Tu Mohabbat, Tu Aashiqui Hai
The artist who defined romance and shaped an entire generation
About a week ago, the world of music was shocked by the news of legendary singer KK’s untimely death. If you grew up around the simpler times that are the 2000s, you are no stranger to the beauty and charm of KK’s silky-smooth voice. KK has been a part of our earliest memories of friendship and first love, along with a bitter and sad soundtrack of break-ups. He sang anthem after anthem each song has its significance in different stages of life. He is truly an icon and a legend we will cherish and love for eternity.
My First Encounter To The Music By KK:
I might not remember how and where I had met my friends for the first time, but I certainly remember how and where I had first encountered my favourite artists. The memory of my first encounter with the music by KK is still fresh in my heart. Watching Mtv after school was my ritual, I loved the VJs of that time, and they were playing some of the best songs ever. The moment they played Aap Ki Dua, my ears and eyes were truly blessed, and the beautiful music video of this song is still fresh in my mind. Most of the music videos from the 1990s and 2000s are worth watching as they had so much to display within 5 minutes. Anyways, getting back to the story, I got to witness soo much of KK quite early in life, and I am grateful for it.
Memories From School And College:
If you are my age or around my age, I am sure that you must have your KK related memories to share. During my school years, songs from Emraan Hashmi’s movies were quite popular, and most of us still have many of those on our playlists. KK sang a handful of playbacks for him, and I have all of those tracks on my playlist, and I listen to many of these when I am going through a tough time, which is on regular basis. During my college years, the relevance of KK’s songs just became a reality and part of life. Aashayein, my favourite track, kept boosting me with inspiration and hard work. My friend who was going through a break-up kept listening to Tadap Tadap Ke at 3 am. We used to sing songs by KK like we were having our little concert at the college canteen. Such Keh Raha Hai Dewaana was played daily on the radio and instantly became an anthem for people with broken hearts. I have never liked the rains but listening to O Meri Jaan on the radio during the rainy season is one of the best memories I have of the season. During our one week camp, a friend told me about this song titled Dil Aaj Kal, an underrated yet lovely track. There are soo many stories and memories related to KK’s songs. I am sure that this must have a part in your life too. On the night of the farewell party, as we bid goodbye to our friends, we sing Yaaron in unison and shed tears. We had great fun and danced all through the evening to Appadi Podu. In the end, the ritual is that the final song would be Yaaron or Pyaar Ke Pal, which left most of us crying. These songs have so much nostalgia and personal attachment that they will always have a special place in our hearts.
Voice Of A Generation:
KK sir has shaped an entire generation through his songs. Most of us did not know his name, but we knew his songs word to word, probably because, as kids, we did not care about the name but just wanted to have fun while listening to these songs. KK sir was all over the radio, he ruled Mtv, B4U Music, 9Xm, and Channel V. I would listen to his songs on Doordarshan. I used to love watching Doordarshan. He gave us the earliest memories of friendships, and I cannot forget the times we sang Yaaron in unison. This song made us feel like we belonged together as a union of friends, and we would shed tears listening and singing to it. Most of us experienced our first love and probably expressed it through a KK song. The ultimate first love song, Mera Pehla Pehla Pyar or MP3 became the Pehla Nasha for our generation the moment they dropped the track. Although I never had a crush on anybody, this song will forever remain my first love song. He was also there when we first experienced a break-up. He has been like a friend to many of us rather than a singer or an artist. His songs are a place of comfort and sometimes a bit of sadness. As I am writing this blog, my eyes are tearful, my heart feels heavy, and my throat feels like there is something stuck in it. I have goosebumps, cannot believe what happened, and am still processing his passing. I have never been this emotional about the death of a famous person. His passing feels like we lost a friend, acquaintance, someone who has been there with us whenever we needed him. I will forever be grateful to KK sir and his contribution, not just to music but the kind of influence he had on us growing up. He is one of the first people in the world I genuinely loved. These memories with KK and the songs we listened to growing up have impacted us to become the kind of people we have become.
Perfect Mixture Of Lyrics, Music and Vocals:
KK sir achieved a massive height of success in not only the Hindi film industry but also he is one of those singers who sang in multiple languages most of his Telugu and Tamil songs are on my playlists. Appadi Podu is frequently played on my playlist. If you are from Maharashtra you certainly know the massive impact of this song. Many of us didn’t even understand the lyrics but learnt the lyrics because of its frequent presence at weddings, school events, and the Ganpati festival. He ruled the 2000s, he was on the radio constantly, and people just knew his songs since these were played often. The lyrics of his songs have shaped my beliefs about love and romance. He defined romance for our generation. I cannot deny that he is my first and only love guru. If you are someone like me who notices the melody, lyrics, music, etc., the songs you must have heard are Guzaarish, Zindagi Do Pal Ki, and most of his songs on repeats. These songs offered soo much more compared to what we hear today. I am not an expert in music production, but I understand that these songs had a massive production value and supreme musical quality. KK sir got to work with some of the best lyricists such as Ismail Darbar, my favourite being Sayeed Quadri Sahab their duo gave me my all-time favourite song Dil Ibaadat and many more. He also worked with the best composers from the era of the 2000s and 2010s, including Pritam Da, Visual-Shekhar, Shankar-Ehsaan and Loy, Salim-Suleiman, A.R Rahman, Amit Trivedi, Mithoon and many more. Even his jingles are fresh in minds the Nerolac jingle being the most popular. He has also sung the title tracks for Tv shows such as Just Mohabbat and Hip Hip Hurray. Hip Hip Hurray also happens to be my favourite show of all time, if you can please watch it on Zee5 or Youtube. This show was way ahead of its time. Everything KK sang has a special place in our lives and hearts. He somehow feels extremely popular yet underrated at the same time, doesn't it feels like that?
Simplicity Is The Essence Of Life:
KK sir ruled the hearts of youth and has a dedicated fan base. He achieved several awards and honours, yet his lifestyle was simple and grounded. He has achieved a level of success that most of us cannot even dream about it. He led a simple and humble life. He was kind towards his fan and performed like a beast. He was a perfect role model and an inspiration to many. If you have sat through any of his interviews, you know how simple yet hilarious of a person he was. He is an inspiration to introverts, he helped many of us express ourselves through music. He is the embodiment of simplicity as the essence of life
Final Thoughts:
As we bid goodbye to our long term beloved artist KK, I would love to state that his contribution to world music will live on forever. KK will always be in our thoughts and memories through his songs. Thank you, KK for the music and the beautiful memories you have given us. I am at a loss of words now. I will stop writing this blog and watch some of his interviews and go to bed listening to his magical voice.
Thank you all for reading.
Please share your memories and stories related to KK. Let’s bond over our love for KK.
His legacy will live on forever in our hearts.
Hum Rahe Yaa Naa Rahe Yaad Aayenge Yeh Pal.
