Veteran Bollywood singer Sonu Nigam has opened up about one of the toughest phases of his career, claiming that major music labels T-Series and Zee Music effectively banned him after he raised his voice for copyright and royalty rights of singers.
Speaking on Komal Nahta’s podcast Game Changers: The Music Series, Sonu shared how the industry’s love turned cold when he decided to stand up for artists’ rights.
“When I was at my peak, people gave me so much love. I was releasing albums, people were going crazy for them, and even my posters used to sell. Then I raised the copyright issue. T-Series banned me. Zee Music also stopped working with me. They said, ‘He’s become an activist,’” Sonu revealed.
The singer admitted he never expected such a backlash. “I never thought I would be banned. I believed we would eventually resolve the issue, but things only kept getting worse. When I saw doors closing for me, I realised that while they could stop giving me songs, they could never stop me from performing on stage.”
Sonu has long been one of the most vocal voices in the Indian music industry regarding fair royalties and copyright protection for performers. His fight came around the time of the Copyright (Amendment) Act, 2012, which strengthened performers’ rights. He also alleged that some of his recorded songs were replaced with other voices after he refused to sign contracts he found unfair.
Looking back, Sonu believes the battle was bigger than his own career. “Someone had to bell the cat,” he said. He even feels he was chosen for a larger purpose: “God didn’t make me only to sing. He gave me a purpose—to continue what Lata Mangeshkar ji had started but couldn’t complete.”
Today, the tables have turned. Music labels now pay royalties to singers, and Sonu shares a warm relationship with the same companies that once shut their doors on him. “When the laws changed, the music companies realised that Sonu had never been wrong. I hadn’t asked for anything unreasonable. Then times changed, and all the music companies came back to me.”
With recent projects like Laal Singh Chaddha, Shehzada, “Mere Dholna”, Param Sundari, “Pardesiya”, “Vijoria”, and Border 2, Sonu is once again in demand. Old songs are finding new listeners, and live concerts continue to draw massive crowds.
Sonu Nigam’s journey from peak popularity to industry isolation and back stands as a powerful reminder of the cost of speaking up — and the long-term change one courageous voice can bring to the music industry.