How an entire generation fell in love with KK and his music

Bollywood's music has already lost so many stars in 2022 – first Lata Mangeshkar, then Bappi Lahiri. Sadly, the losses didn't stop there, as we lost another iconic musician last night – Krishnakumar Kunnath, more commonly known as KK.

I was introduced to KK's music through the song "Tu Hi Meri Shab Hai" from the movie Gangster, a soulful melody that would make anyone want to fall in love. The song gave me goosebumps the first time I heard it. To this day, I still get goosebumps listening to it. It's as if KK was singing a love song that perfectly fit my mood, and was taunting my emotions, to make me feel things I shouldn't be feeling at the moment. 

Needless to say, this wasn't the only song that would make me and millions of others feel such emotions.

Soon after, I came across the song "Kya Mujhe Pyaar Hai" from the same movie, and it immediately struck a chord in my heart. "Kya Mujhe Pyaar Hai" became my favourite romantic song, and nothing close has ever come to replace it. The lyrics are phenomenal, but it was KK's vocals and his ability to hit those high notes perfectly that gave the song a legendary status.

My journey with KK was just getting started with his soulful releases. "Tadap Tadap Ke", "Alvida", "O Meri Jaan", "Ajab Si", "Zara Sa", "Dil Ibaadat", "Beete Lamhey", "Pyar Ke Pal", "Labon Ko", "Yaaron", "Teri Yaadon Mein", and "Zindagi Do Pal Ki" are some of his most popular hits, as well as some of my most favourite songs. Each of these songs deliver a variety of emotions, ranging from sweet and joyous, to sad and heartbreaking. Nevertheless, we still turn to them whenever we're in need for a bit of emotional healing, or even distraction. 

However, at this stage, I was more interested in understanding what made my entire generation, and those before and after it, fall in love with KK and his music. And it didn't take me long to come to a conclusion. 

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KK's music is heart-touching and relatable. It not only speaks to its listeners, but also describes whatever emotion they are going through. As I mentioned at the start, it was as if KK were singing a song that perfectly fit my mood. Well, it turns out that I wasn't the only one who felt that way. Anyone who had, for once in their life, listened to KK would share the same sentiment. Be it a romantic song or something that would make you feel nostalgic, KK's music was an entire genre of its own, and that genre is human emotion. 

His songs, no matter how surreal and breathtaking, always had that humane feel to it. That's why we were able to connect to it, welcome it into our lives, and let it describe and often dictate the state of mind we were in. It's nearly impossible for artists to deliver the feel KK was giving us through his music, and that is what made us fall in love with him and his music.

What saddens me the most right now is the fact that we'll no longer get to experience new music by KK. He definitely had a lot more to offer to the industry as well as to his audience. Sadly, fate had other plans.

As I run out of words to describe KK's influence on us average listeners, I realise that his work will continue doing it for us for generations to come. KK left a mark on Indian and global music; his work managed to do one of the most difficult tasks for any musician – connect and resonate with people. 

And with that, I bid goodbye to KK, using words from one of his best hits – Alvida alvida.. ab kehna aur kya, jab tune keh diya, alvida.