A personal loss — the words are reverberating across social media after the sudden death of Indian playback singer Krishnakumar Kunnath aka ‘KK’ yesterday. The last time we heard these words was when Bollywood actor Irrfan Khan passed away in 2020 after his battle with cancer. KK’s death brought to Indians’ mind the loss of another promising singer — Puneeth Rajkumar, or Appu, who died due to a sudden cardiac arrest at the age of 46 in October 2021. Likewise, it is equally hard to digest KK’s death, for the singer was wooing a Kolkata audience with his hit song Pyaar ke pal just moments before a cardiac arrest took his life.
An icon for a generation
KK was a part of the childhood and youth of an entire generation and whose versatility evoked different emotions, making him an unforgettable part of the industry and culture. Writing about him in the past sense feels surreal. In the early 2000s, when there were no social media platforms or Instagram Reels to skyrocket celebrity fame, KK became a household name. That was an age dominated by 9XM, MTV music, late-night radio shows and iPods, when songs relied primarily on word of mouth.
In popular culture, friendship, romance, and youth were defined by KK’s songs such as Yaaron, Koi kahe kehta rahe, and Zara Sa. They were an integral part of every farewell party and school/college picnic. When he sang Tadap tadap ke, heartbroken young men and women felt the pinch. When he sang Mera pehla pehla pyaar, many related to the feeling of that first teenage love that makes one giddy and elated. I remember how I and my school friends shared KK’s songs with each other via Bluetooth and would sleep while listening to the highlight of Kya mujhe pyaar hai — “kyun aajkal neend kam khwaab zyada hai”, ending with the legendary “voo oh oh oooo” hum.
There was hardly an emotion that remained untouched by KK’s songs. Aashayein, Hai Junoon, Tu aashiqui hai captured the spirit of optimism. Sach keh raha hai, Beetey lamhe reminded one of unforgotten love from the past; O meri jaan, Ajab si drenched us in romance.
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A star-studded career
KK was defined by his voice and versatility. His career, spanning two decades, included working with prominent music directors such as A. R. Rehman, Salim Sulaiman, Vishal-Shekhar, Shankar Ehsaan Loy, Pritam and Himesh Reshammiya, among others. He wasn’t restricted to a particular genre or music directors, and he worked with these directors throughout his career — his voice could express every emotion the composers needed.
Unlike many other popular singers, he lent his voice to almost every popular actor — Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar, Ranbir Kapoor, Emraan Hashmi, and Ranveer Singh. All of these actors could perfectly align with KK’s singing.
Lyricist and author Varun Grover wrote, “KK was an artist you’d discover in private. His best works were all about personal moments of loss and vulnerability,” and one can’t agree more. His music made us fall in love and process the pain of a heartbreak, filling us with brimming enthusiasm. It is indeed a personal loss.
Views are personal.
(Edited by Humra Laeeq)