KK (singer)
KK | |
|---|---|
 KK performing Live at Alive India Concert, Bangalore in January 2016 | |
| Born | Krishnakumar Kunnath 23 August 1968 New Delhi, India |
| Other names | K K |
| Occupation | Singer |
| Years active | 1996–present |
| Spouse(s) | Jyothy Krishna (m. 1991) |
| Musical career | |
| Genres |
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Krishnakumar Kunnath (born 23 August 1968), popularly known as KK, is an Indian playback singer. He has been a prominent singer in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Bengali and Gujarati languages films.[1][2]
Personal life[]
Born in Delhi to Hindu Malayali parents C. S. Menon and Kunnath Kanakavalli,[4] Krishnakumar Kunnath was brought up in New Delhi.[5] KK sang 3,500 jingles before breaking into Bollywood.[6] He is an alumnus of Delhi's Mount St Mary's School[6] and graduated from Kirori Mal College,[7] Delhi University. He sang in the "Josh of India" song for the support of Indian Cricket Team during Cricket World Cup of 1999.[8] This song featured members of the Indian Cricket Team
KK married his childhood love Jyothy in 1991.[9] His son Nakul Krishna Kunnath sang a song "Masti" from his album Humsafar with him.[10] KK also has a daughter named Tamara Kunnath who, according to KK, loves playing piano. KK says that his family is his source of energy.
Vocals and musical style[]
KK has been greatly influenced by the singer Kishore Kumar and music director R. D. Burman.[citation needed] Michael Jackson, Billy Joel, Bryan Adams, Led Zeppelin are also favourite international singers and bands of KK.[citation needed] KK has stated that it is not important for a singer's face to be prominently seen – saying he believes the important thing is that "a singer must be heard."[11] KK has never undergone any formal training in music.[12]
Career[]
After graduating from Kirori Mal College, Delhi University in commerce, KK had a brief stint of eight months as marketing executive in the hotel industry. After few years, in 1994, he moved to Mumbai.[9]
Playback singing[]
In 1994, he gave his demo tape to Louis Banks, Ranjit Barot and Lesle Lewis to get a break in the music arena. He was called by UTV and he sang a jingle for Santogen Suiting ad.[10] In a span of four years, he has sung more than 3,500 jingles. He got the first break in Mumbai from UTV to sing jingles. He considers Lesle Lewis as his mentor for giving him his first jingle to sing in Mumbai.[9] KK was introduced as a playback singer with A. R. Rahman's hit song "Kalluri Saaley" and "Hello Dr." from Kadir's Kadhal Desam and then "Strawberry Kannae" from AVM Productions's musical film Minsara Kanavu (1997).[13] He got his Bollywood break "Tadap Tadap" from Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999).[13] However, prior to this song he had sung a small portion of the song "Chhod Aaye Hum" from Gulzar's Maachis.
Albums and television[]
In 1999, Sony Music had just been launched in India and they were looking to launch a new artiste. KK was selected as the new artiste and he came out with a solo album titled Pal with Lesle Lewis composing the music. The album was arranged, composed and produced by Lesle Lewis of Colonial Cousins. The lyrics have been penned by Mehboob. The songs "Aap Ki Dua", "Yaaron" and the title track "Pal" in no time ruled the lips of youngsters & also the music chart. "Pal" became an anthem & "Yaaron" became friendship anthem. The album just created history. Pal was the first album released by KK under Sony Music for which he got the Screen award as best singer.
On 22 January 2008, KK released his second album Humsafar after a gap of eight years.[14] The songs "Aasman Ke", "Dekho Na", "Yeh Kahan Mil Gaye Hum" and "Rain Bhai Kaari (Maajhi)" are famous songs from this album. Besides, KK had also sung an English Rock Ballad "Cineraria". The title track, "Humsafar" is a mix of English and Hindi lyrics. The album Humsafar has 10 songs, out of which eight have been composed by KK. The other two songs were taken from his previous album Pal.
