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 Trivandrum, Kerala, India
Alma mater	University of Kerala
Occupation	Singer music producer Judge
Years active	1979–present
Spouse(s)	Vijayashankar ( m. 1987)
Children	1
Honours	See list
Musical career
Genres	Indian classical music Playback singing Filmi
Instruments	Vocals
Labels	Audiotracs
Website	www.kschithra.com

Krishnan Nair Shantakumari Chithra (born 27 July 1963) is an Indian playback singer and Carnatic musician.<ref>"KS Chithra turns 60: Transcending language barriers through music". The Federal. 27 July 2023. Retrieved 16 January 2026.</ref> In a career spanning around five decades, she has recorded over 25,000 songs<ref name="outlookindia.com">"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.</ref><ref name="gulfnews.com">"South Indian singer KS Chithra to perform live in Dubai". Gulf News. 24 October 2021. Retrieved 24 October 2021.</ref> in various Indian languages such as Tamil, Kannada, Hindi, Telugu, Malayalam, Odia, Bengali, Punjabi, Rajasthani, Awadhi, Marathi, Tulu, Badaga, Braj, Banjara, Urdu, Assamese, Gujarati, Manipuri and Sanskrit,<ref name="auto3">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.</ref><ref name="outlookindia.com">"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.</ref><ref>"K.S Chithra Odia Songs". Archived from the original on 9 September 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2021.</ref><ref>"K.S Chitra Odia Song-Mani Nageswari(1995)". Archived from the original on 9 September 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2021.</ref> as well as foreign languages such as Malay, Latin, Arabic, Sinhalese, English and French.<ref name="The Hindu">Article (5 March 2016). "Chithra in concert and workshop". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 15 February 2020. Retrieved 14 July 2018.</ref><ref name="ipanewspack.com">"kschithra is melody queen of south India recording more than 25000 songs". 21 April 2021. Retrieved 27 July 2024.</ref>

Chithra, renowned for her vocal talent, is widely recognised as the Golden Voice of India, a title bestowed upon her by the Royal Albert Hall, London in 2001.<ref name="timeline">"KS Chithra- The Nightingale Of South India's 47 Years Of Melodious Journey". timeline. Retrieved 27 July 2024.</ref><ref name="asianetnewsable">"Happy Birthday, K.S. Chithra: 'Melody Queen' of Indian cinema speaks to Asianet News". Retrieved 27 July 2023.</ref><ref name="Golden Voice Chitra Hits">"Golden Voice Chitra Hits". Archived from the original on 18 June 2023. Retrieved 18 June 2023.</ref> The Times Group has honoured her as the Melody Queen of Indian Cinema in 2016,<ref name="outlookindia.com"/><ref name="Melody Queen K.S. Chitra Hits - EP">"Melody Queen K.S. Chitra Hits - EP". Archived from the original on 18 June 2023. Retrieved 18 June 2023.</ref><ref name="Melody Queen K.S. Chitra Hits">"Melody Queen K.S. Chitra Hits". Spotify. Archived from the original on 18 June 2023. Retrieved 18 June 2023.</ref><ref name="asianetnewsable"/> reflecting her immense contribution to the industry. She is also celebrated as the Little Nightingale of Indian Cinema,<ref>""You are Born to Sing" K S Chithra Satsang from Prasanthi Nilayam". Retrieved 27 April 2024.</ref> Nightingale of South India,<ref name="India Today">"Singer KS Chithra honoured with Padma Bhushan". 26 January 2021. Retrieved 26 January 2021.</ref><ref name="timeline"/> and in different regions, she is known by various affectionate titles: Piya Basanti in North India,<ref name="India Today"/> Vanambadi in Kerala,<ref>"Happy birthday to the Vanambadi of Malayalam: KS Chithra@57". The Times of India. 27 July 2020. Retrieved 27 July 2020.</ref> Chinna Kuyil in Tamil Nadu,<ref>"K S Chithra: Velvety voice that lingers". November 2023. Retrieved 1 November 2023.</ref><ref name="Hindustan Times">"Republic Day: Singer KS Chithra honoured with Padma Bhushan". 26 January 2021. Retrieved 26 January 2021.</ref> Kannada Kogile in Karnataka<ref name="ipanewspack.com"/> and Sangeeta Saraswathi in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana states.<ref name="India Today"/> She is also known for her history of collaboration with music composers like A. R. Rahman, Ilaiyaraja, M. M. Keeravani, Hamsalekha,<ref>Bhumika K. (29 March 2016). "Music has helped me live". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 15 May 2021. Retrieved 15 May 2021.</ref> 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<ref name="Filmfare_Aug2024">"Full list of Winners of the 69th SOBHA Filmfare Awards South (Malayalam) 2024". Filmfare. 4 August 2024. Retrieved 4 August 2024.</ref> and 43 State Government awards from 8 states of India including 18 from Kerala, 12 from Andhra Pradesh, 5 from Tamil Nadu, 4 from Karnataka, and 1 each from Odisha, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh<ref name="auto1">"K S Chithra and Uttam Singh to receive Lata Mangeshkar Award". India Today. 20 August 2024. Retrieved 20 August 2024.</ref> and Maharashtra<ref>"K. S. Chitra and Sadhana Sargam to be Awarded 'Kala Gaurav Puraskar'". The Bridge Chronicle. 10 November 2024. Retrieved 12 December 2024.</ref> governments.<ref name="auto">"Sunita, Chitra, Shankar receive Lata Mangeshkar award". News.manatelugumovies.net. 29 September 2011. Archived from the original on 25 April 2012. Retrieved 22 December 2011.</ref><ref name="auto2">"K S Chithra wins Vanitharatnam award". Times of India. 21 June 2014.</ref><ref name="Filmfare">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.</ref> 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.<ref name="padmaawards">"Padma Awards 2021 announced". Ministry of Home Affairs. Archived from the original on 25 January 2021. Retrieved 26 January 2021.</ref><ref name="The Times of India">"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.</ref>

