Pyaar Ke Pal: How Songs By KK Tugged At Our Hearts And Defined Music For A Generation

Very few singers have the prowess to shape a generation's taste in music and last night we lost one of them. Playback singer Krishnakumar Kunnath, fondly known as KK, passed away in Kolkata on the night of May 31. The 53-year-old was in the city to perform at a concert. KK was not only blessed with a soulful voice, but he was also part of Indian pop music's golden era, giving us songs that we find ourselves humming even today.

Starting his career in the late 90s, KK, alongside singers like Shaan, Sonu Nigam, Alisha Chinai and Suneeta Rao gave India its own desi brand of pop music, that thrived for almost two decades, before fizzling out. But his surreal pop music debut with the 1999 hit album Pal, was just the beginning and he went on to become one of India's most noted playback singers in the new millennium, lending his voice to Bengali, Marathi, Assamese, Gujarati, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam film songs, apart from those in Hindi.

How does one define KK's voice? Can we even dare to categorise it? Mind you, this is the singer who gave us soft melodies like "Yaaron Dosti" and "Pyaar Ke Pal" in his debut pop album and then shook us to the core with the tragic "Tadap Tadap" from Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam that both showcased his range and his ability to infuse rage and pain in a song, all in the same year (1999).

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Who can forget the crescendo in "Dola Re Dola" from the 2002 film Devdas, a song that is steeped in energy from its opening notes to its end, all thanks to KK and his booming rendition of the chorus. And then there is "Aja Gufaon Mein Aa" from the 2001 film Aks- possibly one of the most underrated songs by the singer where his electrifying voice complements the mysticism brought to the table by co-singer Vasundhara Das.

In the mid 2000s, we were blessed with romantic songs that would stand the test of time and many of them were sung by KK. Be it "Tu Hi Meri Shab Hai" from Gangster, "Kya Mujhe Pyaar Hai" from Woh Lamhe, "O Meri Jaan" from Life In A... Metro or "Dil Kyu Ye Mera" from Kites. KK was also a team player, featuring in hit songs with other prominent singers of his generation- for the film Dil Chahta Hai, he sung the youth anthem of the decade "Koi Kahe Kehta Rahe" along with Shaan and Shankar Mahadevan.

Then there was the title track of the film Jhoom Barabar Jhoom, which he sung alongside Sukhwinder Singh, Mahalakshmi Iyer and Shankar Mahadevan and Gunday's hit song "Tune Maari Entriyaan", also featuring Neeti Mohan and Vishal Dadlani.

We got very few memorable Bollywood tracks from the singer in the last few years and no one but the musicians in the industry is to be blamed for that. An industry plagued by remixes and mashups had very little to offer that could do justice to the singer's potential and experience. We did get a glimpse of what we were missing out on with 83's "Yeh Hausle", sadly, the song will now haunt us as one the last melodies sung by KK.

Picture Credit: NDTV.

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While his discography can't be captured in a single article, here are some of the best KK songs that will forever remind us how KK brought depth and sensitivity to music with his voice:

Pyaar Ke Pal

This song from KK's debut music album captured hearts on its arrival in an instant and was soon at the top of the charts. Till date the song is remembered for its lyrics that hint at a doomed love story, urging lovers to cherish the moments of love that might soon come to and end.

Khuda Jaane

Sung by KK and Shilpa Rao, this song from Bachna Ae Haseeno became a hit for many reasons. Be it Deepika Padukone and Ranbir Kapoor's chemistry, the exotic locations featured in the song or Vishal and Shekhar's music- its hard to single out why the song caught listeners' attention. One thing is clear though, KK and Rao's voices did play a big role in lifting the song through the charts.

Dil Ibaadat

Those were the days, we would shy away from discussing Emraan Hashmi films, but we couldn't help humming the chartbusters that his movies brought us. This song by Pritam from the film Tum Mile is both passionate and melancholic and no other singer than KK could have struck the balance between these two emotions.

Ankhon Mein Teri

She gets out of the car and waves at her fans as one of her biggest admirers stands mesmerised- that's how Deepika Padukone was introduced to the viewers in her debut film Om Shanti Om. This song by KK captures fandom at its best with a smitten Shah Rukh Khan as Om walking behind superstar Shanti who is oblivious to his presence. KK captures the joy of a fan meeting his idol for the first time so aptly in this song!

Awaarapan Banjarapan

This song from the film Jism has a runtime of seven minutes and yet every verse, every note hits you in a different way. A haunting melody by MM Kreem, the only other song that comes close to capturing the sheer desolation that it showcases is "Main Dil Se Kaha" from the film Rog, also sung by KK.

Views expressed are the author's own.