Bollywood playback singer Krishnakumar Kunnath, popularly known as KK, was the voice of an entire generation. From churning out several hit numbers to working in commercials, there isn’t a genre of music that KK could not master. The maestro breathed his last at the age of 53 in June this year, after he fell ill while performing at a show in Kolkata, West Bengal.
On the occasion of his birth anniversary, here are a few lesser-known facts about the singer, who is still quite popular among youngsters.
KK belonged to a Malayali family and his parents were CS Menon and Kunnath Kanakavalli. The popular singer was reportedly never trained in music; neither did he pursue a degree in the same. He was apparently inspired by Kishore Kumar, who also famously was an untrained singer.
KK gave voice to many television advertisements until he finally broke through a singing deal. In an earlier interview, KK applauded his wife Jyoti and mentioned how much she had supported him and his career during his struggling days in the industry.
The singer gave voice to songs in 11 regional languages before making a move to Mumbai.
KK did not seem to be a fan of reality TV shows and in fact, only participated in one as a jury member. The show was called ‘Fame Gurukul’, which gave singer Arijit Singh his first major break.
The singer went on to sing for a popular Pakistani TV show ‘The Ghost’ which was aired on Hum TV in 2008. His first and most popular album Pal was released in 1999.
KK left behind two adoring children, son Nakul and daughter Tamara Kunnath. In a career spanning over three decades KK sang over 700 songs.
