JOIN USHe’s the ultimate recluse — it takes forever to pin him down. But the wait, as always, is worth it. Krishnakumar Kunnath aka KK is no ordinary singer, and no ordinary human being. He is a delightful company, cool, casual and comfortable in his professional domain. He’s also a family man and knows that in his career he has achieved much.
As a singer extraordinaire, who is said to turn down last-minute requests to record if he has a family or a social commitment, KK attributes his staying power to his lack of “fatigue caused by singing too many songs.”
World of jingles
Though hailing from the South, the singer was raised in middle-class Delhi, and despite his gifted singing skills, graduated in Commerce, but was soon lapped up in the world of jingles. He was a part of many rock bands as a percussionist and vocalist. And after marrying his childhood sweetheart Jyothy in 1991, KK decided to shift to Mumbai in 1994.
His goal: independent music, not films! Between 1994 and 1999, KK recorded over 3,500 jingles for leading names like Louis Banks, Ranjit Barot, Leslie Lewis and others in 11 languages. His first breaks in films in 1996 happened simultaneously in the South (A R Rahman in Kadhal Desam) and in Mumbai (Vishal Bhardwaj in Maachis). But it was in 1999 that his debut album ‘Pal’ with Sony Music became a hit and Ismail Darbar gave him his breakthrough with Tadap Tadap Ke from Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam.
“I never wanted to sing in films, but after these opportunities came better songs to sing for composers like Anu Malik, M M Kreem, Sandesh Shandilya, Pritam and Mithoon in particular. A new world opened up and I realised that I was learning so much and enjoying myself!” he smiles. Today, Roopkumar Rathod considers him the finest singer around, and Arijit Singh and Ankit Tiwari, both current sensations, are his fans. And KK, who has always been choosy, is now gearing up to do more for his original dream — independent music.
“Now that I am financially secure, and I have more time as I sing less, I can get back to what I originally wanted to do while I remain a singer for films!” he smilingly declares. “I can now look for personal artistic satisfaction. I am definitely looking at a specific direction — composing and singing my own songs. I have to open doors for others as well.”
Calling the current influx of new talent as something that is “in a way good”, he specifically likes Neeti Mohan, Shalmali Kholgade, Benny Dayal and Arijit Singh. “Today, openings are easy and anybody can create a melody and become a composer. This is like the scene abroad, but the sad part here is that there are many singers but just one well-known stage — film music.” That is the prime reason, he feels, why non-film music must make a mark again, as it had fleetingly done from the mid-80s to the mid-90s.
KK’s latest numbers include Yaara (Roy), Dil Tod Ke Jane Wale Sun (Ishq Parindey) and last year’s Kabhi Aaine Pe Likha Tujhe (Hate Story 2), Dil Aaj Kal (Purani Jeans) and Tune Maari Entriyaan (Gunday).
An ardent fan of Kishore Kumar and also Mohammed Rafi, he is actually comparable more to the exquisite Mukesh in both his select repertoire and high “hit” percentage. “I guess it’s in my nature not to do too many things. Like after ‘Pal’, I did not feel the need to do another album for a long while. Then in 2005-2006, I began to feel a bit restless and so I came up with my next album ‘Humsafar’ in 2008! And I could never hammer myself or my songs right from the beginning. I cannot fully attune to the concept that a singer’s face must be prominently seen. Face se kya matlab hai? (How is a singer’s face relevant?)” he asks.
It’s just a job
KK admits that as a jingle and film singer, he looked on them at first as jobs. He later began to enjoy them. He also began shows in 1999, and this is what he feels about them: “I realise what I have achieved, especially since I have been an introvert. The responsibility increases. The live response of my fans is so emotional and touches me deeply.”
The eternal question: How does he manage to put so much soul into every song? “I think that most singers today are in a hurry,” he replies. “I prefer to be relaxed, love to dub post-lunch, and stick to one song a day. I slowly start to understand the song — its words and tune. The longer I take, the deeper I go. At one point, the song starts talking to me.”
Are his children into music? “My son Nakul plays the guitar. He is now taking light vocal training. Tamara is interested in music, but she is too young to think of any career,” he maintains. As we leave his sanctum sanctorum, we realise that KK is the last of the male singers who, in Hindi films alone (he has a sizable repertoire down South as well), has a track-list that actually runs into dozens of timeless winners. In short, he is on the way to becoming a legend.