Shankar Mahadevan

Introduction

Shankar Mahadevan is a vocalist and songwriter from India. He is an accomplished musician in Tamil cinema and a member of the Shankar Ehsaan Loy trio, which produces music for Bollywood films.

"Urvashi Take It Easy" from Humse Hai Muqabla (1995), "I Love You" from Auzaar (1997), and "Kay Sera Sera" from Pukar (2000) are a few of his well-known songs. In addition, he founded the Shankar Mahadevan Academy, which offers students all over the world online instruction in Indian music.

Early Days

Shankar Mahadevan was raised in Mumbai after being born into a Tamil family in Chennai, India. When he was five years old, he began playing the Veena and studied Carnatic and Indian classical music. In the first song written by Shrinivas Khale featuring Bhimsen Joshi and Lata Mangeshkar, he performed with Veena. He currently sings in Kannada, Telugu, Marathi, Tamil, Malayalam, Hindi, and Carnatic.

He began studying Carnatic music as a young child. Srinivas Khale, a Marathi composer, was his first teacher in music. He studied at Our Lady of Perpetual Succour High School (OLPS) in Chembur during his early years. He later completed his HSC SIES Sion and graduated in 1988 with a degree in engineering from Ramarao Adik Institute of Technology. After that, he was employed by Oracle as a software engineer.

Shankar Mahadevan is from a musically inclined Tamil family at first. He has a sister named Deepika Shringarpure, in addition to his mother, Seetha Narayan. Sangeeta Mahadevan, a trained classical performer and choreographer, is Shankar's wife.

Their two sons are Siddharth and Shivam. A skilled vocalist, Siddharth Mahadevan has appeared in several Bollywood films. He has also frequently performed alongside his father on stage. The singer-composer Shivam Mahadevan wrote the music for several Bollywood films.

Career

Despite being a software engineer by trade and having experience with Oracle Corporation, Shankar entered the music industry because of his passion for it. After working with A. R. Rahman and winning a National Film Award for his song in Kandukondain Kandukondain, he received his first accolade as a playback vocalist in Chennai cinema music.

A well-known figure in the music industry, he later became much more well-known after "Breathless," his debut record, was released. Additionally, Shankar Mahadevan has contributed vocals to multiple Shakti compositions, which include master musicians Zakir Hussain, John McLaughlin, U. Srinivas, and Selvaganesh Vinayakram.

Rise to Fame

In 1998, Shankar became well-known after the release of the musical album "Breathless." The nearly three-minute-long title track Breathless, without a single verse, stanza, or pause, was designed to sound as though he sang it in one breath. Renu Desai was the model featured in the album, while the well-known Javed Akhtar wrote the lyrics. Subsequently, he took a stab at music direction and joined the Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy trio, which composes songs for Bollywood movies.

Shankar became a well-known musician in Tamil cinema after winning his first National Film Award in 2000 for playback singing of the song "Kandukondain Kandukondain." Since then, he has worked with several well-known composers, including G. V. Prakash Kumar, Vijay Antony, Devi Sri Prasad, Harris Jayaraj, Deva, Ilaiyaraaja, AR Rahman, Devi Sri Prasad, and S. Thaman. He has performed Telugu, Malayala, Kannada, and Marathi songs with composers like Shridhar Phadke and Ajay-Atul, in addition to Hindi songs with Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy.

Shankar performed the song "Thaniye" from the music video "Rhythm" on his own and had a cameo in 2000. He has primarily sung for Rajnikanth and Kamal Hasan, two popular Tamil actors. Mammatha Rasa, a chart-topping single from Thiruda Thirudi (2003), is among his popular songs. His well-known Telugu songs have appeared in films such as 'Attarintiki Daredi' (2013), 'Gabbar Singh' (2012), and 'Dookudu' (2011).

Shankar established the Shankar Mahadevan Academy in March 2011 to provide online vocal lessons and tutorials in Carnatic and Hindustani classical music. The Academy received a nomination for the 2014 Honesty Oscars in the Best Activist Anthem category.

Bands

Shankar plays in the jazz fusion group Silk, which also includes Karl Peters on bass, Sridhar Parthasarathy on the mridangam, Louis Banks on keyboards, and Shivamani on drums. Alongside Zakir Hussain, John McLaughlin, Chandan Sharma, U Srinivas, and V Selvaganesh, he sang at the Remembering Shakti event.

Shankar has given performances at several events, including "PULSE," the second-largest intercollegiate festival in India, which took place at AIIMS in 2008 and 2010. He has given performances at two different intercollegiate festivals: Raagam 09 at the National Institute of Technology in Calicut and Kuruksastra 10 at the Sastra University in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, in February 2010.

On April 30, 2012, Shankar Mahadevan also performed at UNESCO's International Jazz Festival at the UN General Assembly. He played in a five-hour Lok Biradari Prakalp charity concert in Nagpur in 2013 alongside Ehsaan and Loy. They also took the stage at Riviera 2013's second day of the Pro Show.

Television

In 2009 and 2012, he served as a mentor for Zed TV's musical reality show 'Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge' and as music director for Doordarshan's School "Chale Hum." In addition, he served as judge and captain of the Star Plus musical program "Music ka Maha Muqqabala." In 2010, he continued to serve as his team's mentor. 2010 saw his team, Shankar's Rockstars, win the competition on Star Plus.

Legacy and Awards

Shankar received his recognition in the singing journey after composing his best for the Bollywood blockbusters. The composer's long wait was finally over when his musical drama "Kal Ho Naa Ho" won him his second and most important, "National Award" for Best Music Director. With his second and third National Awards as the Best Vocalist for the songs "Maa" from the hit movie, 'Taare Zameen Par' and 'Bolo Na' from the movie 'Chittagong,' Mahadevan's career as a vocalist was once again highlighted by these two consecutive wins.

In addition to sharing his knowledge of Bollywood, Shankar is renowned for his love of jazz, a type of Western music. The lead singer, Mahadevan, was also a member of the well-known fusion jazz ensemble "Silk" with a few other well-known jazz musicians and singers long before the trio Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy was formed.

After receiving multiple awards from the Indian government, Shankar is also recognized by the cinema industry at various award events, including Filmfare, and receives further recognition from other regional film festivals.

Shankar Mahadevan has continued to work in several other industries, including Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, Kannada, Malayalam, and others. Music was in the Mahadevan family's blood, and his son Siddharth made his professional debut with the solo track "Zinda" from the recently released hit "Bhaag Milkha Bhaag."

Some Unknown Facts

Shankar Mahadevan's favorite foods are Spicy Green Thai Curry, Chicken with Jasmine Rice, Chocolate Desserts, and South Indian Food.
Shankar Mahadevan's favorite vocalists are Balamurli, Lata Mangeshkar, Kishore Kumar, Asha Bhonsle, and Md. Rafi.
Shankar enjoys traveling; it is one of his passions.
Shankar's all-time favorite vacation spots are Dubai, Mauritius, San Francisco, Miami, California, and Orlando.
Shankar has won the National Award four times: three times for Best Male Playback Singer and once for Best Music Director.
Shankar also tried his hand at acting and made his cinematic debut in the Marathi film Katyar Kaljat Ghusali (2015).

Conclusion

With a remarkable 2.5-decade career in the Indian music industry, Shankar Mahadevan is a contemporary Indian singer. Some of the most recognizable songs in the Hindi cinema have been sung and created by him. Mahadevan can be thought of as a versatile singer who represents the future while honoring the past.