K. J. Yesudas

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K. J. Yesudas
Singer
  • composer
  • music producer
  • Years active1961–present
    Spouse
    Prabha
    (m. 1970)
    Children3, including
    Full list
    HonoursPadma Shri (1975)

    Padma Bhushan (2002)

    Padma Vibhushan (2017)
    Musical career
    Genres
    Instrument(s)Vocals
    Labels
    Websitedrkjyesudas.com[dead link]
    Signature

    Kattassery Joseph Yesudas (/jeːʃud̪aːs/; born 10 January 1940) is an Indian playback singer and musician who sings Indian classical, devotional and film songs.[1] He is widely considered one of the greatest singers in the history of Indian music[2][3] and a cultural icon of Kerala.[4][5] Yesudas is estimated to have recorded more than 50,000 songs[6] in various Indian languages, including Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, Tulu, Hindi, Odia,[7] Bengali, Marathi as well as Arabic, English, Latin, and Russian, in a career spanning six decades.[8][9] He is often referred to as Gaanagandharvan (transl. The Celestial Singer).[10] Yesudas holds the record for singing 11 songs in different languages in a single day.[11] He has also composed a number of Malayalam film songs during the 1970s and 1980s.

    Yesudas won the

    South Indian languages on the same day at AVM Studio, Chennai.[15]

    Early life

    K. J. Yesudas was born in

    Latin Catholic Christian family to Augustine Joseph and Elizabeth Joseph. His father was a well-known Malayalam classical musician and stage actor.[10] Yesudas was the second of seven children, preceded by an elder sister named Pushpa, and followed by four younger brothers - Antony (Antappan), Babu, Mani, Justin and a younger sister, Jayamma.[16]
    Among these siblings, Pushpa and Babu died of fever at a young age, and Justin, the youngest brother, died under mysterious circumstances in February 2020, aged 62.

    Augustine Joseph's dearest friend, Musician Kunjan Velu Bhagavathar was the first guru of him. Kunjan Velu was the disciple of Nadaswara Chakravarthi

    K. J. Yesudas married Prabha Yesudas on 1 February 1970 who hailed from a strict Malankara Orthodox Christian family in Mallapally.[18]

    In 2021, Yesudas completed 60 years as a playback singer.[19]

    Career

    Debut and early career: 1960s

    Yesudas with poet and lyricist O. N. V. Kurup

    Yesudas recorded his first popular song Jaathi Bhedam Matha Dwesham (music: M. B. Sreenivasan) on 14 November 1961. The singer considers those four lines he got to sing to start his career in films as a huge blessing as it was written by none other than Sree Narayana Guru, the most respected saint-poet-social reformer of Kerala. The film was Kalpadukal (1962), based on social reform during the life and times of Sree Narayana Guru. He associated with popular singers of those times like P. Leela, Santha P. Nair, K. P. Udayabhanu, S. Janaki etc. and lyricists like P. Bhaskaran and Nambiyath. He sang the lines of poet Kumaran Asan for this film. After the initial years he became the most sought after by established music directors of that time, M. B. Sreenivasan, G. Devarajan, V. Dakshinamoorthy, Br Lakshmanan, M. S. Baburaj and many others. Thus began his career in playback singing which included the Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada movies thereafter.[3]

    He got the first major break with the hit Malayalam film named

    USSR and also sang a Russian song over Radio Kazakhstan.[20] The trio of Salil, Yesudas and Prem Nazir
    entered the Malayalam Cinema Industry of the 1970s.

    In 1970 he was nominated to head the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Academy and was the youngest person ever to occupy the post.[20]

    Bollywood: 1970s

    After a decade of singing in South Indian movies, Yesudas got a break in

    Bollywood in the early 1970s. The first Hindi song he sang was for the movie Jai Jawan Jai Kissan (1971), but the first released movie was Chhoti Si Baat, which resulted in his becoming popular for singings songs like "Jaaneman Jaaneman". He has sung Hindi songs for many leading actors in Hindi cinema including Amitabh Bachchan, Amol Palekar and Jeetendra. He has sung many evergreen Hindi film songs for music directors including Ravindra Jain, Bappi Lahiri, Khayyam, Raj Kamal and Salil Chowdhury
    .

    Yesudas' most popular Hindi songs are in the 1976 movie Chitchor, with music given by Ravindra Jain.

    On 14 November 1999, Yesudas was presented with an honorary award by UNESCO for "Outstanding Achievements in Music and Peace" at the "Music for Peace" event in Paris, a concert held to mark the dawn of the new millennium and whose attendees included artistes such as Lionel Richie, Ray Charles, Montserrat Caballé, and Zubin Mehta.[21]

    In 2001 he sang for album Ahimsa in Sanskrit, Latin and English and in a mix of styles including new-age and Carnatic.[22] In his music concerts in the Middle East he sings Arabic songs in the Carnatic style.[23] He frequently serves as a cultural ambassador for India through his performances abroad, promoting Indian music.

