Khuda jaane Live by KK at IIM Indore

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His friend, lyricist Mehboob, introduced him to music director Ismail Darbar when the latter was looking for singers for Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. "He did a few rehearsals and said, `Is ladke ko le lo. Ye bade dil se gaata hai'. After that I never looked back," he recalls with a smile.
KK broke through onto the Bollywood circuit with Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam back in 1999. The song was 'Tadap Tadap' and it established this young singer as a voice to watch out for. Now KK is yet another voice in the Indian film music scene.

His distinctly clear voice and excellent throw has made him Pritam, Vishal-Shekhar and other music director's favorite. Also, according to many, he is the new voice of India in the sense that almost all struggling singers want his voice.

It is not easy to believe that singer KK, who can render with equal expertise a wide range of songs, from the soft and sorrowful "Awarapan, banjarapan" (Jism) to the high-pitched "Tadap tadap ke" (Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam), from the naughty "O' hum dum suniyo re" (Sathiya), to the romantic number "Tu aashiqui hai" (Jhankar Beats) or ajab si (Om Shanti Om), is exceptionally shy, especially when it comes to speaking to the media.

Hearing his vast range, it is tough to believe that he had no formal training .. And that despite his popularity he remains extremely humble. KK says sheepishly, "I have grown up listening to Kishore Da, Rafi Sahab, Lata ji, and have always been very fond of the likes of Billy Joel, Bryan Adams and Leslie Lewis. I would listen to them endlessly and try to sing like them. My voice is God's greatest gift to me. People would often ask me in my office when I first took my nine-to-five job as a marketing executive in Delhi, `What are you doing here? You should be rocking on the stage'. It was my wife who egged me on to chuck the job and take up singing seriously. The day I quit, I felt as if a big burden was off my shoulders," he narrates. After after four months of office work, he reached Mumbai in the mid '90s. "I got an offer for a jingle from UTV to begin with. Then within a few days, I was doing jingles in five to six languages."

But before Bollywood happened to him, he teamed up with Leslie Lewis and released the single ' Pal'. . And Leslie Lewis, who has worked with most of India's once-thriving pop singers, is a fabulous composer. This tune, which brought these two together and the result was magic.

'Pyar Ke Pal' is a ballad but one that is nothing like what we hear from Indian filmi music. It's soft, heartbreaking and mostly it is a beautiful melody that instantly catches one's attention.

About his grounded attitude, he says, "I never think I am a star. I am just a singer. And some people help me stay grounded. For instance, I recently met Pandit Jasraj on a flight. He instantly recognised me and said, `Aap to bahut achcha gaate hain. Maine apke bahut gaane sune hain'. I felt extremely humbled. If he can say this to me despite his stature, can I ever think of being arrogant? Similarly I met an old gentleman recently. He held my hand and said, `Beta, tum mujhe Kishore(Kumar) da ki yad dilate ho.' It was so touching. All such experiences keep me grounded."

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