Kavita Krishnamurti

In thisIndian name,the nameKrishnamurthyis apatronymic,and the person should be referred to by thegiven name,Kavita.

Kavita Krishnamurthy
Kavita Krishnamurthy in 2014
Background information
Birth name	Sharada Krishnamurthy
Also known as	Kavita Subramaniam
Born	New Delhi,India
Genres	Filmi Fusion Classical Islamic Ghazals Pop
Occupation	Playback singer
Years active	1971–present

Sharada Krishnamurthy,popularly known asKavita KrishnamurthyorKavita Subramaniam,is an Indianplaybackand classical singer. She has recorded numerous songs in various Indian languages includingHindi,Bengali,Kannada,Rajasthani,Bhojpuri,Telugu,Odia,Marathi,English,Urdu,Tamil,Malayalam,Gujarati,Nepali,Assamese,Konkani,Punjabiand other languages.She is the recipient of fourFilmfare Best Female Playback Singer Awards(winning consecutively during 1995–1997), and thePadmashriwhich she received in 2005.She was awarded aDoctorate(Honoris Causa)for her contributions to Indian music byBangalore-basedJain Universityin 2015.In 1999, she married noted violinistL. Subramaniamand resides inBengaluru.

Early life

She was born as Sharadainto aTamilIyerfamily inNew Delhito T. S. Krishnamurthy, an employee of theEducation Ministry.She began her musical training at the insistence of her aunt Protima Bhattacharya who enrolled her to train under guru Surama Basu, who taught herRabindra Sangeet.She began her formal training inHindustani classical musicunder the guidance of Balram Puri, a classical singer. At the age of eight, Kavita won a gold medal at a music competition. She won several medals participating in the Inter-Ministry Classical Competition in New Delhi in the mid-1960s.

Career

Kavita Krishnamurthy at the Bengali poetry eventPanchkanyaat Nehru Centre in Mumbai, 2008.

During her college days atSt. Xavier College, Mumbai,she got an opportunity to record a song in the Bengali filmShriman Prithvirajin 1971 withLata Mangeshkaras co-singer under the auspices of the music composer and singerHemant Kumar.Although the young Sharada aspired to work in Indian Foreign Services, she moved to Bombay when she was 14 to try her luck as a playback singer in the Hindi film industry.

She is an alumnus ofSt. Xavier's College,Bombay from where she did her BA Honors Economics. She was very active in St. Xavier's music group. During the annual college festival (Malhar), she met Ranu Mukherjee, the daughter ofHemant Kumar.Ranu took the initiative of reintroducing Kavita to her father,who began using her as a singer during his live performances. At one such performance, playback singerManna Deyspotted her and employed her to sing advertisementjingles.Through her aunt's contacts, she met Jaya Chakravarthy, the mother of actressHema Malini,who later introduced Kavita to the music director Laxmikant (one of the composer duoLaxmikant–Pyarelal) in late 1976. A recent interview covers a pretty good summary of her musical journey.

Playback singing

She recorded her first song underVilayat Khan's composition inKadambari(1976). The song was entitledAayega Aanewala(a remake of Mahal's (1949) superhit song sung byLata Mangeshkar) and was picturised onShabana Azmi.Laxmikant gave her an opportunity to work as a dubbing artist. Initially, she recorded songs and cut demos of songs intended for singers likeLata MangeshkarandAsha Bhosle.

However she got her first own song, recorded in 1977 inKannada,"Ondanondu kaaladaga" in the filmOndanondu Kaladalli(Once upon a time) directed byGirish Karnad.The song was penned by the Jnanpit awardeeChandrashekhara Kambaraand the music byBhaskar Chandavarkar.Being the only song in the entire movie, "Ondanondu kaladaga" with its folk touch, became a hit and earned fame for Kavita Krishnamurti. Then she went on to sing many Kannada-language songs.