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.<ref>"The President of India to felicitate exceptional women achievers at Rashtrapati Bhawan tomorrow". Retrieved 19 January 2018.</ref><ref name="thenewsminute.com">"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.</ref><ref name="etimes.in">"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.</ref> In 2009, she became the first Indian artist to be honoured by Government of China while performing live at the Qinghai International river festival.<ref name="Passion Vista" /><ref name="outlookindia.com"/> On 20 March 2025, She was formally honoured by the Parliament of South Australia in recognition of her outstanding contributions to Indian music.<ref>"Hansard Search – Parliament of South Australia". Parliament of South Australia. Retrieved 4 November 2025.</ref> She was honoured by the Texas House of Representatives, Government of Texas, United States of America, for her lasting contributions to music and the arts.<ref>"K. S. Chitra Musical Night: Dallas Frisco Fans Thrilled at Timeless Telugu Music Event". Andhra Jyothy. Andhra Jyothy (NRI Edition). 2025. Retrieved 9 November 2025.</ref> In 2025, she was honoured in the United States with a Joint Legislative Resolution from the State of New Jersey and a Mayoral Proclamation from the Township of Edison for her outstanding contributions to music and philanthropy.<ref>"New Jersey honours K. S. Chithra with state and municipal proclamations". OkTelugu. Retrieved 4 November 2025.</ref> On 19 October 2025, the K. S. Chithra Day was proclaimed by the Shelby County Government in Memphis, Tennessee via a mayoral proclamation from the Office of the Mayor.<ref>"Mayor's Office – Shelby County, Tennessee". Shelby County Government. Retrieved 4 November 2025.</ref> She was honoured by the Government of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, with a Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of her distinguished contributions to Indian music and her five-decade-long career.<ref>"K S Chithra to belt out fan favourites at Expo Centre Sharjah". Khaleej Times. Retrieved 4 November 2025.</ref> 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.<ref name="gulfnews.com">"South Indian singer KS Chithra to perform live in Dubai". Gulf News. 24 October 2021. Retrieved 24 October 2021.</ref><ref name="Passion Vista"/> 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.<ref name="Part one: Love">"Part one: Love". The Guardian. 14 March 2009. Retrieved 14 March 2009.</ref>

