KK

Krishna Kumar Kunnath, better known as KK, considers himself Destiny's child. Hailing from a middle class family in Delhi, KK was a naturally gifted singer since childhood. Little did he know that one day he would be considered among the top playback singers in Bollywood. A commerce graduate from Delhi University, KK indulged in his passion for singing during his student days. A diehard fan of Kishore Kumar, KK switched from Hindi to English songs during his teens. His versatile voice was soon tapped by various ad agencies in Delhi for jingles. He even formed a rock band with his friends and played drums for two other rock bands apart from vocals.

After graduation, KK had a brief stint as a marketing executive, but after eight months, he gave up on the job to follow his passion for singing. Having married his childhood sweetheart Jyothy in 1991, KK decided to shift base to Mumbai in 1994. KK met music legends such as Louis Banks, Ranjit Barot, Shiv Mathur and Leslie Lewis with his demo tape to get a break in the music scene. Very soon, UTV gave him his first break and the opportunity to work with his mentor Leslie Lewis in his first jingle. KK went on to sing more than 3500 jingles in 11 Indian languages.

Vishal Bhardwaj, who noticed this new talent, gave him the much-needed break in Hindi cinema in Maachis with Gulzar's hit number 'Chhod aaye hum woh galiyan?'. Vishal Bhardwaj also gave him his first solo number in Hum Panchi Ek Daal Ke. In 1999, KK bagged the prestigious Screen Award as the Best Singer for his solo (non filmy) album 'Pal' under Sony Music. He teamed up with his mentor Leslie Lewis for Pal, which has become his trademark album and is a must in all his concerts.

This was followed by his performance in 'Tadap tadap ke is dil se aah nikalti rahi?' (Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam) and other memorable songs such as 'Strawberry ankhen?' with AR Rahman in Sapnay. Like 'Pal', 'Tadap tadap' is another marquee song, without which, none of his concerts is complete. KK has sung close to 500 songs in Hindi and more than 100 songs in Telugu, Tamil and Kannada in a short span. He has performed at various corporate gigs, educational institutes, and over 120 public concerts in India and abroad. It is a significant achievement for a singer who says that he gets drained out if he has to sing more than two songs in a day, since he puts his heart and soul to each song.

Some of his contemporary songs which have made a mark in recent times include 'Awarapan Banjarapan' (Jism), 'Mujhe Kuch Kehna Hai', 'Tu Ashiqui Hai' (Jhankar Beats), 'Zara Sa' (Jannat), 'Ankhon Me Teri' (OSO), 'Khuda Jaane' (Bachna Ae Haseeno), 'Tu Hi Meri Shab' (Gangster), 'Desi Boyz' and the hugely popular Tamil song 'Appadi Podu' (Ghilli).

Like his idol Kishore Kumar, KK is not a trained singer, and considers himself extremely fortunate to have made singing as his career. An out and out family man, KK is a recluse in his private life, preferring to spend quality time with his wife and two kids. KK is a complete foodie and has a passion for fast cars and loves to take off on road trips whenever possible.