Recently speaking to the YouTube channel The Music Podcast, Arijit Singh said that AR Rahman was the first composer in India who started using auto-tune and that’s why a lot of his songs started sounding beautiful. He added that Rahman does not use it anymore.

The Indian music industry has come a long way from the time when songs were recorded with instruments live and in one take to now, when an entire song can be produced by people sitting in different parts of the world.

Arijit Singh said that AR Rahman was the first composer in India who started using auto-tune

Speaking to the YouTube channel The Music Podcast, Arijit explained, “Auto-tune can’t turn a non-singer into a singer. It’s not like that you sing anything, apply auto-tune and it will sound like it’s in tune. It’s not possible.” Explaining different settings of the tool, Arijit added that Rahman found a way to use it and that really worked with the audience.

He further added, “When people really liked to listen to Rahman’s songs, it was him actually who started using auto-tune in a very subtle way,” he said and added, “That’s how a lot of singers started sounding beautiful.”

Arijit Singh clarified that A.R. Rehman does not use auto-tune anymore

Using a food analogy, Arijit said that using auto-tune in a song is like adding salt to food, one can only add as per requirement. “This is used for every singer,” he said. He also mentioned that the West has been using it for ages.

Arijit shared that while Pritam uses it for every song, there are composers who do not use this tool at all. “Some music composers don’t like it at all like Mithoon Sharma, Vishal Bhardwaj. AR Rahman also doesn’t do it anymore, earlier he used to. Now he goes with whatever voice is there. Pritam’s music always has auto tune, to make it sound better,” he said.