Early life

Chithra was born 27 July 1963<ref>Kameshwari, A (27 July 2020). "KS Chithra turns 57: Mohanlal, Priyadarshan, Aju Varghese and others wish ace singer". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 27 May 2022. Retrieved 27 May 2022.</ref> in the city of Trivandrum (now Thiruvananthapuram) of the Kerala state. Her father, Krishnan Nair was a school teacher and a music enthusiast who taught basics of music to all his three children.<ref>Soman, Deepa (23 January 2001). "Nightingale of the south". The Times of India. Retrieved 18 July 2020.</ref> He died after a long battle with cancer on 18 July 1986. Her mother Shanthakumari was also a music teacher. She has an elder sister, K. S. Beena who is a former singer and younger brother K. S. Mahesh who is a musician.<ref>"'Chithralayam', Malayalees pride K S Chithra turns 60". Keralakaumudi Daily. 23 July 2023. Retrieved 29 November 2023.</ref> Chithra completed her schooling at the Cotton Hill Government Girls High School in Thiruvananthapuram. She acknowledges that it was the teachers of the school who spotted her talent in music.<ref>"K S Chithra gets a unique birthday surprise". The Indian Express. 27 July 2018. Retrieved 29 November 2023.</ref>

Chithra received her training in Carnatic music from K. Omanakutty for seven years. She graduated in B.A. in music with first class and third rank from the University of Kerala.<ref name="herself" /> She was selected for the National Talent Search Scholarship from the Government of India during the period 1978 - 1984.<ref name="night">Nair, Sulekha (23 January 2001). "Nightingale of the south". Express India. Archived from the original on 11 October 2012. Retrieved 11 December 2010.</ref>

Playback singing

Malayalam cinema

Chithra performing at a concert in 2015

K. S. Chithra was introduced to Malayalam playback by M. G. Radhakrishnan in 1979 who recorded her voice for films and private albums.<ref name="herself">S.R. Ashok Kumar (21 July 2005). "One more feather in her cap". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 22 July 2005.</ref> Attahasam, Snehapoorvam<ref>Harikumar, Snehapoorvam Meera, Adoor Bhasi, Bharat Gopy, Janardanan, retrieved 18 February 2025</ref> Meera and Njan Ekananu were the first few films in which she recorded her voice. She also performed live concerts with K. J. Yesudas in India and abroad.<ref name="herself" /> The song "Manjal Prasadavum" from the film Nakhakshathangal (1986) composed by Bombay Ravi got her the second National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer. For the same composer, she sang the song "Indupushpam Choodi Nilkum" for the film Vaishali (1989) and won her third National Film Award. Her first Kerala State Film Award for Best Singer was for the song "Poomaname" from the film Nirakkoottu (1985) composed by Shyam. Since then, she has earned wide recognition by singing popular songs under the compositions of Raveendran, Shyam, S. P. Venkitesh, Mohan Sithara, Salil Chowdhury, Kannur Rajan, Ilaiyaraaja, Johnson, Ouseppachan, M. K. Arjunan, A. T. Ummer, Berny Ignatius, M. B. Sreenivasan, Mohan Sithara, Vidyasagar, Ramesh Narayan, Sharreth, M. Jayachandran and Deepak Dev.<ref name="herself" /> She is regarded as "Nightingale of Kerala (Vanambadi)" and recorded many successful songs in Malayalam. She recorded a number of songs for the composer S. P. Venkitesh and her maximum duet songs in Malayalam are with K. J. Yesudas and M. G. Sreekumar. As of 2017, she has won the Kerala State Awards for the record 16 times. Her latest song "Theerame" from the movie Malik (2021) became another awesome hit in Malayalam Music Industry.<ref>"Of love and longing: 15 Malayalam songs that you must listen to now". The News Minute. 31 May 2019. Archived from the original on 22 September 2022. Retrieved 22 September 2022.</ref><ref>"K S Chithra celebrates 40 years of her musical journey". The Times of India. 29 April 2019. Archived from the original on 22 September 2022. Retrieved 22 September 2022.</ref><ref>"Celebrities wish KS Chithra on her big day". Mathrubhumi. 27 July 2018. Archived from the original on 24 June 2019. Retrieved 22 September 2022.</ref><ref>"Why singer Chithra feels a void?". OnManorama. Archived from the original on 22 September 2022. Retrieved 22 September 2022.</ref>

