Google doodle today: The tech giant celebrates late Bollywood iconic singer K.K, Krishnakumar Kunnath's birthday today. On this day in 1996, KK made his debut as playback singer on the song, Chhod Aaye Hum, and etched his voice in several Bollywood albums, for the generations to remember.
While the romantic tunes of “Khuda Jaane” to the tender notes of “Beetein Lamhe,” have struck a chord with millions of listeners, KK was widely known for recording songs in several other languages including Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Bengali, Assamese, and Gujarati.
Krishnakumar Kunnath was born on August 23, 1968 in Delhi, India. He attended the Kirori Mal College of Delhi University and shortly worked in marketing before transitioning fully to music.
‘Pal’, ‘Tadap Tadap’ and more
The genesis of KK's era dates back to 1994 when he submitted a demo tape to popular Indian artists, and hit the first note of his musical career with jingles. Thereafter, Kunnath made his debut with the popular song 'Tadap Tadap' from the film Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, which soon became immensely popular with most listeners.
The same year, KK released his first album Pal. Each song was a massive hit and propelled him into the limelight. The ex-marketer was on his way to become a legend as he sang 3,500 jingles in 11 languages, as many recognised Krishnakumar Kunnath's versatility and alluring voice.
Throughout his three-decade-long career, KK sang over 500 songs in Hindi and more than 200 in Telugu, Bengali, Kannada, and Malayalam. He also received six Filmfare Award nominations and two Star Screen Awards for his works, among many other accolades and honors.
In June 2022, the legend passed away at the age of 53 years, due to a cardiac arrest. While KK's death that happened hours after his performance at Nazrul Mancha, Kolkata, was preliminarily termed ‘unnatural’, an autopsy performed later confirmed heart failure.
