The crooning maestro

KK

There are very few artists who believe in keeping a low profile and letting their work speak for themselves. In this age of social media platforms and constant promotional activities, singer Krishnakumar Kunnath, popularly known as KK, is allowing projects to come his way at their own pace. A commerce graduate from Delhi University, KK had a liking for music since his school days, but never got any formal training. He would often participate in college activities, where he would belt out popular Kishore Kumar numbers. Soon, offers for ad jingles came his way and before he knew it, KK had become a known voice in the ad world. “Although my first number was in the film Maachis, Vishal sir (Bhardwaj) gave me my first big break in the film Hum Panchi Ek Daal Ke, where I sang five tracks. Unfortunately, that film never saw the light of day. Ultimately, my biggest breakthrough came with Tadap tadap, which went on to become a big rage. Getting a song like this right at the beginning of one’s career was surely a huge blessing,” mentions the singer, who became a sensation with the soulful number, picturised on Salman Khan and Aishwarya Rai in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. After that, there was no looking back for KK, as he went on to deliver several hits like Aankhon main teri (Om Shanti Om), Khuda Jaane (Bachna Ae Haseeno), Desi boys (title track) and the recent chartbuster from Gunday, Tune maari entriyaan. With an ever increasing fan base, the singer has toured multiple countries and has sung more than 100 songs in regional languages like Telugu and Tamil among others.
“If I look at the non – filmy ventures, my 2001 album Pal (Moment) helped me earn a lot of recognition, including my first award given by Screen and several songs from the album went on to become extremely popular. Till date, people request me to sing tracks from the album at concerts and other events, adding that they find my voice extremely soulful. I have always tried my best to live upto their expectations,” adds KK. Another album, Humsafar came out in 2008, where he even composed eight tracks. “Although I am not too sure about the prospects and commercial viability of an album these days, a single is definitely on the cards. I would like to present a track and see how it fares. I constantly feel the need to do something more. Music direction is a part of me that I feel I haven’t explored well. I did it in Humsafar, but I am keen to put on the cap of a composer again,” stated KK, adding that he isn’t too sure about the genre he would like to explore, but is currently in the process of jotting down ideas. “There is no fixed formula for composing a song, nor do I know what will end up working with the audience. But I know one thing for sure; if you have a deep connect with your composition and present it in the right way, it will definitely make a mark,” confessed the singer.
For someone who has witnessed constant change in the music industry, KK is happy with the way budding artists are getting new platforms to display their talent. “There are reality shows, films and even non-film projects where performers can experiment with a variety of genres, be it Punjabi, hip-hop, electronic dance music, trance or anything. People who are multi-talented have lots to do on television as well, which is great. During my time, such platforms weren’t available. So, there is far more visibility today,” stated KK. But he also warned the aspiring singers, adding that they need to be patient and wait for success to come their way. “Good things take time to happen. You need to hang around, work and gain experience. Getting impatient will not help. I recorded several songs that never released. But, If I would have given up and allowed that burden to push me down, things wouldn’t have been the way they are today. Arijit Singh is another great example of singers who have made it big overtime. So, don’t allow negativity to bog you down. Just keep on working and you never know, when you might just strike gold,” stated KK, as he signed off.