‘He was famous for his voice, not marketing skills’

Pal and Yaaron composer, whom KK considered his mentor, traces the singer’s early years in the industry as they created evergreen tracks

It all began with a call from Hariharan. He had called me to say that there was a [good] singer from Delhi, and asked if he could send him to me. I told him to do so. This young boy had a great persona and voice, and was in awe of me. He’d often say that he dreamt about the fact that I would make his debut album. I would tell him [it was impossible] as I was busy doing jingles at the time, and albums then were not [given importance]. Soon, I started to call him [to record] the jingles I was working on. That’s how people heard of KK.

One day, I collated his jingles and took them to Sony, [suggesting] that they consider signing him on. They liked his voice, and asked me to compose his album. Initially, I refused, but they said that if I wouldn’t [compose] it, they were not sure of getting him on board. So, I decided to go ahead, and that’s how Pal (1999) was made.

I loved the way he sang. I knew his voice, and hence, was able to compose something that would make him sound great. It was my job to compose a piece that he could sing effortlessly, and make him shine. He would come home, and I’d tell him how to render the song so as to evoke the right emotions. He owned the song, and how!

KK was a complete package — a young guy with a lovely smile, long hair, and great voice. More than anything, he had passion. He stuck around for so long, even though his album wasn’t getting made. 

I remember, once a smaller label offered him the chance to cut an album, and he sought my advice. When I told him to hold on, he took my word for it. He had that kind of faith in me. If he had signed a smaller label, we would definitely not have had Pal and Yaaron dosti. When the album [was released], he reminded me, ‘It was my dream to have you compose my first album.’ I saw him dream that dream, and fulfill it. 

He would often promise me that he’d feed me dosa, because that’s something he prided himself on. He never kept that promise. 

Maybe one day, I’ll meet him and we’ll have that dosa. I was his mentor, so when he’d come over, we used to talk about life. He was easy to get on with. He was famous for his voice, not his marketing skills. He was called [for recordings] because he sounded good. I’d expose him to things he didn’t know about. He eventually became busy, but our equation never changed. He had become popular in the commercial world, but he always respected me, and considered me his mentor. I find it ironic that he made his debut with Pal. That was the song that brought him to you, and also the song that took him away from you, because it’s the last one he sang at that show.

KK’s Playlist

. Pyaar ke pal (Pal - 1999, debut album)
. Aap ki dua (Pal - 1999)
. Yaaron (Pal- 1999) 
. Tadap, tadap (Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam - 1999)
. Awaarapan banjarapan (Jism - 2003)
. Sach keh raha hai deewana (Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein - 2001) 
. O humdum suniyo re (Saathiya - 2002)
. Tu aashiqui hai (Jhankaar Beats - 2003) 
. It’s the time to disco (Kal Ho Na Ho - 2003)
. Ding dong (Kucch To Hai - 2003)
. Aashayein (Iqbal - 2005) 
. Kya mujhe pyaar hai (Woh Lamhe - 2006)
. Tu hi meri shab hai (Gangster - 2006)
. Aankhon mein teri (Om Shanti Om - 2007) 
. Labon ko (Bhool Bhulaiyaa - 2007)
. Alvida (Life In A… Metro - 2007)
. Mera pehla pehla pyaar (MP3: Mera Pehla Pehla Pyaar - 2007)
. Khuda jaane (Bachna Ae Haseeno - 2008)
. Zara sa (Jannat - 2008)
. Zindagi do pal ki (Kites - 2010)
. Dil kyun yeh mera (Kites - 2010)
. Piya aaye na (Aashiqui 2 - 2013)
. Tu jo mila (Bajrangi Bhaijaan - 2015)
. Tu bhoola jise (Airlift - 2016)

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