KK (singer)

Indian playback singer (1968–2022)
other musicians called KK

Krishnakumar Kunnath (23 August 1968 – 31 May 2022), popularly known as KK, was an Indian playback singer. He recorded songs in Hindi, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Assamese and Gujarati. KK began his career by singing advertising jingles and made his film debut in 1996 on an A. R. Rahman soundtrack. KK released his debut album, Pal in 1999. The songs "Pal" and "Yaaron" from the album became popular, and are used in school graduations. His popular songs included "Tadap Tadap Ke Is Dil Se" from Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999), the Tamil song "Apadi Podu" from Ghilli (2004), "Uyirin Uyirae" from Kaaka Kaaka (2003), "Dola Re Dola" from Devdas (2002), "Kya Mujhe Pyaar Hai" from Woh Lamhe (2006), "Aankhon Mein Teri" from Om Shanti Om (2007), "Khuda Jane" from Bachna Ae Haseeno (2008), "Piya Aaye Na" from Aashiqui 2 (2013), "Mat Aazma Re" from Murder 3 (2013), "India Wale" from Happy New Year (2014), and "Tu Jo Mila" from Bajrangi Bhaijaan (2015). He sang 3,500 jingles before breaking into Bollywood. and Kirori Mal College, Delhi University. He appeared in the song "Josh of India", released to support the Indian national team during the 1999 Cricket World Cup. KK married Jyothy in 1991. His son, Nakul Krishna Kunnath, sang "Masti" (from his album, Humsafar) with him. KK also has a daughter.

After receiving a degree in commerce from Kirori Mal College, KK spent six months as a marketing executive before pursuing his love of music. He struggled to establish himself in the competitive recording industry, singing at hotels to make ends meet. KK moved to Mumbai in 1994. According to film director Mahesh Bhatt, "KK had an emotional bandwidth which echoed all the seasons of the heart. He could be frivolous, romantic and anguished. He could go into the depths, talk about the wonder and magic of life." KK believed that it was unimportant for a singer's face to be seen, but "a singer must be heard". In a 2019 interview, he said that he felt comfortable with a microphone but awkward in front of a camera. KK valued and "fiercely" protected his privacy. He did not want his singing to be associated with a particular actor and preferred singing for a number of actors. He is widely regarded as a highly versatile singer.

In 1994, KK gave a demo tape to Louis Banks, Ranjit Barot and Lesle Lewis. He was called by UTV, and sang a jingle for a Santogen Suiting ad.

KK made his Bollywood debut with the song "Tadap Tadap Ke Is Dil Se" in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999). KK considered "Tadap Tadap Ke Is Dil Se" the turning point of his career. KK received six Filmfare Awards nominations. He received the 2009 Screen Awards Best Playback Singer – Male award for "Khuda Jaane", from the film Bachna Ae Haseeno. The song, "Dhoop Paani Bahne De", was the first song released since his death.

KK sang popular songs in several languages, including Tamil. According to Outlook, his songs defined Tamil film music during the 2000s and became part of Tamil culture. In 2004, KK's Tamil song "Appadi Podu" became popular across India and was played at clubs and weddings. He worked with A. R. Rahman on "Strawberry Kanne", a popular song, in 1997. He had a decade of hit songs during the 2000s. KK sang "Love Pannu" for Harris Jayaraj in 2001, followed by "Kadhal Oru Thani Katchi" and "Gundu Gundu Ponne". In 2003, he had two hits composed by Harris Jayaraj: "Uyirin Uyire" and "Kalyanam Dhaan Kattitkittu". "Uyirin Uyire" was popular in cities, and "Kalyanam Dhaan Kattitkittu" became popular across Tamil Nadu. and the songs "Aap Ki Dua", "Yaaron" and the title track, "Pal" were popular with audiences and on the music charts; "Pal" and "Yaaron" are frequently played at school farewells. KK received the 1999 Screen Award for Best SingerMale (non film music) for the album. He released his next album, Humsafar, on 22 January 2008. Humsafar featured "Aasman Ke", "Dekho Na", "Yeh Kahan Mil Gaye Hum", "Rain Bhai Kaari (Maajhi)", and the English language ballad "Cineraria". KK was a jury member on the talent hunt show, Fame Gurukul. He sang "Tanha Chala" on the Pakistani TV show The Ghost, which aired on Hum TV in 2008. The song was composed by Farrukh Abid and Shoaib Farrukh, with lyrics by Momina Duraid. KK appeared on the MTV India musical programme Coke Studio, singing the qawwali "Chadta Suraj" with the Sabri Brothers and a reprise of "Tu Aashiqui Hai" from Jhankaar Beats. He appeared on Surili Baat, on the Aaj Tak channel. KK performed on Sony Mix and MTV Unplugged, which aired on MTV on 11 January 2014. He presented his Salaam Dubai 2014 concert in Dubai in April 2014, and performed in concert in Goa, Dubai, Chennai and Hong Kong. On 29 August 2015, KK appeared in season two of the television singing reality show Indian Idol Junior as a judge and guest jury member. On 13 September of that year, he appeared on the Sony Mix show Baaton Baaton Mein.

On 31 May 2022, KK performed a concert at a college festival at Nazrul Mancha in South Kolkata. After the concert, he returned to his hotel in Esplanade. KK complained of feeling unwell on the way back to his hotel, where he experienced cardiac arrest. He collapsed, and efforts to revive him at the hotel were unsuccessful. KK was rushed to Calcutta Medical Research Institute (CMRI) at about 10:30 pm, where he was declared dead. He was 53 years old. On 1 June 2022, Kolkata Police registered a case of unnatural death to investigate KK's death. His autopsy was videographed; the report cited myocardial infarction (heart attack) as the probable cause of death, ruling out foul play. According to the doctor who conducted the autopsy, KK could have survived if he had received cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) immediately after losing consciousness. He had complained to his wife about pain in his shoulder and arm for several days before his death, thinking it was caused by digestive problems. According to the autopsy report, KK's heart had an 80 percent blockage. Three public interest litigations (PILs) related to the singer's death were registered in the Calcutta High Court.