Krishnakumar Kunnath, popularly known as KK has shaped the musical taste of an entire generation with his golden voice and unmatchable singing dexterity. The world-famous singer recently passed away in Kolkata on May 31st, 2022 at the age of 53. Being one of the greatest singers of all time in India, KK left billions of fans across the world shattered with his untimely and shocking death. Though he is no more, his songs will remain immortal in our hearts forever.
Here are some lesser-known facts about KK that the fans would love to know:
- He had no conventional training
It is hard to believe that KK, one of the top-billed singers in India has no professional training in singing. He was admitted to a music school but he dropped out there soon after. Instead of traditional training, the ‘Tadap Tadap’ singer chose to practice vigorously regularly to sharpen his skills.
- A. R. Rahman introduced him to the music industry
KK debuted as a playback singer with the help of A. R. Rahman. He lent his voice to the song, ‘kalluri Saalai’ from the movie, ‘Kadhal Desam’. The song is still popular to date. His first album named, ‘Pal’ was released in 1999. The songs ‘Pal’ and ‘Yaaron’ from the album are still very popular with their timeless message about friendship.
- He used to sing ad jingles
KK started his career by singing jingles and in advertisements. In 2009, he said in an interview that he sang nearly 3500 jingles before he got his chance in singing in the movies. He sang for Colgate, Nerolac Paints, Hero Honda, and more.
- He sand in 11 languages
The immensely talented singer mesmerized his fans with songs in 11 languages including Hindi, Bengali, Malayalam, Gujarati, Tamil, Telugu, Assamese, and Kannada. In just Hindi, he sang more than 500 songs in his career.
- He is a commerce graduate
KK graduated in commerce from Kirori Mal College under Delhi University. At the beginning of his career when he used to compose jingles, he worked in the hospitality industry. After his marriage, with his wife’s support, he moved to Mumbai to make his dream come true.
- Inspired by Kishore Kumar
In an interview with the Times of India, KK disclosed that he was inspired by another KK that is Kishore Kumar. He named him one of his earlier influences.
- He was a judge in the show that discovered Arijit Singh
KK was a jury member in the reality music TV show called Gurukul where Arijit Singh emerged. He even told Arijit Singh, ‘You are a very, very gifted singer, and as we can all see, you have another stage to perform in.’
- He sang the ‘Josh of India’ song
KK was a huge cricket fan and he sang the hit 1999 song, ‘Josh of India’ for the Indian cricket team during the World Cup.
- He was born to Malayali parents
KK was born to Malayali parents Kunnath Kanakavalli and C S Menon on August 23rd, 1968. His parents were settled in Delhi where he completed his studies.
- His last appearance
He last appeared on The Kapil Sharma Show in February 2022 with Dr. Palash Sen and Shaan.
