MUMBAI: Legendary Indian singer Lata Mangeshkar’s renditions have touched generations of music lovers who continue to enjoy her golden tracks.

During her musical journey of over seven decades in the Hindi film industry, the singer lent her voice for many heroines of different generations. As a singer, Mangeshkar has explored various genres in different languages, including the regional film industry. But she says she finds the “soul” missing from today’s music.

“I think playback singing has a lot to do with voice acting. I would suggest to all the youngsters to understand the character, situation and the story behind the songs. That is when you can add soul to the rendition which, I think, is missing in today’s music,” the 87-year-old said in an interview.

She observed that “perhaps that is why people still love to listen to retro songs, and new songs are going out of listeners’ memory faster”.

“As a singer, you have to bring the soul to the song,” said the industry veteran, hailed by many as the Nightingale of India.

One of the most decorated singers in India, Lata ji says she has a special connection with Bengali music.

“Though I have sung in 26 languages, after Hindi, I sang the maximum number of songs in Bengali for music directors like Salil Chowdhury, Satinath Mukherjee and Bappi Lahiri. Since Bengali and Marathi language have many similarities, I always felt as if it is my own,” she said.

Mangeshkar has been awarded the Bharat Ratna, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, Dadasaheb Phalke Award and multiple National Film Awards, among others.