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Remembering Bollywood's most versatile singer KK alias Krishnakumar Kunnath

ByWebindia123 Editor 1.6.2023         Mail Now X   Post Comments

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Singer and composer Krishnakumar Kunnath, known by his stage name KK, was one of the singers who was gifted with a boisterous yet mellifluous voice. It's been one year since, on May 31 2022, he left his fans with soulful memories.

KK was best known for his songs, like 'Tadap Tadap' from 'Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam', 'Khuda Jaane' from 'Bachna Ae Haseeno', 'Aankhon Mein Teri' from 'Om Shanti Om', 'Zindagi Do Pal Ki' from 'Kites' and more, breathed his last on May 31, 2022, at the age of 53. He fell ill while performing at Nazrul Manch in South Kolkata and had to be rushed to a hospital where doctors declared him dead on arrival.

The multi-talented singer, who gave listeners an auditory delight, was an essential part of most kids' lives in the 1990s since his music helped many of them in overcoming many challenges in life, including heartbreaks and the routine daily grind. Among all the outstanding singers in Bollywood, his melodic voice and preference for love songs struck a chord with the public.

Despite being a Malayali by birth and without any professional musical training, KK never shied away from singing in tongues he was less familiar with, such as Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Marathi, Bengali, and Gujarati. This is just another factor contributing to the singer's popularity globally.

He was a graduate of Delhi's Mount St Mary's School and was born on August 23, 1968, to C S Menon and Kunnath Kanakavalli in New Delhi. After graduating from college, KK reportedly worked for a brief period as a marketing associate in the hotel sector before moving to Mumbai to pursue a career in music.

He was greatly influenced by the singer Kishore Kumar and music director R.D. Burman. Michael Jackson, Billy Joel, Bryan Adams and Led Zeppelin were also some of his favourite international singers and bands.

He took a chance in 1994 and gave Louis Banks, Ranjit Barot, and Leslie Lewis a demo tape. Following several years of working on jingles, he made his playback singing debut with the A R Rahman hit song "Kalluri Saaley," followed by "Hello Dr." from Kadir's "Kadhal Desam" and "Strawberry Kannae" from the musical movie "Minsara Kanavu."

Finally, he made his Bollywood playback singing debut in 1999 with "Tadap Tadap" from "Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam." However, he had already performed a brief segment of the song "Chhod Aaye Hum" from Gulzar's "Maachis" before this.

He released his debut solo album, titled 'Pal', the same year, with music by Leslie Lewis. The album's title tune, "Pal," and the song "Yaaron," which provided most school kids friendship objectives, will live in the memory of every child who grew up in the 1990s. His voice struck a connection with listeners that left them wanting for more and such was the emotional connect that even today, these songs are played in school and office farewells.

KK also appeared in the ''Josh of India'' song for the support of the Indian Cricket Team during the 1999 Cricket World Cup.

He next sang ''Jab Bhi Koi Haseena'' for the movie ''Hera Pheri'' and by 2001, KK had sung songs like ''Jhanak Jhanak Baaje'' for the movie ''Farz'', ''Mil Jaye Khazana'' for ''Yeh Teraa Ghar Yeh Meraa Ghar'' and ''Aaja Gufaon Mein'' for ''Aks''. The following year he sang ''Dola Re Dola'' and ''Maar Daala'' for the movie ''Devdas'' and ''Bardaasht'' for Abbas Mastan''s ''Humraaz''.

Over the next few years, he kept giving hit Bollywood numbers in several films and finally in the year 2008, KK released his second album ''Humsafar'' wherein the song ''Raina Bhai Kaari'' was a mix of Bengali Baul with rock and had a tinge of S D Burman. Besides, KK had also sung an English Rock Ballad ''Cineraria''.

Talking about his journey how can we forget songs like 'Zindagi Do Pal Ki' and 'Dil Kyun Yeh Mera' from the movie 'Kites' in 2010.

In 2013, KK sang for an international album, 'Rise Up - Colors of Peace', which consisted of songs written by Turkish poet Fetullah Gulen and sung by artists from 12 countries. He recorded a song named 'Rose of My Heart' for the album.

KK sang more than 500 songs in Hindi and more than 200 songs in Telugu, Bengali, Kannada, and Malayalam throughout the course of his nearly three-decade-long career. Additionally, he had won other awards, including two Screen Awards for Best Male Playback Singer (Non-Film Music) among many others.

KK left behind his childhood sweetheart Jyothy Krishna whom he married in 1991 and two children, Nakul and Taamara.

On her dad's first death anniversary, Taamara posted a picture old picture with the singer on her Instagram story and captioned it, "Love you forever."

To make this day more memorable, Gurudas Mahavidyalaya students inaugurated the KK statue at the college in kolkata.

He was a musician who wasn't associated with any one genre or style; rather, his voice simply blended well with the exquisite music of all varieties. This is what made KK a performer for all ages who will always be adored in the hearts of his millions of admirers around the world. He sang energetic dance songs as well as romantic favourites. He was a performer who sang and gave concerts until his last breath.

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