KK: I feel like I'm Jekyll and Hyde, I just transform on stage

Krishna Kumar Kunnath aka KK recently topped an online poll as the best male singer for the song 'Tu jo mila' (Bajrangi Bhaijaan). That he beat the likes of Arijit Singh, Ankit Tiwari and Kumar Sanu will come as no surprise to music lovers given his formidable reputation as a singer. Elusive as he is, there is very little known about him. For instance, did you know that he is not a trained singer? This and many other things came to the fore in a candid interview with the 46-year-old singer, who's completing 20 years in the industry this year...
With Arijit Singh being heard everywhere, the one question on everyone's lips is - 'Where is KK?' Why do we not hear you singing more often now?
But even in the 20 years that I've been in the industry, there have been very few years where I must have done 10-15 songs in a year. In fact, doing even 15 songs is too much for me. I like to pace out my songs. I am not choosy, but by default the songs that have come to me have been great songs, thanks to my music directors who believed in my ability. So I haven't consciously done anything to reduce my work. I do travel a lot for my shows though - it could be 15 days or 20. So sometimes I miss out a song because of it.
Besides, to be honest with you, there are also a lot more singers now. When I came in 20 years ago, there were a handful of singers. The play-field is huge now - there are a lot more singers and lot more music directors now. If you think of it that way, the workload obviously reduces for everybody. So, if I was doing 10 songs earlier, I am doing five now (laughing).
But has the entry of new singers put the senior singers at a disadvantage?
I see it as a garden with a lot of flowers - if we have only roses or only lilies, it gets boring. Each singer has something unique about him or her. Either the magic is in their voice or in the way they enunciate a particular line which the listeners connect to. There's a reason they are there. Besides, the old always makes way for the new. There's a new generation of listeners - just imagine there's new mouths and new ears (laughing), but it's all good. Music is an universal space, where everyone can co-exist peacefully. If you go abroad, Billy Joel shows sell out fast, even when there are new singers like Adele. That's how life is - when I came in the industry, there was someone else moving out. So you've got to respect the older singers, and encourage the younger ones.
For someone who does not want to record too many songs at a time, how do you handle concerts, which is more demanding?
There is a lot of difference between singing in the studio and singing live. Live is about physical energy and interactions with people, but in a studio, it's more spiritual. I expend a lot more energy in recording a song than at a show. It's like food - doing a gig is like eating, it's party time, but the recording aspect is like cooking, where you're putting all things together and the ingredients need to be right. It's a creative thing, where you are communicating with the song. It does get tiring. In fact my wife, Jyoti tells me that you come from studio more tired than you do after a show.
So I've come to realise that a song or two is what I can do in a day. It's the same with concerts - I do two shows, at the most three, on consecutive days. More shows are often taken on for either money or out of insecurity. And the word, 'insecurity' has never been a part of my dictionary - whether for recordings, songs or gigs. God has been kind enough to not overload me with a lot of work. I don't like to rush, I like to stand still and enjoy the stillness. Besides, I am a bit of a wanderer, so I need to take off after days of recordings.
You call recording a spiritual process. How would you elaborate that for someone like you who's known for soulful singing?
I am very clear in my head that I am here today because of a lot of thought processes in my early days - like I want to sing; I get a lot of joy out of singing; and that joy is not because someone claps for you. All that felt good when I did my first stage performance in Class 2. The adulation becomes background noise after a bit. I realised that music is what I am all about - so even if I was singing someone else's songs (like Billy Joel, Sting, Uriah Heep), I would imbibe the textural tonalities in their voices. It took a little time for someone like me, who was doing covers and jingles, to develop my own style. I have reached a certain level as a singer now - with a certain understanding of music, I am able to translate lyrics the way music directors want me to and pour it out of my heart. And that's what the listeners relate to. It actually feels good at this point of time to have people tell me that they experience sukhoon (bliss) on hearing my songs. And what is being spiritual? It's about how you think and feel about things around you.
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I am not open to reality shows: KK
You don't have formal training and yet you came into your own with Tadap tadap ke from the film Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. It was not an easy song.
My father was very fond of music, my mum performed and her mother was a music teacher. So I think all that has passed on to me. I would listen to my dad playing Yesudas, P Susheela, Kishoreda, Rafisaab and English songs as well. I would rewind the cassette recorder and learn it. My teachers told my dad to put me in a music school, where I learnt a light classical song in two days as I had sharp ears. But I didn't like going to school to learn music, so my dad let me be. From beginning I was able to learn a song by just hearing it, it is something that I've been blessed with. I later learned that Kishoreda had never learnt music, so I had even more reasons to not go to a music class. Besides, I was always winning competitions.
Do you now regret not learning classical singing?
