KK's birth anniversary: Reflecting on his immortal partnership with Pritam
What's the story
KK may have passed on, but his songs have immortalized him in a surreal way that is reserved for singular artists alone, and while he may not be around, he lives on as the beating heart of his iconic tracks. Several contributing factors birthed his cult following, a top one being his inimitable partnership with composer Pritam. Today, we revisit their exalted collaborations.
Romantic ballads
They weaved magic when they worked on romantic melodies
KK was Pritam's go-to voice whenever he wanted someone to effortlessly deliver the sentiments of fervent romantic emotions, and who better than someone whose voice was tailor-made for love ballads? The Sufi-love-like feel of Dil Ibadat, the distance-makes-the-hearts-grow-fonder theme of Jannatein Kahan, the passion and unfettered sensuality of Labon Ko, the celebration of love in Haan Tu Hain—Pritam-KK concocted magic like no other.
Party numbers
Need to groove? Play a Pritam-KK track
Thinking KK's nectar-like voice was suitable only for songs where couples professed love to each other would be demeaning his body of work and sheer versatility. KK had fun while singing the instantly catchy Make Some Noise, channelled his voice's oomph factor with Touch Me, built a mysterious, intriguing vibe with Afreen, and summoned people to the dance floor with Dekho Nashe Mein.
Heartbreak and angst
They also brought pain alive in their songs
Apart from intoxicating listeners with their collaborations in the romance and party genre, we also had the stupendous opportunity to hear KK at his angsty best in songs such as Alvida and O Meri Jaan from Life In A...Metro, Zara Sa (Power Ballad) from Tum Mile, Mat Azma Re from Murder 3, and Aur Tanha from Love Aaj Kal (2020), among many others.
Emraan-Pritam-KK
KK will always be remembered for being Emraan Hashmi's voice
Pritam and KK's partnership reached a heavenly high on occasions when Emraan Hashmi joined them, and KK lent his voice to him in multiple songs, mostly romantic. Some songs on which this holy trinity of music collaborated are I Am in Love, Zara Sa, Dil Ibadat, Tujhe Sochta Hoon, Mere Bina (Unplugged), Tu Hi Meri Shab Hai, Jannatein Kahan, and Haan Tu Hai.
KK's life and career
KK's life and career at a glance
Before foraying into Bollywood, KK had reportedly sung for about 3,500 advertisement jingles! He subsequently went on to work with esteemed music directors such as Vishal-Sheykhar, Ismail Darbar, Anu Malik, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, Himesh Reshammiya, Sajid-Wajid, Vishal Bhardwaj, among others. Per Wikipedia, he crooned over 70 songs in over 50 albums that were put together by Pritam, and today, their work evidently transcends time and space.