Zubeen Garg

Zubeen Garg was a singer, composer, actor and filmmaker. He primarily worked for and sang in the Assamese, Bengali and Hindi-language film and music industries, and had sung in 40 other languages and dialects, including Bishnupriya Manipuri, Adi, Boro, English, Goalpariya, Kannada, Karbi, Khasi, Malayalam, Marathi, Mising, Nepali, Odia, Sanskrit, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu, Tiwa. He was also a multi-instrumentalist and played 12 instruments including anandalahari, dhol, dotara, drums, guitar, harmonica, harmonium, mandolin, keyboard, tabla and various percussion instruments. He was Assam’s highest-paid singer. He died in a tragic incident in Singapore on 19 September. 

Zubeen Garg was born on 18 November 1972 in Tura, Meghalaya, India to parents Mohini Mohon Borthakur and Late Ily Borthakur. He was named after the music composer Zubin Mehta and used his gotra Garg as his surname. His family was Assamese Brahmin family but Zubeen never believed in any caste or religion. His father, Mohini Borthakur, was a Magistrate, and is a lyricist and a poet under the name Kapil Thakur and his mother, Late Ily Borthakur, was a singer. Zubeen started to sing at the age of three where his mother taught him. He learnt playing the tabla from Pandit Robin Banerjee for 11 years. 

Zubeen Garg rose to prominence in the 1990s through his work in Assamese music. His debut album Anamika brought him early recognition, and he went on to become a beloved singer, composer, actor, and filmmaker. His style often merged traditional Assamese folk and regional sensibilities with modern pop, filmi, and experimental elements. Over the years he sang in many languages Assamese, Hindi, Bengali among others and is known nationally for Bollywood hits like Ya Ali from Gangster (2006). His versatility across singing, composing, acting made him a cultural icon, particularly in Northeast India, where he represented both modernity and rootedness.

He was passionate about regional identity, often working to bring Assamese culture to wider platforms, and was involved in many cultural and social causes. His influence extended beyond music to shaping perceptions of the Northeast in mainstream Indian culture.

Zubeen Garg died on 19 September 2025 in Singapore at the age of 52. He had travelled to Singapore to participate in the North East India Festival, where he was scheduled to perform. During a scuba diving activity, he began experiencing breathing difficulties. He lost consciousness while diving and was rescued from the sea by Singapore police. He was rushed to Singapore General Hospital, placed in the Intensive Care Unit, but despite efforts including CPR could not be revived. His death was officially declared in hospital. 

Zubeen Garg passed his matriculation exam in Tamulpur Higher Secondary School and pursued Higher Secondary from Karimganj College then pursued a Bachelor of Science degree in B. Borooah College but dropped out to concentrate on his singing career.

Zubeen Garg was married to Gauri Saikia Garg, a fashion designer on 4 February 2002.

Zubeen Garg was a good-looking singer; his looks made his singing even more attractive. He had black coloured hair and black coloured eyes. 

Zubeen Garg’s illustrious career was marked by numerous achievements that reflected both his versatility and his lasting influence on Indian music and cinema. Over the years, he earned wide recognition not only in Assam but across India for his playback singing, music composition, and contributions to regional culture. One of his earliest major recognitions came in 2005 when he won the BFJA Award for Best Music Director for the Bengali film Shudhu Tumi and the Prag Cine Award for Best Playback Singer (Male) for the Assamese film Rong. His nationwide breakthrough, however, came with the Bollywood song Ya Ali from Gangster (2006), which not only became a chartbuster but also won him the Global Indian Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer and the Stardust Award for New Musical Sensation in 2007. These honours cemented his position as one of the most distinctive voices in Indian playback music.

In 2009, Zubeen was awarded the prestigious National Film Award as Best Music Director in the Non-Feature Film category for Echoes of Silence, proving his artistic depth went far beyond commercial cinema. His dedication to Assamese films was equally celebrated, with multiple Prag Cine Awards to his name, including Best Male Playback Singer for songs like “Chaya Dore Thaka Tumi” and later for “Tomar Khola Hawa” in 2021. He continued to dominate the Assamese music scene well into the 2020s, winning the Best Music Album Award at the Filmfare Awards Assamese in 2024 for The Slam Book.

Beyond awards tied to specific songs or films, Zubeen Garg also received broader honours that recognized his cultural significance. In August 2024, the University of Science and Technology, Meghalaya, conferred upon him an Honorary Doctor of Literature (D.Litt.) for his immense contributions to art, culture, and social harmony. Around the same time, he was announced as the recipient of the Dr. Bhupen Hazarika Award 2025, a tribute to his role in enriching Assam’s cultural identity.

Over his lifetime, Zubeen Garg is credited with singing in more than forty languages and recording thousands of songs, making him one of India’s most prolific playback singers. His ability to effortlessly move between Assamese, Hindi, Bengali, and many other languages underscored his unmatched versatility. These achievements, combined with his accolades and honours, ensured that Zubeen Garg’s legacy would endure not just as a singer but as a cultural icon who brought Assamese music to the national stage while staying deeply rooted in his identity. 

• Zubeen Garg, after being born in an Assamese Brahmin family, never believed in any religion or caste; he always said that he was irreligious. 
• Zubeen Garg started to sing at the age of three. His first guru was his mother from whom he learnt to sing. 
• Zubeen was very fond of scuba diving. 
• Zubeen Garg had sung in more than 40 languages and dialects. 
• Zubeen was Assam's highest-paid singer.