‘Delhi has changed a lot in the past 20 yrs’

Every time singer KK aka Krishnakumar Kunnath comes to Delhi, his home, to perform, he goes “deep into nostalgia”.

“I just get very emotional. I go deep into nostalgia. It’s always great to come back to the city you grew up in,” KK, an alumnus of Delhi University’s Kirori Mal College, says. The singer, who was recently in the Capital for a show, says every visit to the city takes him back to his days here. “I start missing and remembering my school or college days. So, I sing songs from that time. Even at my shows, most of the time I end up singing songs that I sang at the start of my career. That is where it all started — the dream of becoming a singer, and then actually pursuing that dream,” he shares. “So, every time I come back, I have that déjà vu. I feel satisfied when I come back. I feel that I got what I always wanted,” adds KK, who started out in the 90s with songs such as Chhod Aaye Hum Woh Galiyan (Maachis; 1996), Tadap Tadap Ke (Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam; 1999), the evergreen friendship anthem Yaaron (Rockford; 1999), and went to cement his reputation as a versatile artiste with songs from diverse genres such as O Humdum (Saathiya; 2002), Dus Bahane (Dus; 2005), and O Meri Jaan (Life in a Metro; 2007).

The singer, who moved to Mumbai before making it big in the entertainment industry, says his busy schedule doesn’t give him enough chances to visit Delhi. So every time he does, he feels that the city looks different. “I stay a bit busy, and with schedules and all it’s not possible for me to visit often. I did that for seven-eight years, when I was on a sort of a break. But even then, when I visited, there will be at least one part of the city, or one new area that has changed. And every time I see that new part, I feel how much has the city changed. I left Delhi in 1994, and in these 20-25 years, the city has just changed drastically,” he says. What are his favourite spots? “Pineapple pastry in Connaught Place and parathas at Moolchand Flyover — these are a must for me every time I come here,” he laughs.

KK was born and raised in Delhi, and attended Delhi University’s Kirori Mal College