K. S. Chithra

"Chithra" redirects here. For other uses, see Chitra.

K. S. Chithra
Chithra in 2022
Born
Krishnan Nair Shantakumari Chithra

(1963-07-27) 27 July 1963 (age 61)
Trivandrum, Kerala, India
Alma materUniversity of Kerala
Occupations
  • Singer
  • music producer
  • Judge
Years active1979–present
Spouse
Vijayashankar
​
(m. 1987)​
HonoursSee list
Musical career
Genres
InstrumentVocals
LabelsAudiotracs
Websitewww.kschithra.com

Krishnan Nair Shantakumari Chithra (born 27 July 1963) is an Indian playback singer and Carnatic musician. In a career spanning over 47 years she has recorded over 25,000 Songs [1][2] in various Indian languages,[3][4] as well as foreign languages such as Malay, Latin, Arabic, Sinhalese, English and French.[5][6]

Chithra, renowned for her extraordinary vocal talent, is widely recognized as the Golden Voice of India, a title bestowed upon her by the prestigious Royal Albert Hall, London in 2001.[7][8][9] The Times Group has honored her as the Melody Queen of Indian Cinema in 2016,[2][10][11][8] reflecting her immense contribution to the industry. She is also celebrated as the Little Nightingale of Indian Cinema,[12] Nightingale of South India,[13][7] and in different regions, she is known by various affectionate titles: Piya Basanti in North India,[13] Vanambadi in Kerala,[14] Chinna Kuyil in Tamil Nadu,[15][16] Kannada Kogile in Karnataka[6] and Sangeeta Saraswathi in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana states.[13] She is also known for her extensive history of collaboration with music composers like A. R. Rahman, Ilaiyaraja, M. M. Keeravani, Hamsalekha,[17] and with the playback singers K. J. Yesudas and S. P. Balasubrahmanyam over the years.

Chithra is a recipient of 6 National Film Awards, 10 Filmfare Awards South[18] and 36 different state film awards from six states of India such as 16 Kerala State Film Awards, 11 Andhra Pradesh State Film Awards, 4 Tamil Nadu State Film Awards, 3 Karnataka State Film Awards, 1 Orissa State Film Awards, 1 West Bengal State Film Awards.[19] She was awarded India's third-highest civilian honours Padma Bhushan in 2021 and Padma Shri in 2005 for her valuable contributions towards the Indian musical fraternity.[20][21]

She is honoured with the title First Ladies by the President of India in 2018 for being the first Indian woman to be honoured by British Parliament at House of Commons, United Kingdom in 2003.[22][23] In 2024, she was again honoured by the British Parliament, United Kingdom, with the title The Greatest Indian Singer of All Times.[7] In 2009, She became the first Indian artist to be honoured by Government of China while performing live at the Qinghai International river festival.[24][2] Barring Lata Mangeshkar, she also remains the second female playback singer from India to have performed at the prestigious Royal Albert Hall in London in 2001 and her Performance was applauded with much appreciation by a roomful of an international audience.[25][24] Her song "Kannalane/Kehna Hi Kya" from the film Bombay (1995) was included in United Kingdom The Guardian's "1000 Songs Everyone Must Hear Before You Die" list.[26]

  1. ^ Pradeep, K. (22 August 2019). "Celebrating 40 years of singer KS Chithra, the queen of melody". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 17 July 2021. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  2. ^ a b c "From KS Chithra To Chinmayi Sripada: Top Five Female Playback Singers In South". Outlook. 9 February 2022. Archived from the original on 9 February 2022. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
  3. ^ "K.S Chithra Odia Songs". Archived from the original on 9 September 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  4. ^ "K.S Chitra Odia Song-Mani Nageswari(1995)". Archived from the original on 9 September 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  5. ^ Article (5 March 2016). "Chithra in concert and workshop". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 15 February 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2018.
  6. ^ a b "kschithra is melody queen of south India recording more than 25000 songs". Retrieved 27 July 2024.
  7. ^ a b c "KS Chithra- The Nightingale Of South India's 47 Years Of Melodious Journey". timeline. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
  8. ^ a b "Happy Birthday, K.S. Chithra: 'Melody Queen' of Indian cinema speaks to Asianet News". Retrieved 27 July 2023.
  9. ^ "Golden Voice Chitra Hits". Archived from the original on 18 June 2023. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
  10. ^ "Melody Queen K.S. Chitra Hits - EP". Archived from the original on 18 June 2023. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
  11. ^ "Melody Queen K.S. Chitra Hits". Spotify. Archived from the original on 18 June 2023. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
  12. ^ ""You are Born to Sing" K S Chithra Satsang from Prasanthi Nilayam". Retrieved 27 April 2024.
  13. ^ a b c "Singer KS Chithra honoured with Padma Bhushan". 26 January 2021. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  14. ^ "Happy birthday to the Vanambadi of Malayalam: KS Chithra@57". The Times of India. 27 July 2020. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  15. ^ "K S Chithra: Velvety voice that lingers". Retrieved 1 November 2023.
  16. ^ "Republic Day: Singer KS Chithra honoured with Padma Bhushan". Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  17. ^ Bhumika K. (29 March 2016). "Music has helped me live". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 15 May 2021. Retrieved 15 May 2021.
  18. ^ "Full list of Winners of the 69th SOBHA Filmfare Awards South (Malayalam) 2024". Filmfare. 4 August 2024. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
  19. ^ Filmfare (16 June 2018). "Winners of the 65th Jio Filmfare Awards (South) 2018". Filmfare.com. Archived from the original on 20 June 2018. Retrieved 14 July 2018.
  20. ^ "Padma Awards 2021 announced". Ministry of Home Affairs. Archived from the original on 25 January 2021. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  21. ^ "Shinzo Abe, Tarun Gogoi, Ram Vilas Paswan among Padma Award winners: Complete list". The Times of India. 25 January 2021. Archived from the original on 28 January 2021. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  22. ^ "India's 'first ladies': Rousing stories of 20 women who were pioneers in their fields". The News Minute. 22 January 2018. Archived from the original on 9 November 2020. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  23. ^ "EXCLUSIVE! KS Chithra: I believe in the magic of music". Time of India. 7 January 2022. Archived from the original on 31 May 2022. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  24. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Passion Vista was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  25. ^ "South Indian singer KS Chithra to perform live in Dubai". Gulf News. 24 October 2021. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
  26. ^ "Part one: Love". The Guardian. 14 March 2009. Retrieved 14 March 2009.