In 1980, she sang "Kaahe Ko Byaahi" inMaang Bharo Sajana (1980),which featured her singing in her own voice, although the song was dropped from the final cut of the film. In 1985, her career took off with her first major hit, "Tumse Milkar Na Jaane Kyon" from the Hindi filmPyaar Jhukta Nahin (1985) - Tumse milkar.Na Jaane kyun.Following the success of the song, it opened up opportunities beyond theLaxmikant–Pyarelalcamp. However, "Hawa Hawaii" and "Karte Hain Hum Pyaar Mr. India Se", two popular songs from the equally popular movieMr. India(1986) - Karte Hain Hum Pyaar Mr. India se, proved to be a turning point in her career. The songs were composed by music composersLaxmikant-Pyarelal,the latter being a duet withKishore Kumarand lip-synced on screen by an actressSridevi.Her collaboration withLaxmikant-Pyarelalproduced several hits. Hawa Hawaii, which launched her into stardom was dubbed to be recorded by Asha Bhosle, however later producer decided to keep her version despite her mistake in the song.

The 1990s thrust Kavita into being known as one of the leading female playback singers. Her performance as a singer in the film1942: A Love Story,composed by R. D. Burman, won her much popular acclaim. With a string of hits from1942: A Love Story,Yaraana,Agni Sakshi, Bhairavi,andKhamoshi,Kavita established herself as a leading female playback singer, alongsideAlka Yagnik.She went on to work with several music directors of the 1990s Hindi films, such asBappi Lahiri,Anand–Milind,A. R. Rahman,Rajesh Roshan,Raamlaxman,Ismail Darbar,Himesh Reshammiya,Aadesh Shrivastava,Nadeem-Shravan,Jatin–Lalit,Viju ShahandAnu Malik.Her work withA. R. RahmanandIsmail Darbarremain some of the most critically acclaimed renditions of the last two decades. During her stint as a playback singer, she sang duets with the leading male singers of her time. Early in her career, she sang duets withKishore Kumar,Mohammed Rafi,andShailendra Singh.Her most prolific work was with the leading singers of the 1990s:Amit Kumar,Mohammad Aziz,Udit Narayan,Kumar Sanu,andAbhijeet Bhattacharya.She has also sung with younger singers in the 2000s such asSonu Nigam,Shaan,andBabul Supriyo.Her female duets mostly have been withAlka Yagnik,Anuradha PaudwalandSadhana Sargamwith a few duets also withLata MangeshkarandAsha Bhonsle. During the 90s and early 2000s, Kavita alongsideAlka Yagniksang mostly for leading ladies.

As she actively started exploring fusion music, Kavita traveled around the world, including the US, UK, UAE, Europe, Africa, Australia, East Asia, the Middle East, and South America. She has performed in concert halls includingRoyal Albert Hallin London,The Kennedy Centerin Washington, D.C.,Madison Square Garden,The Lincoln Centerin New York City, theZhongshan Music Hallin Beijing,The Esplanadein Singapore, The Putra Jaya World Trade Centre inKuala Lumpur,andGewandhaus Leipzigm.

Although primarily a playback singer, Kavita has sung with orchestras as a soloist; she has collaborated with Western artists fromjazz,pop and classical fields. She has lent her voice for many albums. As a playback singer, Kavita has performed throughout India. In 2014, she also sang "Koi Chahat Koi Hasrat" for the albumWomen's Day Special: Spreading Melodies Everywhere.It was composed by Nayab Raja and penned by Dipti Mishra.

In Kannada

Kavita's playback singing career started withKannada-language films. Her first film song was in the Kannada filmOndanondu kaladalli(1978) with the same title. She sang many hit songs in Kannada since then.Songs such as "Bareyada mounada Kavithe" (Sparsha), "Hoove Hoove" (H2O), "Endo Kanda kanasu" (Lankesh Patrike), "O Malle o dumbi" ('Naga Devate'), "Artha madkolo" (Shishya), "Kaveri Kaveri" (Raja Huli), and many more hit songs made her a household name inKarnataka.

Pop and devotional singing

Due to her participation in fusion and pop music, Kavita has lent her voice to several pop and devotional albums. The most prominent ones being:

• Bhalobasi
• Shiv Baba ko Yaad Kar
• Dujone Dekha Holo
• Together Tagore
• Premer Neshay
• Mohe Raam Dhun Laagi
• Bhajan Stuti
• Aadi Ganesh
• Venkatesha Suprabhatam
• Shiva Shlokas
• Koi Akela Kahan
• Meera Ka Ram
• Mahalakshmi Stotram
• Pop Time
• Sai Ka Vardaan
• Shagufthagi
• Dil Ki Awaaz
• Hasratein
• Athens
• Asmita
• Mahiya
• "Hum Dono"

