Remembering KK: Google Doodle pays tribute to singer's Bollywood debut anniversary

The Google Doodle commemorates singer KK, marking the anniversary of his Bollywood debut with the Maachis song 'Chhod Aaye Hum'. The singer died on May 31, 2022.

In Short

• Google honoured singer KK with an animated doodle
• KK debuted in Bollywood with 'Chhod Aaye Hum' in 1996
• He sang in multiple languages including Hindi and Tamil

On Friday, October 25, Google celebrated the late Indian singer KK (Krishnakumar Kunnath) with an animated doodle to commemorate the anniversary of his Bollywood debut. On this day in 1996, he sang his first Bollywood song, 'Chhod Aaye Hum,' for Gulzar's political thriller Maachis.

The animated doodle showcases KK standing and singing with a mic in his hand.

In a note explaining the relevance of the doodle, Google said on their website, "This Doodle celebrates Krishnakumar Kunnath, also known as KK, a successful Indian playback singer most known for his versatility. He is widely remembered for recording songs in several languages including Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Bengali, Assamese, and Gujarati."

"On this day in 1996, KK debuted as a playback singer on the song 'Chhod Aaye Hum' as a feature in the movie Maachis," the note further read.

KK, born on August 23, 1968, in Delhi, started his musical journey by performing commercial jingles. He sang almost 3,500 jingles in 11 languages. The singer gained prominence in Hindi cinema with the 1999 film Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam with the song "Tadap Tadap." In the same year, he launched his first album, Pal, which gained him popularity among the masses.

Throughout his three-decade-long career, KK sang over 500 songs in Hindi and more than 200 in Telugu, Bengali, Kannada, and Malayalam. Some of his popular songs include “Khuda Jaane,” “Beetein Lamhe,” "Ankhon Mein Teri," and "Tu Hi Meri Shab Hai," among others.

The singer died of a suspected heart attack at 53 in May 2022.