Telugu cinema

Chithra performing with S. P. Balasubrahmanyam

Chithra's first Telugu song was "Paadalenu Pallavaina" from the dubbed version of Tamil film Sindhu Bhairavi (1985) composed by Ilaiyaraaja, later sang a humming in a song sung by K. J. Yesudas composed by K. V. Mahadevan for the picture Pralayam (1985). Her first song in a Telugu film is "Gelupu Maade" from Vijrumbhana (1986), composed by K. Chakravarthy. Later went on to sing songs to many Telugu composers like Sathyam, Raj-Koti, Ilaiyaraja, K. V. Mahadevan & K. Chakravarthy for the years 1986–88, but she gained initial recognition/break-through for compositions by Ilaiyaraja like "Jallanta Kavvinta" from Geethanjali (1989) & "Ninnukori Varnam" from Gharshana( 1988) and then went onto sing several songs to many composers in Telugu. It was from then onwards that she became a notable singer in Telugu and went on to record every other song in each album being the solo card female singer for almost all the films in the 90s. It was the moment where she established herself as a well recognised singer and strengthening her position in Telugu films by almost taking the place of S. Janaki from 1990.<ref>Prakash, P. V. D. S. "సరిగమ స్వరాల కోయిల...చిత్ర". Sitara (in తెలుగు). Archived from the original on 27 January 2021. Retrieved 27 September 2020.</ref> Chithra received her first Nandi Award, presented by Government of Andhra Pradesh for "Kalika Chilakala Koliki" from Seetharamayya Gari Manavaralu (1991). She won a total of 11 Nandi Awards as Best Female Playback Singer for various Telugu songs.<ref>"నంది అవార్డు విజేతల పరంపర (1964 - 2008)" [A series of Nandi Award Winners (1964 - 2008)] (PDF). Information & Public Relations of Andhra Pradesh. Archived (PDF) from the original on 23 February 2015. Retrieved 27 September 2020.(in Telugu)</ref> As the years passed by Chithra was recognised as a legendary singer in Telugu whose era or legacy was considered to be the golden era standing next to P. Susheela and S. Janaki. As of today Chithra is considered as one of the finest singers of the Telugu film industry whose charisma is remarkable. She sang maximum songs in Telugu to M. M. Keeravani and also worked with almost every notable composer from then to till date.

Hindi cinema

Main article: List of Hindi songs recorded by K. S. Chithra

Chithra was introduced to Hindi film music in 1985; she recorded her first Hindi song composed by S. P. Venkitesh, which was not commercially released. For the 1991 Hindi film Love, composers Anand–Milind, called upon her to sing duets song along with S. P. Balasubrahmanyam and since then, Chithra has recorded for around 200 Bollywood songs.<ref>"KS Chithra's best Hindi numbers". Cinestaan.com. Archived from the original on 30 May 2019. Retrieved 24 November 2020.</ref>

Apart from film songs, Chithra recorded for many private albums of which Piya Basanti and Sunset Point became hugely popular and went on to win several laurels including the MTV Music Video Awards. The popularity of the former album made her known among the Northern part of Indians identify her as "Piya Basanti" Chitra.<ref>"Revisiting Piya Basanti". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 3 May 2019. Retrieved 24 November 2020.</ref>

