Krishna Kumar Menon -- a little interview
Krishna Kumar Menon better known as K K is on a high note in his singing career. He surely has come a long way since ‘Chodh aaye hum who galiyan…’ and ‘Chappa chappa…’ (MAACHIS).
K K has worked with all the top music directors including A R Rahman, Ismail Darbar, Nadeem-Shravan, Anu Malik, Shankar Ehsaan & Loy, Himmesh Reshammiya, Sandesh, M M Kreem, Jatin-Lalit, Vishal Shekhar, Pritam and Saleem Suleman. K K has also lent his voice for most of the top stars in the industry from Amitabh Bachchan to Hrithik Roshan and Tusshar Kapoor to Akshaye Khanna.
K K has worked with all the top music directors including A R Rahman, Ismail Darbar, Nadeem-Shravan, Anu Malik, Shankar Ehsaan & Loy, Himmesh Reshammiya, Sandesh, M M Kreem, Jatin-Lalit, Vishal Shekhar, Pritam and Saleem Suleman. K K has also lent his voice for most of the top stars in the industry from Amitabh Bachchan to Hrithik Roshan and Tusshar Kapoor to Akshaye Khanna.
Down South, he has worked with well-known maestro Ilayaraja, Harris Jayraj, Deva, Vidyasagar and Mani Sharma. KK shares his views and experience:
What was your childhood aspiration?
As a child I wanted to be a doctor. Destiny made me a singer instead. I am a commerce graduate from Delhi University. I realized very late in my life that I could make singing as my career. I am a die-hard fan of Kishore Kumar. I switched from Hindi to English songs during my teens. I got offers from various ad agencies in Delhi for jingles. I formed a rock band with my friends and played drums for two other rock bands and did vocals.
How did you enter the films?
After college I did a brief stint as a marketing executive but after eight months I gave up the job. I then married my childhood sweetheart Jyothy in 1991. I came to Mumbai in 1994 and gave my demo tape to Louis Banks, Ranjit Barot, Shiv Mathur and Leslie Lewis to get a break in the music scene.
In 1994, UTV gave me his first break in Mumbai and since then I have never looked back. I worked with my mentor Leslie Lewis in my first jingle in Mumbai and success followed soon. In a span of four years, I sang around 3500 jingles in 11 Indian languages. Vishal Bhardwaj, who noticed me, gave me the much-needed break in Hindi cinema in MAACHIS. I was one of the playback singers in Gulzar’s hit number 'Chodh aaye hum woh galiyan'…and Vishal Bhardwaj also gave me his first solo number in HUM PAANCHI EK DAAL KE.
Any awards you got?
In 1999, I got the prestigious SCREEN Award as the Best Singer for my solo (non – filmy) album PAL under SONY MUSIC. I teamed up with his mentor Leslie Lewis for PAL.
Tell us about your songs in various languages and concerts.
I have sung near about 400 songs in Hindi and more than 100 songs in Telugu, Tamil and Kannada languages in a short span. I have performed live concerts for Corporate Giants like Hero Honda, Toyota, Glaxo, Seagram’s, IBM, Sun Microsoft, Microsoft, Fidelity, Citibank, INLFS, LG, Sony Eriksson, Air Sahara, Ultra Tech Cement, JP Cement, and many more. I have also performed for schools, Colleges, and other educational institute like IIT Kanpur, IIT Khadakpur, IIT Rurki, IIT Chennai, MDI-Gurgaon, IIMS-Lucknow, and HT Youth Nexus.
How do you feel to be a busy singer?
I really get drain out if I have to sing more than two songs a day. When I sing, I give my heart and soul to give that emotional touch to each song. It’s very important for me to understand what are the scenes and emotions attached before and after the song. It helps.
I really get drain out if I have to sing more than two songs a day. When I sing, I give my heart and soul to give that emotional touch to each song. It’s very important for me to understand what are the scenes and emotions attached before and after the song. It helps.
How do you balance your personal and professional lives?
I have been very fortunate to have worked with all the best people in the industry. I prefer to spend some quality time with my family. I work less because I want to enjoy my work and life to my heart’s content.” Can you tell about your strength and weakness?
I know my limitations as a singer. My strength lies in my ability to emote well, when I sing. Since I have had no formal training in music I do take time to pick up classical aalaps. However, I overcome this weakness by my ability to pick up things quick and with true devotion. I never expected to be a playback singer in my life. Destiny surely shaped me up to be one and I have taken God’s choice in my stride with great humility.
Short Biography
Krishna Kumar Menon
Born August 23, 1970 (1970-08-23) (age 37)
Trichur, Kerala, India
Genre(s) Playback singing
Occupation(s) Singer
Years active 1996–present
Krishna Kumar Menon (also known as K.K. or Kay Kay) is an Indian playback singer from Kerala. He is a prominent singer in Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu films. His name is often confused with the similar screen name of a Bollywood actor, Kay Kay Menon.
Krishnakumar Menon was brought up in New Delhi. A graduate of Delhi University, he waited at tables for six months before he got his break, singing in a jingle for a commercial. He appeared in "Josh of India" song for the support of Indian Cricket Team during Cricket World Cup 1999. Following this, he released an album called 'Pal', the title song of which struck a chord with listeners. Songs titled "Aap ki Dua" and "Yaaron" from the same album were also popular.
Krishnakumar Menon was brought up in New Delhi. A graduate of Delhi University, he waited at tables for six months before he got his break, singing in a jingle for a commercial. He appeared in "Josh of India" song for the support of Indian Cricket Team during Cricket World Cup 1999. Following this, he released an album called 'Pal', the title song of which struck a chord with listeners. Songs titled "Aap ki Dua" and "Yaaron" from the same album were also popular.
His first song for a Bollywood flick was "Chhod Aaye Hum" (Maachis). But it was the song "Tadap Tadap Ke Is Dil", from the movie Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, that brought him into limelight.
Starting off from Hindi, he sang his way to the southern part of the country, singing in Tamil, Telugu and even Kannada; the song "Uyirin Uyirae" from the Tamil movie "Kakha Kakha" ("Cheliya Cheliya" from the Telugu movie Gharsanna) being one of the better-known songs.
Back in Bollywood, he notched up winners with songs such as "Tu Aashiqui Hai" from "Jhankaar Beats" (for which he received a National Award), "Chand Ki Roshni Se" from "Home Delivery","Awarapan Banjarapan" from "Jism","It's The Time To Disco" from "Kal Ho Naa Ho" and the smash hit "Dus Bahaane" (with Shaan) from the film "Dus". Recently, his hit songs "Tu Hi Meri Shab Hai" from the movie Gangster, "Soniye Soniye" from "Aksar","Mera Pehla Pehla Pyaar Hai" from "Mera Pehla Pehla Pyaar Hai","Alvida Alvida" from "Life in a Metro","Ajab Si" from "Om Shanti Om" and "Kya Mujhe Pyaar Hai" from "Woh Lamhe" have cemented his place as one of Bollywood's most talented vocalists.
His distinctive voice, which seems to get even clearer with the increase in pitch, and his style of rendition are his biggest assets. He created a rage in Tamil with the song "Appadi Podu "
The reclusive singer finally came out of the shadows to be one of the judges in the popular reality show Fame Gurukul in 2005. One very Popular and recent song that K.K. has sung is called "Ajab Si" from the Film "Om Shanti Om".
On 24th February 2008, he released his second album titled 'Humsafar'.
