KK (Krishnakumar Kunnath): The Indian Playback Singer’s Journey to Fame and Deat

Updated January 12, 2023

KK (Krishnakumar Kunnath) was an Indian playback singer. He recorded many songs in different languages including Hindi, Kannada, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Odia, Malayalam, Bengali, Assamese, and Gujarati. KK started his career by singing Jingles for Advertisements, he sang more than 3,500 jingles before getting his big break in Bollywood.

He made his Bollywood debut with A.R Rahman’s soundtrack. In 1996, he launched his very first album titled Pal. The songs “Pal” and “Yaaron” from the album Pal got an immense response from the audience and became so popular that they started being used in every school farewell. His hard work and unique voice in the music industry made him the voice of a generation.

Early Life, Career & Achievements of KK

KK was born on august 23, 1968, in Delhi to Malayali parents C. S. Menon and Kunnath Kanakavalli. He was an alumnus of Delhi’s Mount St Mary’s School. He graduated from Kirori Mal College, Delhi University. In 1991, KK married Jyothy, both were Childhood friends.

KK’s son Nakul Krishna Kunnath performed with him on the song “Masti” from his album Humsafar. He also had a daughter, Tamara Kunnath. During the 1999 Cricket World Cup, he sang the song “Josh of India” in support of the Indian cricket team. Members of the Indian cricket team were featured in this song.

KK never took any formal training in music. In the span of 4 years, he sang more than 3,500 jingles in 11 Indian languages before getting his big break in film music. Many successful composers and singers admired his voice and musical sense, including Pritam, Arijit Singh, Ankit Tiwari, etc.

KK sang more than 500 Hindi songs, and over 200 songs in Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam languages. Tadap Tadap from Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, sung by KK, was the song that broke all records in 1999.

KK previously lent his vocals to Gulzar’s song Chhod Aye Hum from the Maachis film but received little praise for it. In the same year, Sony Music was looking for a new performer and enlisted KK’s help. He was named Artist of the year, and his debut solo album, Pal with Lesle Lewis, was released.

He received a national award for “Tu Aashiqui Hai” from the movie Jhankar Beats, released in 2004. Also, he received a two-screen award for Best Playback Singer- Male.

How Did KK (Krishnakumar Kunnath) Die?

On May 31, 2022, KK died in Kolkata from a heart attack. After performing at a college fest at Nazrul Mancha auditorium, in South Kolkata, he was feeling unwell. When he was returning to his hotel after the performance, suddenly got a heart attack. He had been taken to the nearby hospital but unfortunately, it was too late, he was declared dead on arrival.

On June 1, 2022, Kolkata police registered a case to investigate the causes of unnatural death. However, the reports of post-mortem wiped out the apprehensions of unnatural death. The post-mortem reported that the death of KK occurred because of a myocardial infarction (MI or heart Attack).

To a layman, heart attack (MI) and cardiac arrest are interchangeable. However, there is more to it behind. Heart attack or Myocardial infarction precisely is different from cardiac arrest.

Whatever the mode of stopping heart functions of KK, it is a huge loss to the country and music in particular. While reporting KK’s death, the newspaper Deccan Herald called him the “voice of love”. According to The Times of India, he was the most versatile singer in the Bollywood music industry.

Frequently Asked Questions on Krishnakumar Kunnath

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