Kumar Sanu ruled the Hindi film music scene in the 1990s. Having started out in 1984 with R D Burman’s Yeh Desh (1984) and with Aashiqui and Jab koi baat bigad jaaye (Jurm) in 1990, he roared to the top, singing for all the top names as well as veterans like Dev Anand, Dharmendra and Amitabh Bachchan. What’s more, he was also the first voice to Hrithik Roshan and Shahid Kapoor in the 2000s.
Sanu later dabbled as composer, actor and film producer and sang in a whopping 26 languages, including Spanish. Now, Sanu debuts in yet another language — English.
9 to 5 was released on July 12 on his newly-started music label, The Kumar Sanu Official. His co-singer is his elder daughter, Shannon K. The song is written and composed by his younger daughter Annabelle, a law student.
Shannon, 26, is well-established today as an American-Indian actor and singer, born to Sanu and his wife Saloni, raised in London, and now based out of Los Angeles. She studied music at UK’s A B Royal School of Music. Her well-received debut single, A long time, was produced by Poo Bear. Shannon also collaborated with Academy Award-nominated composer Kyle Townsend on the anti-bullying track, Give me your hand, which won the Hollywood Music in Media Award for Best Original Song.
Shannon says, “Having grown up outside India, I relate more with western music. But I adore dad’s versatility, for he can adapt to every kind of song. I have learned so much from him. It is a different thrill to record an English-Hindi song, written and composed by my sister, for the first time with him.”
For the record, Shannon has sung with her father earlier and has also collaborated with Himesh Reshammiya, Neeraj Shridhar, Shaan and Sonu Nigam. Shannon says that she learnt a lot from all of them and is “amazed” by Himesh’s compositions.
So how is Sanu as a father? “Dad’s so energetic. Annabelle and I love spending time with him,” she raves. Among his songs, her special favourites are Yeh kaali kaali ankhen (Baazigar) and Jab koi baat bigad jaaye (Jurm).
Sanu, on his part, is extremely proud of his daughter, who has made it on her own without using his name. “I have only offered financial support to Shannon’s musical endeavours,” he beams happily. “Yes, I do offer tips, for she has not really studied Indian classical music, and have made sure that she learnt diction and the basics of Indian classical raags and notes. But on 9 to 5, it is Shannon and Annabelle who have been my gurus.”
Shannon is also an actor, beginning with The Big Feed and is now working in the series Mystical Inheritance of Adina Hassan, and a short, Rolling, on mental health. Ask where she sees herself in the future and she replies, “I can’t choose where I will go. One has to keep working hard. I want to make dad proud.”
And dad himself is still going strong. Busy with his YouTube channel, he has also sung in the web series, Guns & Gulaabs, and recorded a song composed by Arijit Singh.
Four decades after his debut, Kumar Sanu has clearly pressed the F5 key.