Rishi Singh – Biography, Wiki, Personal Details, Age, Height

Rishi Singh is a playback and indie singer from Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, who won Indian Idol 13 on Sony Entertainment Television in April 2023. A devotional singer who had never sung a film song on a proper stage before the show, he went on to tour abroad with the Indian Idol team, release his own singles and, in 2026, sing alongside Arijit Singh on “Konichiwa” from the film Ek Din. In October 2026 he is back on the Indian Idol stage as one of the returning singers in Indian Idol 17: Legends Return.

Early Life

Rishi Singh grew up in Ayodhya. His date of birth has not been published by Wikipedia or any news outlet. When he won Indian Idol 13, the PTI report carried by Outlook described him as an untrained singer.

Music started at home and in places of worship. Singh has said he was into bhakti music from the age of seven, singing kirtans and satsangs at temples and gurudwaras in his town, and that “there was no such thing as a stage.” Speaking to The Post in South Africa, he put his start even earlier, saying he had been singing since he was three or four, and that his early ambition was to focus on bhajans. He also sharpened his voice in local competitions.

Away from music, he was studying aviation management. At the time of his win he was a third-year student at a Dehradun institute.

Family

During one episode of Indian Idol 13, Singh spoke on stage about being adopted. PTI reported that he is the adopted son of Rajendra Singh, a government employee, and Anjali Singh, a homemaker. Outlook later called the moment he told the story of his adoption one of the highlights of the season.

He has credited his family for backing a music career even though he did not want a conventional job. After the finale he said that when his name was called he went blank, then looked at his parents and thought he was making them proud.

Indian Idol 13 Win (2022–2023)

Season 13 of Indian Idol began on 10 September 2022, with Himesh Reshammiya and Vishal Dadlani on the judging panel, Neha Kakkar as a former judge, and Aditya Narayan as host. Singh said he had prepared by closely following contestants from earlier seasons, and that Arijit Singh, who also began on reality television, inspired him to audition. His own voice was often compared with Arijit’s.

Indian Idol 13 also gave him his first chance to perform a Bollywood number on stage. “I felt like a professional,” he told PTI. Along the way he picked up some famous admirers. Virat Kohli sent him a message on Instagram praising him, and Rakesh Roshan phoned his son Hrithik Roshan, a big fan of Singh’s singing; Hrithik said he would love Singh to sing playback for him.

The finale was held on 2 April 2023. Singh won the trophy ahead of first runner-up Debosmita Roy from Kolkata and second runner-up Chirag Kotwal from Jammu. The other finalists were Bidipta Chakraborty, Sonakshi Kar and Shivam Singh. According to The Quint, he took home a cash prize of Rs 25 lakh and a car, while Debosmita and Chirag received Rs 5 lakh each. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath congratulated him on social media.

“The feeling is surreal,” Singh said after the result, calling it a dream come true. He said the prize money would go into music, and that he wanted to rise “slowly and steadily” and above all enjoy singing. Looking back months later, he said the win helped dispel the idea that success on the show depends on money or industry contacts.

Career

Singles and tours

His debut single, Ilteja Meri, came out in 2022, some months ahead of the September 2022 start of Indian Idol 13. After the win he put out the romantic track Nazar Lag Gayi, followed in May 2023 by Farebi on Indie Music Label’s YouTube channel. The Telegraph’s t2 noted that Farebi was composed by Manish S Sharma with lyrics by Pankaj Dixit, and Singh said he enjoyed recording it in a Mumbai studio. “Indian Idol has changed my life,” he told the paper.

In 2023 he also travelled with the Indian Idol winners’ tour, performing in Mauritius, London and Dubai before moving on to the United States and South Africa.

Bollywood: “Konichiwa” (2026)

His film break came through social media. Singh posted a cover of a Ram Sampath song on Instagram, and that led to “Konichiwa”, an upbeat travel number set in Japan from the film Ek Din, starring Junaid Khan and Sai Pallavi. He sang it with Arijit Singh and Neha Karode; Ram Sampath composed it and Irshad Kamil wrote the lyrics. Ek Din was released on 1 May 2026. In an interview with Filmibeat, he called singing next to Arijit a once-in-a-lifetime experience and thanked Ram Sampath for his entry into Bollywood. He is managed by Radiant Talent Management.

Selected work

Rishi Singh in Indian Idol 17: Legends Return (2026)

The seventeenth season of Indian Idol, themed Legends Return, premiered on 17 October 2026. It brings back singers from earlier seasons and puts them on stage as 12 duos, airing on Sony Entertainment Television and Sony LIV every Saturday and Sunday at 8 PM. Himesh Reshammiya, a judge in Singh’s own season, returns as judge, and Aditya Narayan hosts again. This time the singers are marked both by Himesh and by their fellow contestants, under the tagline that winning once is not enough.

In the line-up published by Indian Broadcasting World, Singh is paired with Anshika Chonkar, a runner-up of Season 16. His Season 13 co-finalist Bidipta Chakraborty is also back, paired with Subhajit Chakraborty. Other duos include Abhijeet Sawant with Chetna Bhardwaj and Devender Pal Singh with Mayuri Saha. The full list of pairs is on our Indian Idol 17 contestants page.

Lesser-Known Facts

• Before Indian Idol, he sang mainly devotional music, kirtans and satsangs in Ayodhya’s temples and gurudwaras.
• His first Bollywood song on a stage was sung on Indian Idol 13 itself.
• Virat Kohli messaged him on Instagram during the season, and Hrithik Roshan said he would like Singh to sing playback for him.
• He was studying aviation management while competing on the show.
• His film debut song, “Konichiwa”, came about because of an Instagram cover he posted.

FAQ About Rishi Singh

Related Biographies

• Anshika Chonkar Biography: his partner in Indian Idol 17: Legends Return
• Abhijeet Sawant Biography: also back for Legends Return
• Devender Pal Singh Biography: fellow returning singer
• Indian Idol 17: Legends Return Contestants List