Television appearances

Kavita Subramaniam made many appearances in various musicreality showsas a guest judge because of her popularity as a playback singer. She recently was a judge forBharat Ki Shaan: Singing Star(Season 1), which aired onDD Nationalat prime time. She also appeared inVijay TVAirtel Super SingerandStar JalshaSuper Singer. She has also sung for serials likeAlif Laila {1980} DD National, Mahabharat,Ramayan (1986),Shri Krishna,andRamayan (2008), Kavita Krishnamurthy At Know In 2017 Special Juries and Judge UAE Singers of Student, The Give as Prices 5,000 Dinar In Winner. She also appeared inRising Star Season 2,which was broadcast onColors TVon 4 March 2018 as a guest.

Personal life

Kavita Krishnamurti marriedL. SubramaniaminBengaluru,Karnatakaon 11 November 1999.

Subramaniam has four children from his previous marriage. His eldest daughterGingger Shankaris a singer, composer, and multi-instrumentalist, while his second eldest,Bindu Subramaniamis a law graduate and singer-songwriter.Narayana is a doctor, while the youngest,Ambi Subramaniam,is an accomplished violinist.

Kavita and her husband opened a musical institute, theSubramaniam Academy of Performing Arts,in Bengaluru in 2007. In March 2013, she launched her own app.

Discography

Main article:List of songs recorded by Kavita Krishnamurthy

Main article:List of songs recorded by Kavita Krishnamurthy in South Indian languages

Awards and nominations

• 2015 - Honorary Doctorate fromJain University,Bangalore
• 2000 - Accolades for her include the “Best Singer of the Millennium” award at the Stardust Millennium 2000 Awards

Civilian Awards

• 2005 –Padma Shri– India's fourth-highest civilian honors

Filmfare Awards

• 2003 –Best Female Playback Singer(shared withShreya Ghoshal) – "Dola Re Dola"(Devdas)
• 1997 – Best Female Playback Singer – "Aaj Main Upar" (Khamoshi: The Musical)
• 1996 – Best Female Playback Singer – "Mera Piya Ghar Aaya" (Yaraana)
• 1995 – Best Female Playback Singer – "Pyaar Hua Chupke Se" (1942: A Love Story)

State Awards

• 2000 -Maharashtra State Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer- for the songs in the movieSawai Hawaldar.

Star Screen Awards

• 1997 –Best Female Playback Singer– "Aaj Main Upar" (Khamoshi: The Musical)
• 2000 – Best Female Playback Singer – "Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam" (Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam)

Zee Cine Awards

• 2003 –Best Female Playback Singer(shared withShreya Ghoshal) – "Dola Re" (Devdas)
• 2000 – Best Female Playback Singer – "Nimbooda"(Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam)

IIFA Awards

• 2001 - Best Female Playback Singer - "Aey Dil laya Hai Bahar" (Kya Kehna)
• 2003 –Best Female Playback Singer(shared withShreya Ghoshal) – "Dola Re Dola"(Devdas)

ITA Awards

• 2008 - Best Female Playback Singer (Durga Puja).

GIMA Awards

• 2010 - Best Female Playback Singer (Best Fusion Album).

MMA Awards

• 2021 - Jury Prize (Album Of The Decade / Rockstar 2011).

Other Awards

• Prafulla Kar Samman (2018) Odia Film Industry.
• Muhammad Rafi Award (2021).
• ‘Phonomenal That's Me’award for her contribution to theKannada film industry(2014)
• Swaralaya Yesudas Award(2008) by Swaralaya, for exceptional contribution to Indian music.
• Kishore Kumar Journalists'/Critics' Award in Calcutta (2002)
• Lion's / Club Bollywood Award, held in New York (2000) At The Same year (2002)
• Shri Ravindra Jain Sangeet Samman (2012)
• Lata Mangeshkar Award from the Govt. of Madhya Pradesh (2005)

See also

• L. Subramaniam
• Girish Karnad
• Padmavati Rao
• Prabhat Samgiita
• List of Indian playback singers

External links

• Kavita KrishnamurtiatIMDb
• L. Subramaniam and Kavita S.
• Artist: Kavita Krishnamurthy on Google Music
• Kavita Krishnamurthy's Tribute To Jagjit Singh