Other Indian languages

Main article: List of songs recorded by K. S. Chithra

Television

Year	Name of Television Show	Role	Network	Language	Country
2006-2007	Star Singer (season 1)	Judge	Asianet	Malayalam	India
2007	Super Singer Junior (season 1)	Judge	Star Vijay	Tamil
2008	Apple Mega Star	Judge	Jeevan TV	Malayalam
2009-2010	Super Singer Junior (season 2)	Judge	Star Vijay	Tamil
2009-2010	Star Singer (season 4)	Judge	Asianet	Malayalam
2010-2011	Star Singer (season 5)	Judge	Asianet	Malayalam
2011-2012	Star Singer (season 6)	Judge	Asianet	Malayalam
2011-2012	Super Singer Junior (season 3)	Judge	Star Vijay	Tamil
2012	Ningalkkum Aakaam Kodeeshwaran (season 1)	Contestant	Asianet	Malayalam
2013	Indian Voice Junior	Judge	Mazhavil Manorama	Malayalam
2014	Super Singer Junior (season 4)	Judge	Star Vijay	Tamil
2014-2015	Star Maa Super Singer 8 <ref>"Maa TV Super Singer Season 8 starting from 18th August". MN4U Bureau. 18 August 2014. Retrieved 18 August 2014.</ref>	Judge	Star Maa	Telugu
2015	Indian Music League	Judge	Flowers TV	Malayalam
2016-2017	Super Singer Junior (season 5)	Judge	Star Vijay	Tamil
2016	Super Star junior 5	Judge	Amrita TV	Malayalam
2018-2019	Super Singer Junior (season 6)	Judge	Star Vijay	Tamil
2018	Padutha theeyaga	Guest Judge	ETV	Telugu
2019-2020	Paadam Namuk Paadam	Judge	Mazhavil Manorama	Malayalam
2020	Super Singer Junior (season 7)	Judge	Star Vijay	Tamil
2020	Yaar Antha Star (season 7)	Judge	Vasantham	Tamil	Singapore
2020-2022	Star Singer (season 8)	Judge	Asianet	Malayalam	India
2021-2022	Super Singer Junior (season 8)	Judge	Star Vijay	Tamil
2022	Star Maa Super Singer junior (Season 2)	Judge	Star Maa	Telugu
2022-2023	Star Singer Junior (season 3)	Guest Jury	Asianet	Malayalam
2023	Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Li'l Champs (Season 19) <ref>"Renowned singer K S Chithra to grace Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Li'l Champs". Time of India. 28 January 2023. Retrieved 28 January 2023.</ref>	Guest Judge	Zee Kannada	Kannada
2023	Super Singer Junior (season 9)	Judge	Star Vijay	Tamil
2023-2024	Star Singer (season 9)<ref>"Exclusive! K S Chithra on Star Singer: I've never seen such incredible talents in a single show before". The Times Of India.</ref>	Judge	Asianet	Malayalam
2023 – present	Yaar Antha Star (season 8)	Judge	Vasantham	Tamil	Singapore
2024	Super Singer 10	Guest	Star Vijay	Tamil	India
2024-present	Super Singer Junior season 10	Judge
2025-present	Star Singer (season 10)<ref>"പൂക്കുടയുമായി സൈക്കിളിൽ ഭാവനയുടെ എൻട്രി; നിറചിരിയോടെ സ്വാഗതം ചെയ്ത് മഞ്ജു വാര്യർ". Indian Express (in മലയാളം). 18 March 2025. Retrieved 19 March 2025.</ref>	Judge	Asianet	Malayalam

Performances

Work and association with music directors

Chithra has sung over 25,000 songs.<ref name="auto3" />

Concerts

Chithra performing at a concert

Apart from playback singing, she also appeared among the panel of judges in the singing reality television shows at Kerala (Idea Star Singer and Josco Indian Voice),<ref>[1] Archived 23 April 2014 at the Wayback Machine</ref> at Tamil Nadu (Airtel Super Singer Junior),<ref>"Airtel Super Singer Junior 2". Archived from the original on 31 January 2010. Retrieved 3 February 2010.</ref> where she also won the award for Best Female Judge and at Andhra Pradesh (MAA TV) Super Singer. Apart from this judgement panel she has appeared in music-shows like Swarabhishekam, Super Masti, Jhumandi Nadam. She is a regular singer in Ilayaraja's, A.R. Rahman's and S.P. Balasubrahmanyam's concerts. She has performed all over the world in SPB's concerts along with S. P. Sailaja, S. P. Charan. She has been a regular singer participating in all the concerts of SPB50-The World Tour, she has performed almost all around the world with S. P. B. Charan, S. P. Sailaja, Sunitha Upadrashta Karthik & Shweta Mohan.

