Lata Mangeshkar, commonly referred to as Lataji, is an Indian singer, and occasional music-composer. She is one of the best-known and most respected playback singers in India. Mangeshkar’s career started in 1942 and has spanned over seven decades. She has recorded songs for over a thousand Hindi films and has sung songs in over thirty-six regional Indian languages and foreign languages, though primarily in Marathi and Hindi.