    In 2009 Yesudas began a cross-country musical campaign against terrorism in Thiruvananthapuram, with the motto 'Music For Peace'.[24] Kavita Karkare, wife of Hemant Karkare, handed over the torch to Yesudas to mark the launch of the 'Shanthi Sangeetha Yatra'.[25] Yesudas has performed for 36 times in the 36-year-old Soorya Music festival organised by Soorya Krishnamoorthy.[26]

    Personal life

    Yesudas is married to Prabha since 1 February 1970. They have three sons, Vinod (b. 1977), Vijay (b. 1979) and Vishal (b. 1981). Their second son Vijay Yesudas is a musician who won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer in 2007, 2012 and 2018.[27]

    Ram Nath Kovind presenting the Rajat Kamal Award to Yesudas

    Balamurali Krishna are the ones he admires the most.[28]
    Yesudas has been visiting Kollur Mookambika temple, Kollur, Karnataka on his birthday to sing keerthans of Saraswati devi, the Goddess of knowledge, music and the arts. The music festival started on his 60th birthday in 2000. The nine-day music festival begins every January at Kollur Mookambika Temple. On Sunday, 10 January 2010, he celebrated his 70th birthday (Sapthathi) at Kollur Sri Mookambika Temple with 'Sangeetharchana' (classical devotional songs), along with 70 singers before goddess Mookambika. The Sangeetharchana included "Pancharatna Gayana" of Thyagaraja's poems. He also took part in the Vidyarambha function.
    Sabarimala officially uses Yesudas' voice for Harivarasanam every day.[2]

    Music company

    In 1980 Yesudas established the

    Malayalam film songs in stereo. The record company also had a voice mixing studio in Studio27, Chennai. The studio continues to produce and present events of Yesudas, both for film and Indian classical music concerts throughout the world.[33]

    Awards and honours

    The President, Shri Pranab Mukherjee presenting the Padma Vibhushan Award to Dr. K.J. Yesudas, at the Civil Investiture Ceremony, at Rashtrapati Bhavan, in New Delhi on 13 April 2017

    Yesudas has recorded over 50,000 songs and has won scores of accolades including the coveted Padma Shri (1975),[34] Padma Bhushan (2002),[35] Padma Vibhushan (2017)[36] and eight National Awards for Best Playback Singer.

    Admiration

    In his acceptance speech of winning the Swaralaya Kairali Yesudas Award (2006),

    AR Rahman
    said "I'm greatly honoured by Swaralaya's gesture, and getting this award from my most favourite singer Mr Yesudas. He is one of my most favourite voices' ever in the world." On another occasion during an interview he said of Yesudas, "his voice is unmatched, his voice is god given and I've been hearing his songs since I was 3 years old"

    Ravindra Jain, in an interview wherein the blind music director confessed that if ever he happened to regain vision, the first person he would like to see would be Yesudas.

    In 2003, billionaire and businessman B. R. Shetty gifted him his 1992 model Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit after listening his concert held at The Indian High School, Dubai. Shetty said: "I was not only touched by his concert but by the man himself who talked about God's kindness to mankind".[45]

    Bappi Lahiri said in an interview with Filmfare in 2012: "'Yesudas' voice is touched by God. After Kishore Da(Kishore Kumar), he was another singer who brought out the best in me. He is a yogi, a mystic who lives for music. He takes your tunes to another level. And his note is perfect, you can rely on him to deliver it right the first time. Working with him made me touch base with my melodious side. He is vastly under-utilised in Hindi films. I wish Hindi film composers of today realise his genius and offer him assignments."[46]

    Controversies

    On 2 October 2014, Yesudas sparked a row while speaking at a public function on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti, where he stated that "Women should not wear dress that trouble others. You should dress modestly and do not behave like men". This resulted in a number of protests from Women's Rights and Political organizations, who asked him to withdraw the comment.[47]

    Filmography

    As actor

    Year Film Stars Director Role Language
    1965 Kavyamela Prem Nazir M. Krishnan Nair as himself Malayalam
    1966 Kayamkulam Kochunni
    Sathyan
    P. Bhaskaran as Khader
    1966 Anarkali[48]
    Sathyan
    Kunchacko as Tansen
    1973
    Achaani
    Prem Nazir P. Bhaskaran as singer
    1976 Adhirshtam Azhaikkirathu Thengai Srinivasan A. Jagannathan Tamil
    1977 Nirakudam
    Kamalhassan
    A. Bhimsingh
    1977 Harshabashpam M. G. Soman P. Gopikumar
    1980 Saranam Ayyappa Jayabharathi Dasarathan[49] Tamil
    1981
    Pathira Sooryan
    Prem Nazir P. Krishna Pillai as saint Malayalam
    2002 Nandanam Prithviraj, Navya Nair Ranjith as himself
    2005
    Boyy Friend
    Manikuttan Vinayan
    2012 Theruvu Nakshatrangal Tini Tom Jose Maveily

    As music composer

    • Azhakulla Saleena (1973)
    • Theekkanal (1976)
    • Sanchari (1981)
    • Abhinayam (1981)
    • Poocha Sanyasi (1981)
    • Ellaam Ayyappan (1988)

    Discography

    See also

    [50]

    References

    1. .
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    External links