KK has also sung many television serial songs like Just Mohabbat, Shaka Laka Boom Boom, Kuch Jhuki Si Palkein, Hip Hip Hurray, kavyanjali, Just Dance. He has also sung the theme song for Star Parivaar Awards 2010 with Shreya Ghoshal. KK appeared on television too. He was invited as jury member for a talent hunt show Fame Gurukul.[15]
KK also has sung a song named "Tanha Chala" for the Pakistani TV show The Ghost which was aired on Hum TV in 2008. The song was composed by Farrukh Abid and Shoiab Farrukh, and Momina Duraid penned the lyrics.[citation needed]
KK participated in the latest musical venture of MTV India Coke Studio. There he sang one qawwali "Chadta Suraj" along with Sabri Brothers and a recomposed version of his exquisite track "Tu Aashiqui Hai" from movie Jhankaar Beats. He also came in 'Surili Baat' in Aaj Tak Chanel. He has also performed in Sony Mix TV Show and MTV Unplugged Season 3, aired on MTV 11 January 2014. KK was in Dubai for his concert 'Salaam Dubai 2014' in April. He also did concerts in Goa, Dubai & Chennai, and Hong kong.[citation needed]
On 29 August 2015, KK appeared in the television singing reality show Indian Idol Junior Season 2 to cheer up the emerging singers of India where he performed "Khuda Jaane", "Mera Pehla Pehla Pyaar", "Make Some Noise for the Desi Boyz", "Ajab Si", "Sach Kehraha Hai Deewana" and many more songs with the junior idols and "Tu Aashiqui Hai" with Vishal Dadlani, "Aashaayen" with Salim Merchant and "Tadap Tadap" with Sonakshi Sinha. After 10 years, He appeared in a singing reality show as a judge and guest jury member.
On 13 September 2015, KK came in "Baaton Baaton Mein" on Sony Mix.
Albums[]
His debut album Pal was released in April 1999. His performance on the album received a Star Screen Award from Screen India for Best Male Singer.[16]
His second album, Humsafar, was released nine years later, in January 2008. It belongs to the pop-rock genre and has a total of 10 songs. Humsafar has two songs that are repeated from his earlier album Pal – "Din Ho Ya Raat" and "Mehki Hawa". The video for a romantic song on the album, "Aasman Ke", features the singer and south Indian model Suhasi Goradia Dhami. "Humsafar", the title track, has an interplay of English and Hindi lyrics and is about one's conscience and how it is a constant companion in the journey of life. One of the songs, "Yeh Kahan Mil Gaye Hum", was penned seven years before the release. "Dekho Na", a rock number, was written six years prior. The remaining six songs were developed in the last two years before the release. Other songs in the album include "Rain Bhai Kaari (Maajhi)", a mix of Bengali Baul with rock with a tinge of S D Burman, and "Cineraria", a fun-filled English ballad. KK himself wrote the lyrics of "Cineraria" and the English part of "Humsafar", the title track, while the remaining tracks were written by others.