I have friends and colleagues who are into classical singing, but I don't feel any less for not having learnt it. Maybe I can't do the alaaps, but I am called to do light classical. In fact, when I first heard 'Tadap tadap' (in 1998), it was a completely different song for a rocker boy like me. It would have become a hit even with another singer, but it came to me and made me delve inside me; I didn't know that I had the capacity to do such a song. Another factor was that Ismail saab (Darbar) and Mehboob had a lot of faith in me as a singer. And when someone has that kind of faith in you, you can't let them down. I never thought that this song would become a cult song. Today when I do live shows, there's not been a single concert where I have not sung this song.
Why haven't you taken on more reality shows after being on the jury of Fame Gurukul?
A shooting takes a whole day - sometimes you are doing nothing for hours, faffing and just waiting for the shot get ready. It's a laborious process and time consuming. Perhaps I am little impatient and I like to get a job done. If I am recording, I'll be the first one to get to the studio.I am not in a hurry, but I don't like to waste time when it comes to work. And shooting takes a lot of time. An episode is fine like the kind I did with Indian Idol Junior, but to do it on a regular basis, gives me the jitters
Did you spot Arijit Singh's talents on Fame Gurukul?
He was talented even then. I had told him (and there were other contestants too) to treat the show as a stepping stone. Once you're out in the real world, you must wait for the right opportunity and not burn yourself out. And Arijit did have his share of struggle till he got his rightful breaks. I have always believed that if you are good, no one can keep you down. It may just take a little longer sometimes.
What do you think of actors turning singers?
Some of them can hold a note.
Like?
I think Farhan (Akhtar) is a good singer. He's got an unconventional voice. If an actor, who can sing, wants to have a go at it, he must. Irrespective of sycophants, he will realise it sooner or later if he is cut out for it. After all, you are your own best critic at the end of it.
What about singers turning actors?
Shekhar (Ravjiani) did a good job recently. It's the same thing - if an actor can try singing, then why can't singers try acting?
Would you?
No, I am good behind the mic.
You believe that singers should be heard not seen. Where does that come from?
I have done videos myself - 'Pal, 'Yaaron', but I said this when I was told during an interview that it was imperative to be seen at parties, award functions and other such things. Whoever said that you need to be at the right place at the right time does not know what they're talking about. I have never been to any parties, not even to save my life. I have gotten so far with my sheer ability to sing. That's all I've had. I like if my song is appreciated, but I am not dying to know how many have recognised me. That's never been my trip. I am a reclusive kind of a guy, I get uncomfortable when there's a crowd, except when on stage. I feel like I am Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde kind of guy. I don't know how that happens, but I just transform on stage.
Except for Salman Khan, you've never been seen as a certain actor's voice like some of your contemporaries.
See, I have never understood how my voice can suit anybody. I just go and sing my song - whether it's 'Tu jo mila' (Barangi Bhaijaan) or 'Ajab si' (Om Shanti Om), whether it's 'Tu hi meri shab hai' (Gangster) or 'Ding dong' (Kuch Toh Hai), whether it's 'Awarapan' (Jism) or 'Alvida' (Life in a Metro) - there's never been a conscious decision to sound like anybody else. No chance, I can't do that. I can't mimic, I don't have that ability. Each song has its own buzz, its own emotional quotient - so I won't sing 'Awarapan' like I would 'Ding dong'.
But does it help to be a voice of a star?
Maybe it helped in the earlier days, when Kishoreda used to sing for Amitabh Bachchan and other stars. Now it doesn't matter as there are so many actors and singers. There's Rahat Fateh Ali Khan singing for Salman Khan, and their voices are so different. An actor will connect to any song and emote, if the singer has put his heart and soul in it. The singer could be anyone - Sonu (Nigam), Shaan, KK; the margdarshak (guide) for a singer is the lyrics, and it's as simple as that.
Listen to the songs of KK on gaana.com
What are you listening to currently?
A lot of silence. My father actually passed away recently, so I've been in a different frame of mind, I've not been doing much of music. I've been travelling for shows because of my professional commitments. On a personal level, I'm at a very placid lake space, calm and quiet. I am not sad, but when you go through certain things, it changes your perception of life. I am listening to a little bit of classical now and it's calming. In fact I am listening to Billy Joel too - my favourite artiste. I love all his songs. All of us have some songs and artistes who give us solace when we listen to them.
I am also trying to work on my own album - not exactly an album, but on some material that I am writing. I feel that what I have done till now is just a little bubble in the music world; it's a huge universe out there, with so many artists doing such fantastic things. Not that I want to be some kind of Supernova, but I feel the need to do much more as a musician and artist. This feeling has been there for some years, but it's leading to something now (smiling).
Who else are your favourite artists?
Kishoreda, Sting - but it all depends on the mood. I listen to Sting, Air Supply, Eagles - these are artists I've grown up on I tend to go back to that a lot. Besides, the Eighties music was really very, very good - lot of great melodies and fantastic productions. I'm not much into the current music, though some of their songs are also great.
With a similar sounding name as Kay Kay Menon, have you ever been mistaken for the actor?
In the earlier days, yes, not any more! In fact, at one point of time there was an article of his published with my mug shot. And my dad got upset thinking I had started acting in films without informing him (laughing).