playback singer

A playback singer, as they are usually known in South Asian cinema, or ghost singer in Western cinema, is a vocalist whose performance is pre-recorded for use in film. Playback singers record songs for soundtracks, and the actors lip-sync the songs for camera; the actual playback singer does not get filmed or appear on screen. Generally, to synchronise with the emotional situation of the song or complete film, the playback singer is given an idea or emotional context of that part of the film so that they can interpret by taking the right moves in their vocals.