Shaan, Papon, Dhvani Bhanushali, Leslee Lewis, Benny Dayal pay tribute to KK through ‘Yaaron’ cover version

Singers Shaan, Papon, Benny Dayal, Leslee Lewis and Dhvani Bhanushali have come up with the cover version of the KK’s iconic song ‘Yaaron’ to pay tribute to the late singer on the occasion of Friendship’s Day. They were joined by KK’s daughter Taamara and son Nakul behind the microphone. 

Krishnakumar Kunnath (1968-2022): Voice of a generation departs

“Friends and friendship has always pushed me to do better and grow in life,” Shaan said in a statement. “No matter how many songs I sang, we always ended up singing KK’s iconic ‘Yaaron’ at every meet with my friends. KK was a very dear friend, and I fondly called him Kakes. I miss him immensely, and the opportunity to recreate his song ‘Yaaron’ is once in a lifetime opportunity, so I am thankful to McDowell’s No. 1 to put together a dedication with #ForeverNo1Yaari to Kakes. He was a phenomenal person, and his music deserves to be celebrated for centuries.” 

‘Yaaron’ is a track from Nagesh Kukunoor’s acclaimed film Rockford (2019). 

A new video of the song cover sees the aforementioned singers heartily singing the song in different studios while Leslie Lewis played the guitar. Leslie was one of the music composers on Rockford along with Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy. 

Nakul Kunnath, KK’s son, spoke about the song and its relevance in their family. “‘Yaaron’ is a track that even we inadvertently relate to and not just because it was my father’s most loved track,” he said. “Our father always valued friendship, togetherness, love, and we learnt to value it even more from him. He always went out of his way for his yaars [friends] and truly was the No. 1 Yaar and will remain one for all of us. While he will be missed, we are excited to celebrate his music this Friendship Day along with all his friends with #ForeverNo1Yaari. We are excited about the rendition and cannot wait for the audience to see it.” 

The singers who worked in the cover version of ‘Yaaro’ will come together for a concert at Phoenix Market City, Kurla, in Mumbai to mark KK’s birth anniversary on 23 August. 

KK died of a heart attack on 31 May while performing at a concert in Kolkata.