'Item songs are mostly rubbish'

Krishnakumar Kunnath, better known as KK, has always been passionate about music. In the City for a concert recently, KK spoke to Metrolife about his musical journey so far.

KK is here in Bangalore almost six times a year. “I know the flavour of the City. I love the weather here — its fresh air and rejuvenating nature. I also have friends and family in the City and love South Indian food like dosas, idlis and vadas,” he says. He feels that the gigs in Bangalore consist of a younger crowd. “My core audience is a younger one and thus, I love the City. The IT crowd, which attends most concerts, comes to just have fun,” says KK.

KK feels Bangalore has a more open and receptive audience. “A lot of young bands perform here and there is space to explore music,” he says. He has sung in various languages. Ask him if the feeling is different and he agrees as one has to understand the nuances of each language. “I try and work hard to get the words, feelings and pronunciations right. Each language has its own musical flavour,” says the artiste.

Despite being a Malayali by birth, KK is most comfortable singing in Tamil and Telugu apart from Hindi and English. “I’m just learning these languages. So I’m open to the way each word has to be said. But since I know a bit of Malayalam, I learn new aspects of the language every time I accommodate changes,” he adds.

He started his career with jingles. “In a jingle, a singer has to ensure that there is a slow build-up and the crescendo is reached in 30 seconds or so. That’s the challenge of singing jingles when compared to film songs. The challenge of a film song is that the singer has to go with the emotions of the scene. In an album, you have the most freedom as it’s your own baby,” he shares.

KK has sung for many upcoming films like Yaariyan and Gunday. “I’m keeping away from regional music for a while. I’m a moody guy and that’s how I feel at the moment. But I do want to make an album,” he says.

Ask him about the growing popularity of item songs and he laments, “Item songs are mostly rubbish but not all are bad. They can never replace romantic or other songs. Radios often play only the chart-toppers and thus, they get more publicity. Due to this, many melodious songs are pushed to the side.”

The singer’s favourite musicians are Kishore Kumar, Shaan and Lata Mangeshkar to name a few. His favourite music differs according to his mood. “I generally love soft rock, love songs and anything melodic,” he lists out. Ask him about the most challenging songs of his career, and he says, “Tadap Tadap Ke was a difficult number.”

The change in the industry can be seen in the music of today, says KK. “Technology has changed over the years and that has led to the rise of electronic music. A lot of music is made with the help of synthesisers instead of instruments,” he wraps up.