Shilpa Rao (born Apeksha Rao; 11 April 1984) is an Indian singer. Raised in Jamshedpur, she moved to Mumbai at the age of 13 and completed Master’s in Applied Statistics from St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai, before working as a jingle singer for three years. During her college days, Mithoonoffered her to record the song “Tose Naina” from Anwar (2007), making her Bollywood career debut.

Rao rose to widespread prominence with the release of “Khuda Jaane” from Bachna Ae Haseeno(2008). She was nominated for the Best Female Playback Singer award for the song, in 54th Filmfare Awards. The following year, she collaborated with Ilaiyaraaja for Paa (2009), where she performed the song “Mudi Mudi Ittefaq Se” for which she received another nomination in the same category during 55th Filmfare Awards ceremony. In 2012, Rao teamed up with A.R. Rahman and came up with the song “Ishq Shava” from Jab Tak Hai Jaan which was a commercial success, followed by Pritam-composed “Malang” from Dhoom 3 (2013) and Vishal-Shekar’s “Meherbaan” in Bang Bang!(2014). Rao’s collaborations with Amit Trivedi were particularly described “delightful hearings” with songs like “Manmarziyan” from Lootera (2013), being critically acclaimed. She had the honour of becoming the first and the only musician from India to get a chance of singing in the famous and critically acclamed Coke Studio Pakistan with the song “Paar Chanaa De” (2016). Rao received critical acclaim for her voice in the song “Aaj Jaane Ki Zid Na Karo” from the deluxe edition of the Ae Dil Hai Mushkil soundtrack (2016). These accomplishments have lead Rao to become one of the top female singers in India.

Rao is particularly known in the media for trying new styles in her songs and singing for different genres. Rao, who considers her father as her biggest inspiration in the music career, has supported charitable organisations for a number of causes.