KK gave one of Kannada’s biggest hits, ‘Nadedaduva Kamanabillu’

‘Nadedaduva Kamanabillu,’ a fast-paced romantic duet from ‘Parichaya’ (starring Tarun and Rekha), was one of the hit songs of 2008 in Kannada cinema. Jassie Gift, who composed the successful soundtrack (‘Kudinotave’, ‘Jigi Jigi Jigidhu’), had decided that only KK was perfect for the song.

“It was a romantic song and given his powerful voice and excellent grasp of vocabulary, he was the right man for the job,” Jassie tells DH, remembering his dear friend whose demise has left music lovers sad and shocked.

KK was driven by passion, says Jassie. “He always gave composers more than what we expected. With his singing style and energy during the recording process and patience till the final output, KK showed the qualities of a perfectionist,” says the seasoned music director.

Read | KK's cousins remember him singing popular songs at home

For many musicians, KK was an inspiration as he was at the forefront of the parallel music movement in India. His debut album ‘Pal,’ of six songs, was a runaway hit in 1999.

“For many of us who were passionate about music bands and private albums, he was an inspiration. The fact that he broke through without the help of cinema speaks volumes of his talent,” says Jassie.

The playback singer of several Bollywood pop hits of the 2000s was known for his style.

“Some songs were meant only for KK,” notes Jassie.

“He had an interesting outlook towards creating songs. He always told us to stick to the genre we were good at and asked us not to over experiment,” he recollects.

Jassie calls his voice a perfect mix of power and sweetness.

“Nobody had that quality. His voice was perfect for love songs, but he could also render fast-paced, high energy songs like ‘Uyirin Uyire’ from ‘Kaakha Kaakha’ (2003) and ‘Andagakka’ from ‘Anniyan’ (2005), in which I have sang with him,” recalled Jassie.

The composer compared the singer’s voice to the popular American pop rock singer and songwriter Richard Marx.