Greater Noida: Over 700 students at Greater Noida’s Galgotias University erupted in cheers, waving posters that screamed ‘I love you!’ The stage was ablaze with lights and smoke. Security guards wrestled with the overenthusiastic crowd, barely keeping them behind the barricades. A squad of 50 cameras locked in on the stage, capturing every moment.
The excitement was unlike any other college gig. And it was for singer Stebin Ben.
Ben won the moment he stepped onto the stage in his all-black drip—sleeveless jacket, tailored pants, heeled shoes, a tilted hat, a Patek Philippe Nautilus watch, a cross around his neck, and sleek glasses to complete the look.
Known for hits such as Thoda Thoda Pyaar (2021), the 32-year-old singer was anything but a stationary wax model, moving with infectious energy and pizzazz. The crowd lost it as soon as he sang the opening notes of Rula Ke Gaya Ishq (2019), with their collective scream-singing drowning his voice.
Ben paused for a moment, letting the madness sink in. Rula Ke Gaya Ishq – which has garnered over 36 crore views on YouTube – was the track that first made him believe that people were interested in his music.
“Yeh humara Atif Aslam hai! (he is our Atif Aslam),” a student shouted, summing up his cult-like following among Gen Zs.
With chart-topping songs and millions of streams across Spotify and YouTube, Stebin Ben has become one of the most in-demand voices in the Hindi film and music industry. From Bollywood soundtracks to independent chartbusters, he has lent his voice to the likes of Akshay Kumar, Sidharth Malhotra, Vijay Deverakonda, and Emraan Hashmi. With his recent track, Sahiba, Ben secured his first-ever Number 1 spot on Spotify.
The singer is also a go-to for star-studded celebrations—from high-profile cricket and film parties to grand weddings. He performed at Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant’s wedding in 2024, and the wedding of former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s son in March 2025.
But the moment that sent the internet into a frenzy was when Shah Rukh Khan cupped Ben’s face and hugged him.
The singer caught the Bollywood star’s attention while performing at Salman Khan’s birthday party last month.
“Our eyes met multiple times. He kept giving me a thumbs-up and smiling,” recalled Ben, who calls himself a “big SRK fan”.
Moments later, the actor walked straight up to him, which led to a moment he’ll never forget.
“He said, ‘How amazing are you?’ and gave me his blessings.”
Engineering to singing
A backpack. A guitar. Rs 20,000 in his pocket – that’s all Stebin Ben had when he arrived in Mumbai from Bhopal in 2016.
Born to government officials of Malayali origin—his father in the postal department and his mother in healthcare—Ben was always drawn to music.
“I think I was in Class 8 when I first started listening to CDs. Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998) and Kaho Na…Pyaar Hai (2000) were my first few,” he said.
But music wasn’t his first career path. For the sake of his parents, he completed a Bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from LNCT College, Bhopal.
“My parents wanted me to get a degree. But, all the while, I was inclined to music only,” admitted Ben.
Between lectures, he would sneak out to perform at college fests and competitions.
“While I was in school and college, my parents were very strict,” he said, laughing. “After my degree, they said, ‘Go do whatever you want.’ But I had to prove I could make a living from music.”
Ben played gigs at cafes in Bhopal, saving up just enough to move to Mumbai, where he shared a cramped house with nine men to cut costs.
The grind didn’t stop there, though. Ben continued to perform at eateries in Mumbai, waiting for his big break. It finally came in 2018, when representatives from record label Ishtar Music spotted him singing at a club.
“They needed a fresh voice for Mera Dil Bhi Kitna Pagal Hai (originally sung by Alka Yagnik and Kumar Sanu), and they reached out to me right then and there,” Ben recalled.
The year 2019 turned out to be a game-changer for the singer. His track Mera Dil Bhi Kitna Pagal Hai was released that year, and he got the opportunity to showcase his songwriting skills with Rula Ke Gaya Ishq.
Rula Ke Gaya Ishq, inspired by his own heartbreak and produced by Zee Music Company, struck an emotional chord with young listeners and exploded on social media during the Covid-19 lockdown.
From that moment on, there was no looking back for Stebin Ben.
Today, he’s got a plush house in Mumbai’s Andheri West, and his neighbour is none other than Mahendra Singh Dhoni. His garage rivals a billionaire’s—featuring a royal blue Mercedes AMG G-63, a black Bentley, and a Miami Blue Porsche 718 convertible. But the luxury doesn’t stop here. His Instagram is sprinkled with photos of him in a private jet, where he recently celebrated his birthday with Dhoni.
Ben boasts a 16 million-strong fanbase on Instagram. Though he’s deleted most of his old posts, keeping only 54 on his profile grid, his influence is evident.
“Every one of my songs first blew up on reels before taking over everywhere else,” he said, crediting Instagram for his meteoric rise.
From baggy monochrome fits to printed jackets, Stebin Ben’s photoshoots reveal his fashionable side. Intense looks into the camera tie it all together, leaving fans – particularly women – wanting more.
This was evident at his recent concert, where smitten female fans proposed to him from the crowd.
“His smile is just too adorable,” gushed one woman, shooing away the photographers blocking her view of Ben singing Tum Mile Dil Khile (1994).
As he reached the hook – ‘tum mile, dil khile, aur jeene ko kya chahiye’ – googly-eyed women sang along in excitement, dedicating every word to their favourite singer.
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Indie music vs playback singing
Known for his independent music, Stebin Ben has also made his mark in the Hindi film industry. From Baliye Re in Jersey (2019), O Yaara Dil Lagana in Sanak (2021), to Jeetenge (Reprised) in Mission Raniganj (2023), he’s proven his versatility across both worlds.
“Bollywood is the dream, but I go with the flow. I’ve worked on both film and independent music—and honestly, my indie tracks have performed better,” he admitted.
According to him, independent music has overtaken traditional playback singing.
“Look at Diljit Dosanjh, Karan Aujla, AP Dhillon, Anuv Jain—they’re selling out massive concerts. They have only a handful of Bollywood songs, but their independent music has made them stars,” he pointed out.
Ben doesn’t romanticise success, though.
“You will face rejection—a lot of it. You’ll have to release 100 songs to get 10 hits,” he said, matter-of-factly.
“It won’t be easy. But it will be worth it,” he added.
He also sees a shift in where India’s biggest musical talent is coming from.
“Singers from Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities are breaking into the industry in a big way. It’s more competitive there. There’s a certain fitoor—a hunger to achieve more,” he said.
A die-hard fan of Kishore Kumar, Udit Narayan, and Sonu Nigam, Ben never had any formal musical training; he learned by listening to industry legends.
Many compare Stebin Ben’s voice to Atif Aslam’s—a similarity he acknowledges but doesn’t dwell on.
“Our vocal tones do share that high and mid-range quality,” he said, asserting that they “don’t look alike”.
“When I sing his songs, of course, a bit of his andaaz (style) creeps in. That’s natural when you’ve grown up learning from them.”
(Edited by Zoya Bhatti)