), which brought her fame and recognition in the country. She was part of the song "
Apna Bombay Talkies" from
Bombay Talkies which celebrated the 100th year of
Indian cinema. In the song, the singers recorded for actors whom they generally do the playback singing, and Chauhan dubbed for
Priyanka Chopra. She performed a high pitched rendition of the energetic "Tu Hi Khwahish" for
Once Upon Ay Time in Mumbai Dobaara! which was the counterpart of "Parda" from the prequel. She again worked with Pritam for performing the reprise version of "Janam Janam" of
Phata Poster Nikhla Hero and "Mat Maari" for
R... Rajkumar where Rajiv Vijayakar of Bollywood Hungama appraised Chauhan for "dominating" the song. During the year, Chauhan voiced for
Sonakshi Sinha—who expressed her interest to dub for Chauhan in a reality show—for the first time for the disco song "Thank God It's Friday" from
Himmatwala composed by
Sachin–Jigar. She recorded another track "Dhoka Dhoka" for the same film, composed by Sajid–Wajid, performed along with
Mamta Sharma. Chauhan teamed up with
Anu Malik for performing retro club songs "Aala Re Aala", "Ek Din Ke Liye" and "Babli Badmaash" for
Shootout at Wadala which NDTV mentioned that she is an "expert" in crooning such songs. Another track composed by Pritam and performed along with Arijit Singh was met with mixed response with the music critics, where Mohar Basu from Koimoi thought Chauhan's "unsurpassable energy" fails in the song along with other factors. The year marks her first ever collaboration with Atif Aslam where the duo recorded the mellow track "Be Intehaan" for
Race 2. Chauhan made her debut in the domain of
Rabindra Sangeet for the album
Tagore & We – 2, where she recorded four tracks for the album.
2014–17: Dil Dhadakne Do and Rangoon Chauhan's first release of 2014 was the Vishal-Shekhar composed "Punjabi Wedding Song" from
Hasee Toh Phasee, which was a duet with
Benny Dayal. The "foot-tapping number" became popular at weddings that were scheduled soon after the film. She was next heard in Rahman's traditional tuned "Tu Kuja" from
Highway. According to
The Times of India, "Though a devotional number, Chauhan's voice mixed with the music creates a very Western effect" to the song. Apart from rendering Hitesh Sonik-composed "Ghoom Gayi" included in the album
Hawaa Hawaai, She made an on-screen appearance in its music promotional video. Moreover, Chauhan performed the "Mardaani Anthem" from
Mardaani which was about women empowerment. During the year, she recorded the track "Adhure" from
Mary Kom sung in her "gentle", "soft" voice. Apart from rendering "Qawali and rock fused" title track of
Daawat-e-Ishq along with
Javed Ali, she collaborated with Vishal-Shekhar again for
Happy New Year's "Dance Like a Chammiya". She then made her second appearance in a music video, titled "Baal Khade" from
Khoobsurat, along with composer
Sneha Khanwalkar and
Sonam Kapoor. She also lent her voice for the recreated version of Rajasthani folk song "Engine Ki Seeti" from the film. Apart from Bollywood films, Chauhan lent her voice to the title track of the romantic thriller TV series
Ek Hasina Thi. Chauhan's first release of 2015 was Sajid–Wajid's Punjabi peppy track "Phatte Tak Nachna" from
Dolly Ki Doli, which was recorded in one and a half-hour.
The Indian Express appraised how Chauhan "crooned her lungs out" and "fitting the vocals in difficult structures" by not missing "even a quarter of a beat". Moreover, Chauhan recorded the title track of
Piku where Surabhi Redkar from Koimoi felt that her "gifted bright voice" failed to "upbeat feel" of the song. Apart from rendering the song "Janib" from
Dilliwali Zaalim Girlfriend along with
Arijit Singh in the duet version, she recorded
Krsna Solo-composed "Move On" from
Tanu Weds Manu Returns which
India West labelled Chauhan as "brilliant", though Redkar from Koimoi was "surprised" how Chauhan had no problems singing a song that "seems like a blatant copy of her other song", "Bol Beliya" from
Kill Dil. Chauhan represented India at the 2015
Global Citizen Festival in New York City, where she performed on the stage alongside
Coldplay,
Pearl Jam,
Beyoncé and others. In 2016, Chauhan worked with Trivedi in two films;
Fitoor and
Dear Zindagi. "Ranga Re" performed alongside Trivedi and "Tere Liye", a duet with
Jubin Nautiyal from the former were applauded for its arrangements and vocals. Complimenting her "restrained vocals" in the album, Swetha Ramakrishnan reviewing from
Firstpost wrote: "Tere Liye is a loud cry to music directors to use Chauhan in such songs, because she sounds absolutely fantastic when she holds back a tad bit". She continued to gain critical praise as she sang with "easy switches from desolation to angst around the title refrain" for the song "Just Go To Hell Dil" from
Dear Zindagi. She performed the songs "Aisa Kyun Maa" from
Neerja which was well received due to its theme; portrayal of love between a mother and daughter. Apart from recording the track "Lamhon Ke Rasgulle" for
Clinton Cerejo-composed
Kahaani 2: Durga Rani Singh, she sang "Titliyan" from
Rocky Handsome in 1950s cabaret style. Among all her releases, she picked
Mithoon-composed "Darkhaast" from
Shivaay and Vishal–Shekhar's "Je t'aime" from
Befikre as her personal favourite tracks of the year. In the year, she made her acting debut with Arif Ali-directed urban thriller short film,
Playing Priya in which she played the role of an urban housewife. Film critics were generally disappointed with the film but particularly praised Chauhan's performance; Namrata Thakker of Rediff.com noted, "[She] is quite impressive, as she doesn't have too many dialogues, and yet manages to convey her feelings through her expressions". In January 2017,
Vishal Bhardwaj released two songs of Chauhan; "Bloody Hell" and "Tippa", recorded for the soundtrack album of
Rangoon. Her rendition for both the tracks met with positive response from critics; Redkar from Koimoi noted, "Chauhan brings life into this song with her vocals as she croons it with the required
nakhra". Ashwin Vinayan of
Deccan Herald picked "Tippa"—performed with
Sukhwinder Singh and
Rekha Bhardwaj—as "one of the classiest multi-star efforts in recent Bollywood music memory". In spite of rendering the song, she also made a special appearance in "Bloody Hell". She was next heard in a
Rochak Kohli composition; "Zinda" from
Naam Shabana. She contributed to the album of
Jab Harry Met Sejal by performing "Radha" with
Shahid Mallya and "Butterfly" alongside
Aman Trikha,
Nooran Sisters and
Dev Negi. Both songs met with mixed reception from critics; Vipin Nair of
The Hindu appreciated Chauhan's rendition of "Radha" while criticising "Butterfly" as a "noisy mishmash". She was next heard in a duet with Sukhwinder Singh; "Bakheda" from
Toilet: Ek Prem Katha. Debarati Sen from
The Times of India admired the track and praised her for bringing "the playful and folksy romance alive" with her rendition. Sen was equally pleased with her "slow and soulful" rendition of Sachin–Jigar composed "Pinjra Tod Ke" from
Simran. Also, she recorded the anthem of
2017 AIBA World Boxing Championships, a song mix of Hindi, English and
Assamese lyrics blended with a
rap performed by her. == Artistry ==