K S Chithra is a name synonymous to the world of Indianplayback music. Born into a musically gifted family, the art was always in her blood and in her destiny. She was officially ushered into the film music world by M G Radhakrishnan in 1979 in Malayalam cinema. Her vocal strength soon carried her into all realms of all South Indian languages, and later Hindi cinema as well, delivering super hits with all her renditions. ‘Chinna Kuyil Paadum’ from Poove Poochudava and ‘Paadariyen Padipariyen’ from Sindhu Bhairavi, which are timeless classics in Tamil cinema, owe their melody to her soothing voice. Similarly, her songs ‘Manjal Prasadavum’ from Nakhakshathangal in Malayalam, ‘Araluva Hoovugale’ from My Autograph in Kannada, and ‘Ninnu Kori’ from Gharshana in Telugu are also some of her other enduring successes.

The National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer and the Kerala State Film Award for Best Singer were among the first of many other prestigious accolades to recognise her exceptional talent. She was also recognised by all 4 state governments and has a tally of 7 national awards as the Best Female Playback Singer, and the coveted Padma Shri. Today, Chitra has lent her voice to over 25,000 songs across various genres, and has earned fond titles such as ‘Nightingale of South India’, ‘Chinna Kuyil’ in Tamil Nadu, ‘Vanambadi’ in Kerala and many more.JFW Awards 2019, in recognition of her honourable commitment to the school of Indian music, is delighted to present to her the Excellence in Music Award.

“My husband has been my pillar of support forever. I would be paranoid and scared to visit a studio alone and hence, he decided to accompany me to studios until today. I’am and will always be thankful to him for believing in me, supporting me and aiding me in my ladder to success.” K S Chithra