Sonu Nigam
Devanagari script aka Hindi is the most amazing script in the world. It’s got its consonants and vowels distinctively separate. Except when I sing in English, I use Devanagari for all languages. I have never had any problem understanding how to pronounce a word in any language when I write it in Devanagari. In fact, I can even pronounce English properly if I write it down in Devanagari, though I don’t need to, as I have been educated in both the languages.
Shekhar Ravjiani
Having composed a majority of my music for Hindi films, the language has been a mainstay for most of my songs. Every song is always penned in Hindi. A certain level of comfort with spoken and written Hindi is important for the meaning of the lyrics to be conveyed accurately through the singing. The right understanding and enunciation on the part of the singer can make a world of difference for the listener. Without that sensitivity, the lyrics become meaningless. There have also been times when I myself have written Hindi lyrics for a song. Hindi will always be the language that my music finds its voice in. It is one of the most beautiful languages in the world.
Shaan
Coming from a Bengali household and growing in a typical Bandra Catholic society, Hindi was not my prime language of communication. In fact, my Hindi grammar was very weak. But hosting Sa Re Ga Ma Pa for six years changed that for me in a big way. Also, writing the lyrics of songs (no matter which language or dialect) in the Devanagari script came in handy, as it is the most phonetically accurate and versatile script.
Kailash Kher
Sanskrit was my main language till graduation and Hindi has originated from Sanskrit. Hence, I always write and talk in Hindi. Jab bhi main kisi aur bhaasha mein gaata hoon, main humesha Devanagari mein likhta hoon kyunki woh na sirf meri priya bhaasha hai, balki har cheez ko bahut saral banaane wali language hai. In fact, whenever I write a song as a lyricist too, main lyrics humesha Hindi mein hi likhta hoon. Maine kaafi poems bhi likhi hain Hindi mein.
Javed Ali
Whether I’m singing in Marathi, Gujarati, Tamil, Punjabi, Kannada, Telugu or Malayalam, I always pen the lyrics in Hindi, because I can get the sound and pronunciation of every word bang-on when written in Hindi. Each Hindi alphabet is phonetically so distinct that you can get the diction of any word in any language from across the world correct if written in Hindi.
Shreyas Puranik
I make sure I pen the lyrics of all the songs I sing in Devanagari, irrespective of the language I’m singing in. Hindi is my thinking language and the comfort it offers because of its distinct structure is unparalleled. All the maatras and nuktaas (a mark in Devanagari to represent sound) are so clear that one cannot go with the pronunciation and phonetics of any language if the words are written in Hindi.