| Year | Album(s) | Music Director(s) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solo Albums | |||||
| 1999 | Pal | Lesle Lewis | |||
| 2008 | Humsafar | KK | |||
| Compilations | |||||
| 2002 | Humraaz | Himesh Reshammiya | |||
| 2010 | Kavalan | KK, Rita[clarification needed] | |||
| 2011 | Soulful Voice KK | Various | |||
| 2014 | #Now Playing: KK Hits | Various | |||
| 2013 | KK: Best Of Me | Various | |||
| 2015 | Musical Bond: Pritam & KK | Pritam Chakraborty | |||
Discography[]
Awards and honors[]
South[]
| Year | Award(s) | Language | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Hub Awards | Tamil | Best Playback Singer- Male | Won |
| 2010 | Filmfare Awards South | Kannada | Best Playback Singer- Male | Won |
| 2012 | Eenam-Swaralaya Singer of the Year Award | Malayalam | Singer of the Year | Won |
Hindi[]
| Filmfare Awards | ||||
| 2000 | Best Male Playback Singer | "Tadap Tadap" (Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam) | Nominated | |
| 2003 | "Bardaasht Nahi Kar Sakta" (Humraaz) | |||
| 2006 | "Dus Bahane" (Dus) | |||
| 2008 | "Aankhon Mein Teri" (Om Shanti Om) | |||
| 2009 | "Zara Sa" (Jannat) | |||
| "Khuda Jane" (Bachna Ae Haseeno) | ||||
| Screen Awards | ||||
| 2009 | Best Playback Singer – Male | "Khuda Jaane" (Bachna Ae Haseeno) | Won | |
| Zee Cine Awards | ||||
| 2007 | Best Playback Singer – Male | "Tu Hi Meri Shab Hai" (Gangster) | Won | |
| IIFA Awards | ||||
| 2004 | Best Playback Singer – Male | "Tu Aashiqui Hai" (Jhankaar Beats) | Won | |
| 2006 | Best Playback Singer – Male | "Dus Bahane" (Dus) | ||
| 2007 | Best Playback Singer – Male | "Tu Hi Meri Shab Hai" (Gangster) | ||
| 2008 | Best Playback Singer – Male | "Aankhon Mein Teri" (Om Shanti Om) | ||
| 2009 | Best Playback Singer – Male | "Khuda Jaane" (Bachna Ae Haseeno) | ||
| Guild Film Awards | ||||
| 2008 | Best Playback Singer – Male | "Aankhon Mein Teri" (Om Shanti Om) | Won | |
| 2009 | Best Playback Singer – Male | "Khuda Jane" (Bachna Ae Haseeno) | ||
| 2011 | Best Playback Singer – Male | "Sajde" (Khatta Meetha) | ||
| GiMA Awards | ||||
| 2011 | Best Playback Singer – Male | "Zindgi Do Pal Ki" (Kites) | Won | |
References[]
- ^ "The right note". The Hindu. 9 December 2006. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
- ^ "Best KK songs-Top 10". Retrieved 3 April 2017.
- ^ "Music runs in the family". BombayTimes. Retrieved 13 November 2017.
- ^ Lasrado, Richie (25 November 2006). "A Kandid Konversation with KK". Daijiworld.com.
- ^ R, Balaji (6 June 2005). "The KK factor". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 5 November 2012.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "KK sang 3,500 jingles before Bollywood break". Sify movies. 28 April 2009. Archived from the original on 12 April 2015. Retrieved 7 August 2009.
- ^ "KK". saavn.com. Retrieved 15 December 2017.
- ^ "KK Profile". In.com. Archived from the original on 11 May 2009. Retrieved 30 August 2009.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c "Sensational Singer KK to Perform Live in City on Nov 23". Daijiworld.com. 22 November 2006.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Vijayakar, Rajiv (18 February 2008). "High Pitch". Screen.
- ^ "KK Interview with Bollywood Hungama". Bollywood Hungama. 15 April 2015. Archived from the original on 19 April 2015.
- ^ "KK: Facts about the singer we bet you don't know". The Times of India. 20 August 2015. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "It takes three to tango". The Hindu. 13 March 2007. Archived from the original on 14 March 2007.
- ^ "Star-studded music launches are back". Screen India. 5 February 2008.
- ^ "Composing music is an extension of my being:KK". Sify movies. 24 February 2008. Archived from the original on 2 February 2013.
- ^ "8th Annual Star Screen Awards 1999". Screen India. Archived from the original on 24 June 2009. Retrieved 15 September 2011.
External links[]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Krishnakumar Kunnath. |
- People from New Delhi
- Living people
- Bollywood playback singers
- Indian male film singers
- Indian male singer-songwriters
- Indian singer-songwriters
- Kirori Mal College alumni
- Tamil playback singers
- Malayalam playback singers
- Kannada playback singers
- Telugu playback singers
- University of Delhi alumni
- Singers from Delhi
- 1968 births