New Delhi: Kailash Kher, born on July 7, 1973, in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, India, is one of the most renowned Indian singers and music composers of the 21st century, known for his contemporary and timeless contributions to the once-fading field of spiritual music in Bollywood. Despite being hailed as a prodigy in Indian spiritual music of the 21st century, Kher’s early life was marred by hardships and a continued struggle for existence.
Growing up in a traditional Indian family, Kher’s aptitude for singing shined through at a very young age. Unlike children of his time, he found himself drawn towards classical and spiritual music and dreamed of pursuing his love for music.
When his family refused to support his musical aspirations, Kher left home at the age of 14 and traveled to various cities of the country, like Delhi and Chandigarh, in search of a mentor, eventually making his way to the heart of India’s music industry, Mumbai, in 2001.
During his time away from home, Kher faced the harsh realities of life and often struggled to make ends meet. Despite the shortcomings, Kher persevered and learned various classical styles of Indian music from masters like Pandit Gokulotsav Ji Maharaj, Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, Lata Mangeshkar, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, and Pandit Kumar Gandharv, oftentimes solely by hearing.
In addition to his voice, Kher’s genres, like Ghazal, Sufi, Qawwali, folk, and other types of spiritual songs, set him apart from the other emerging talents of the time who solely focused on pop and disco, owing to the popularization of disco culture. While India had a rich and diverse history of classical and spiritual music dating back to the Middle Ages, the times had changed, and so had people’s tastes in music.
At a time when everyone thought the age of spiritual music in mainstream media had passed, Kher received his first break after musician Ram Sampath employed him to sing a jingle for Nakshatra Diamonds. While the jingle did not bring him immediate recognition, it fetched him ₹5000, which he desperately needed at the time just to survive.
Soon after, Kher’s career took off as he landed more TV and radio commercials, oftentimes for big brands like Coca-Cola, IPL, Pepsi, Citibank, Honda Motor Cycles, and several others. His unique, raw, and soulful singing voice highlighted him to Bollywood directors, who were scouting for fresh talent at the time.
His first Bollywood success came from the song “Rabba Ishq Na Hove” from the movie Andaaz (2003), which became instantly popular among Indian audiences. But it was the song “Allah Ke Bande” from the obscure movie Waisa Bhi Hota Hai Part II (2003) that established him as an emerging classical singing sensation in Bollywood. His later hits like “O Sikander” from Corporate (2006), “Ya Rabba” from Salaam-e-Ishq: A Tribute to Love (2007), and “Arziyan” from Delhi-6 (2009) topped Bollywood’s blockbuster charts multiple times and earned him the titles of “Sufi Maestro” and “The Voice of India.”
Kher’s prowess for singing in wide vocal ranges and with spiritual lyrics sets him apart in the classical category as the youngest singer in Bollywood’s classical genre, compared to older artists like Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Lata Mangeshkar. By the end of 2014, he had sung in over 20 Indian languages, including Tamil, Telegu, Malayalam, Kannada, Oriya, Bengali, Bhojpuri, Sindhi, Gujarati, Marathi, Punjabi, Konkani, Rajasthani, etc.
As of 2024, Kailash Kher has recorded over 500 songs for the Hindi film industry and over 1000 radio and television advertising jingles. He has also recorded the anthem for “Swachh Bharat Abhiyan” (2014), the national campaign for cleaning up India.
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During his nearly two decades, Kher has received two Filmfare Awards for Best Male Playback Singer: the Hindi film Fanaa (2016) and the Telegu film Mirchi (2013). He also received the Padma Shri (India’s fourth-highest civilian award) in 2017 for his contributions to the Indian classical music industry.
To this date, Kailash Kher remains one of India’s most renowned classical playback singers and one of the most significant contributors to re-popularizing spiritual music in Bollywood. His traditional and soulful renditions of classical songs remain evergreen to date and continue to mesmerize audiences without fail.
