Sonu Nigam admits he uses auto-tune, explains why it matters now

Sonu Nigam has admitted to using auto-tune on some of his songs.

Sonu Nigam has admitted to using auto-tune on some of his songs. The confession comes as a surprise, given how often the technology gets associated with less skilled singers.

Speaking on the “Game Changers” podcast, the 53-year-old explained why the tool has become genuinely necessary in today’s music landscape. He didn’t shy away from addressing the topic directly.

Nigam acknowledged that the rise of auto-tune has brought major changes to the industry. He said people often criticise it, but he personally believes whatever has happened has ultimately been for the good.

He recalled that singers of his generation had to perform without auto-tune in earlier years. According to Nigam, that experience gave them the advantage of training their voices the traditional way, without relying on digital correction.

Despite that background, he was clear about his own practices today. Nigam admitted he does use auto-tune on certain songs, depending on the requirements of the track.

He explained that most modern music now follows a rigid digital pitch, unlike the live instrumentation of earlier decades. Nigam said musicians once played live sarangi and strings, which allowed some natural flexibility in vocal pitch.

Now, he explained, everything is digitised and follows an exact tonal line, making raw vocals more likely to sound off. He said singers previously adjusted their voice around live musicians, but today’s productions demand more precision.

Nigam did add an important caveat to his comments. He stressed that auto-tune shouldn’t be used as a way to fix the voices of people who genuinely can’t sing.

He explained that the responsible use of the tool means enhancing an already strong performance, not creating one artificially. According to him, giving 99% effort and refining it to 100% with auto-tune is very different from relying on it entirely.

Nigam added that many actors use auto-tune while pursuing music, which he said is completely fine for personal enjoyment. However, he made clear that trained singers still can’t be replaced by the technology.

On the work front, Nigam recently lent his voice to the track “Tabassum” for Rajkumar Santoshi’s “Batwara 1947,” composed by AR Rahman and written by Javed Akhtar. The film stars Sunny Deol, Preity Zinta and Shabana Azmi in lead roles.