She had performed at the Royal Albert Hall<ref name="kschitra.info">"K S Chithra". Facebook. Archived from the original on 12 July 2013.</ref> and House of Commons in London. On 6 June 2009, she performed in Qinghai International Musical Journey on Water and Life concert with a rendition of "Tunga Tarange Gange" alongside other singers from nations located around various major rivers such as the Ganges, Volga, Rhine, Danube, Mississippi, and Amazon.<ref>"2009青海国际水与生命音乐之旅--世界防治荒漠化和干旱日主题音乐会_艺术中国". art.china.cn. Archived from the original on 27 May 2022. Retrieved 27 May 2022.</ref><ref>"青海国际水与生命音乐之旅 2008, 2009合集 2 DVD_孔夫子旧书网". book.kongfz.com. Archived from the original on 27 May 2022. Retrieved 27 May 2022.</ref><ref>"印度歌唱家K.S.奇西拉夫人演唱《奔流到恒河》_现场图片_艺术中国". art.china.cn. Archived from the original on 27 May 2022. Retrieved 27 May 2022.</ref><ref>"青海国际水与生命音乐之旅——2009世界防治荒漠化与干旱日主题音乐会举行_新闻中心_新浪网". news.sina.com.cn. Archived from the original on 27 May 2022. Retrieved 27 May 2022.</ref>

In 2024, K. S. Chithra headlined the Chithra Varnam<ref>"Chithra Varnam 2024". ICC of Utah. Retrieved 18 October 2024.</ref> concert on 11 May at the Chabot Performing Arts Center, Hayward, California. Organised by Kalalaya sponsored by Nambiar Builders, the event featured her signature melodies across multiple Indian languages, with support from musicians such as Sharreth and K. K. Nishad. The concert celebrated Mother's Day, adding a sentimental note to the evening.<ref>"Brace Yourself for Chithra Varnam 2024: A Mesmerizing Musical Journey in the Bay Area – Sulekha Blogs". Sulekha. Retrieved 18 October 2024.</ref>

Studio albums

Chithra recorded her first studio album with Voodoo Rapper for the album called Ragga Raaga in 1993.<ref>Katiyar, Arun (15 October 1993). "Indian rap: It's silly and it's trite, but we all dig it, right?". India Today. Retrieved 4 January 2026.</ref> She recorded the albums in Hindi, Piya Basanti (2000) and Sunset Point. She associated with Ustad Sultan Khan for Piya Basanti which was certified Gold.<ref name="Musically Yours">Subha J Rao (28 October 2004). "Musically yours". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 23 February 2005.</ref> Sunset Point had eight songs written and narrated by Gulzar and sung by Chithra and Bhupinder.<ref>"Gulzar's Sunset Point". Gulzaronline.com. Archived from the original on 14 June 2013. Retrieved 28 June 2013.</ref> In 2006, she released an album in dedication to M. S. Subbulakshmi named My Tribute. It is a collection of Kritis and bhajans dedicated to Subbulakshmi.<ref name="My Tribute">K. Jeshi (8 December 2006). "Song all the way". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 10 December 2006.</ref> In 2009 she released Nightingale: A Salute to Lataji, a musical tribute to Lata Mangeshkar on her 80th birthday.<ref>"CHORDS AND NOTES". The Hindu. 2 July 2009. Archived from the original on 4 February 2014.</ref> She also recorded many Malayalam albums for K. J. Yesudas, M. Jayachandran and Sharreth compositions. She also planned a ghazal album with Ghulam Ali and Asha Bhosle.<ref name="My Tribute" />

International projects

• Recorded with the Arab singer Jawad Ali for his album Amar Ul Hob<ref name="kschitra.info" />
• Recorded a song for the jazz pianist Herbie Hancock<ref>John Kelman (21 June 2010). "Herbie Hancock: The Imagine Project". All About Jazz. Archived from the original on 27 May 2022. Retrieved 27 May 2022.</ref>

