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

It’s been a cruel year for Indian music lovers. The demises of Lata Mangeshkar, Bappi Lahiri, Pandit Shivkumar Sharma and the shocking murder of Sidhu Moosewala have left fans bereaved.

The sudden death of popular singer Krishnakumar Kunnath, more commonly known as KK, in Kolkata on 31 May, has sent shockwaves through the industry. Friends and collaborators grieved with the fans as they tried to come to terms with the loss.

Born on 23 August 1968 in Delhi to parents CS Menon and Kunnath Kanakavalli, KK never had any formal training in music. In an interview with the agency IANS, he said that he only attended music class for three days. “I hated it because for me music had no boundaries and I couldn't understand why one needed to learn singing. So I left, and I never went back.”

The natural would go on to record songs in practically all the major Indian languages, including Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi and Bengali. He worked with all the top music composers from AR Rahman to Vishal-Shekhar and singers from Shaan to Shilpa Rao.

The young KK attended Kirori Mal College, Delhi University where often won collegiate competitions, friend and classmate Mini Mathur noted in her Instagram post. She said, “KK was always a star. From the moment he stepped onto the stage in Delhi university and swept every single competition as the Kirori Mal college participant to singing every block buster song that represents the coming of age of an entire generation (sic).”

When he moved to Mumbai in 1994, he started out singing advertisement jingles, providing vocals for 3,000 such melodies before getting a chance to work in the film industry. Many would easily recall the 1999 Pepsi advertisement featuring the Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998) trio, Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol and Rani Mukerji, who were joined by a young Shahid Kapoor for the cola drink campaign ‘Yeh Dil Maange More’.

He then went on to make his playback debut in Kathir’s Kadhal Desam (1996), which had AR Rahman as music director, singing for the Telugu and Hindi versions. He later sang the Tamil song ‘Strawberry Kannae’ from Rajiv Menon’s Minsara Kanavu (1997).

He was also one of the four singers on 'Chhod Aaye Hum' composed by Vishal Bhardwaj for Gulzar's Maachis (1996). Incidentally, one of the last songs he recorded was penned by the veteran lyricist and poet. The number has been composed by Shantanu Moitra for Srijit Mukerji’s upcoming Sherdil (2022).

The year 1999 was pivotal for the singer and he launched his debut album, Pal, in April. Composed and produced by Leslie Lewis, who gave KK his first jingle, and written by Mehboob, the album is an evergreen hit, with songs still in play today.

“Pal, I think, was one of my best songs, even my wife [Jyothy] feels so,” the singer recalled in an interview with the newspaper DNA, calling it one of his favourites to perform on stage. “Now when I look back at it, I feel — and this is something that my friends tell me too — I was so raw that time. I was too new and naive. And I guess it worked.” He sang ‘Pyaar Ke Pal’ on the night he died as well.

In June 1999, he broke through the Hindi film music scene with the powerful heartbreak ballad ‘Tadap Tadap...’ from Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999). From then on, he was a regular on composers’ list, belting out hits like the title song from Pyaar Mein Kabhi Kabhi (1999), 'Yaaron' from Rockford (1999), 'Koi Kahe Kehta Rahe' from Dil Chahta Hai (2001), 'Sach Keh Raha Hai' from Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein (2001), 'Dola Re Dola' From Devdas (2002), 'O Humdum Suniyo Re' from Saathiya (2002), 'Tu Aashiqui Hai' from Jhankaar Beats (2003), 'It's The Time To Disco' from Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003), 'Chale Jaise Hawaien' from Main Hoon Na (2004) and 'Tu Hi Meri Shab Hai' from Gangster (2006).

Over his nearly three-decade career, KK was always consistent and a favourite amongst composers. In 2008, eight years after his first album, he launched his second album Humsafar in which he composed the majority of the songs himself.

While he continued to sing for films, he always went back to performing live. KK never won any awards for his singing except for a Screen Award for Best Playback Singer – Male for the track ‘Khuda Jaane’ from Bachna Ae Haseeno (2008). But that never mattered to his fans, or even to the singer himself. From all the accounts posted online, it seemed KK was happiest when he was on stage performing. His last online post is evidence of that.

The outpouring of grief from collaborators and his fans shows his legacy and songs will never be forgotten. One fan on YouTube commented, "I can feel the pain our parents felt 35 years ago....When Kishore Kumar left all of a sudden....He was our generation's Voice of Nation. Our playlists/heart will have your voice forever!!"