Public profile

Philanthropy

Chithra, along with a Kerala-based satellite channel, Asianet Cable Vision (ACV), jointly launched a fundraising organisation, Sneha Nandana, to raise funds for the welfare of retired musicians who have lost their careers due to changes in the music industry. She launched this organisation on the occasion of her completion of three decades in the music playback industry. She said that the fund would provide help to the musicians with financial impediments and those suffering from health problems. A cultural event called Chithra Pournami was held on 15 February 2011 at Thiruvananthapuram to celebrate the 30th year of her career and also to launch this organisation.<ref>"Chitra launches fund for unemployed musicians". 24dunia.com. Archived from the original on 2 September 2011. Retrieved 22 December 2011.</ref>

Awards, honours, and recognition

See also: List of awards and nominations received by K. S. Chithra

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.<ref name="thenewsminute.com"/><ref name="etimes.in"/> In 2024, she was again honoured by the British Parliament, United Kingdom, with the title The Greatest Indian Singer of All Times.<ref name="timeline"/> In 2009, She became the first Indian artist to be honoured by Government of China while performing live at the Qinghai International river festival.<ref name="Passion Vista" /><ref name="outlookindia.com"/> On 20 March 2025, She was formally honoured by the Parliament of South Australia in recognition of her outstanding contributions to Indian music.<ref>"Hansard Search – Parliament of South Australia". Parliament of South Australia. Retrieved 4 November 2025.</ref> She was honoured by the Texas House of Representatives, Government of Texas, United States of America, for her lasting contributions to music and the arts.<ref>"K. S. Chitra Musical Night: Dallas Frisco Fans Thrilled at Timeless Telugu Music Event". Andhra Jyothy. Andhra Jyothy (NRI Edition). 2025. Retrieved 9 November 2025.</ref> In 2025, she was honoured in the United States with a Joint Legislative Resolution from the State of New Jersey and a Mayoral Proclamation from the Township of Edison for her outstanding contributions to music and philanthropy.<ref>"New Jersey honours K. S. Chithra with state and municipal proclamations". OkTelugu. Retrieved 4 November 2025.</ref> On 19 October 2025, the K. S. Chithra Day was proclaimed by the Shelby County Government in Memphis, Tennessee via a mayoral proclamation from the Office of the Mayor.<ref>"Mayor's Office – Shelby County, Tennessee". Shelby County Government. Retrieved 4 November 2025.</ref> She was honoured by the Government of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, with a Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of her distinguished contributions to Indian music and her five-decade-long career.<ref>"K S Chithra to belt out fan favourites at Expo Centre Sharjah". Khaleej Times. Retrieved 4 November 2025.</ref> Chithra is a recipient of 6 National Film Awards, 10 Filmfare Awards South<ref name="Filmfare_Aug2024"/> and 43 State Government awards from 8 states of India including 18 from Kerala, 12 from United Andhra Pradesh, 5 from Tamil Nadu, 4 from Karnataka, and 1 each from Odisha, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra governments <ref name="auto"/><ref name="auto2"/><ref name="auto1"/><ref name="Filmfare"/> 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.<ref name="padmaawards"/><ref name="The Times of India"/>

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.<ref name="gulfnews.com"/><ref name="Passion Vista">"The Delightful Synonym of Symphony". Passion Vista. 25 January 2022. Archived from the original on 20 May 2022. Retrieved 25 January 2022.</ref> 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.<ref name="Part one: Love"/>

Personal life

Chithra is married to Vijayashankar, an engineer and businessman.<ref>K. Pradeep (23 August 2019). "Celebrating 40 years of singer KS Chithra, the queen of melody". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 1 June 2022. Retrieved 27 May 2022.</ref> They had a daughter who was born with Down syndrome, and drowned in a pool in Dubai in 2011 when Chithra was about to perform at an A. R. Rahman concert.<ref>"KS Chithra's daughter reportedly drowned and died in Emirates Hills pool" Archived 6 September 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Emirates247.com. 14 April 2011. Retrieved 14 April 2011.</ref><ref>"Singer Chithra's daughter drowns in dubai". Khaleej Times. 14 April 2011. Archived from the original on 17 April 2011. Retrieved 14 April 2011.</ref>

External links

• K. S. Chithra on IMDb