Sithara Krishnakumar (born 1 July 1986) is an Indian

playback singer A playback singer, also known as a ghost singer, is a singer whose singing is pre-recorded for use in films. Playback singers record songs for soundtracks, and actors or actresses lip-sync the songs for cameras; the actual singer does not app ...

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

lyricist
classical dancer and an occasional

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

. She predominantly works in

Malayalam cinema Malayalam cinema is an Indian film industry of Malayalam-language motion pictures. It is based in Kochi, Kerala, India. The films produced in Malayalam cinema are known for their cinematography and story-driven plots. In 1982, ''Elippathayam' ...

in addition to Tamil, Telugu and Kannada films. Sithara is a well known singer who is trained in Hindustani and

Carnatic classical music Carnatic music, known as or in the South Indian languages, is a system of music commonly associated with South India, including the modern Indian states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, and Sri Lanka. It is o ...

traditions and is also a recognised

ghazal The ''ghazal'' ( ar, غَزَل, bn, গজল, Hindi-Urdu: /, fa, غزل, az, qəzəl, tr, gazel, tm, gazal, uz, gʻazal, gu, ગઝલ) is a form of amatory poem or ode, originating in Arabic poetry. A ghazal may be understood as a ...

singer. She is the recipient of several awards which includes three Kerala State Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer. She travels extensively and has performed in concerts and stage shows across the world.

Folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Folk Plus or Fol ...

and

fusion Fusion, or synthesis, is the process of combining two or more distinct entities into a new whole. Fusion may also refer to: Science and technology Physics *Nuclear fusion, multiple atomic nuclei combining to form one or more different atomic nucl ...

being her other areas of interest. She has collaborated with various popular musical bands in Kerala as well as collaborated in many stage shows which includes international shows as well. In 2014, she formed a musical band Eastraga which focuses on a mix of female oriented songs backed by a team of renowned musicians. She is also part of the 6-member band named Sithara's Project Malabaricus, an independent venture which features contemporarised folk and classical songs.

Personal life

Sithara was born in

Malappuram Malappuram (also Malapuram) () is a city in the Indian state of Kerala, spread over an area of including the surrounding suburban areas. The first municipality in the district formed in 1970, Malappuram serves as the administrative headquarter ...

to K. M. Krishnakumar, an academician and Saly Krishnakumar. Born into a family inclined to classical arts, Sithara was introduced to the world of music as a child and started singing at the age of four. She attende
St. Paul's Higher secondary School Thenhipalam
GMHSS

Calicut University The University of Calicut, also known as Calicut University, is a state-run public university headquartered at Tenhipalam in Malappuram district of the state of Kerala, India. Established in 1968, it is the first university to be set up in nor ...

Campus School and NNM Higher secondary School Chelembra . She did her graduation in English Literature from

Farook College Farook College is a government-aided, autonomous, arts and science college located in Feroke near Calicut, Kerala, India. It is the largest residential post-graduate aided institution in Kerala affiliated to the University of Calicut; it was ...

Feroke Feroke (), is a Municipality and a part of Kozhikode metropolitan area under Kozhikode Development Authority (K.D.A) in the Kozhikode district of the Indian state of Kerala. Feroke municipality shares the border with Kozhikode corporation, Ra ...

and secured her master's degree from

Campus A campus is traditionally the land on which a college or university and related institutional buildings are situated. Usually a college campus includes libraries, lecture halls, residence halls, student centers or dining halls, and park-like se ...

, Kerala. She married Dr. Sajish M, a

cardiologist Cardiology () is a branch of medicine that deals with disorders of the heart and the cardiovascular system. The field includes medical diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart defects, coronary artery disease, heart failure, valvular hear ...

, on 31 August 2007 and the couple has a daughter Saawan Rithu born on 9 June 2013. The family resides at

Aluva Aluva (; also known by its former name Alwaye) is a town in the Ernakulam District in Kerala, India. It is a part of the Kochi metropolitan area and is situated around from the city center on the banks of Periyar River. A major transpor ...

Kochi Kochi (), also known as Cochin ( ) ( the official name until 1996) is a major port city on the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea, which is a part of the Arabian Sea. It is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of K ...

Kerala.

Career

She started off her art life as a dancer and eventually became a playback singer. She was trained in Carnatic Music by Sri Ramanattukara Satheesan Master and Palai CK Ramachandran. Sithara also received extensive education in Hindustani Classical music from Ustad Fiyaz Khan. She is also a classical dancer trained by Kalamandalam Vinodini. For her multifaceted talents, she was accoladed with the Kalathilakam title in Calicut University Arts Festival for two consecutive years(2005 and 2006). She holds master's degrees in Hindustani

Khyal Khyal or Khayal (ख़याल / خیال) is a major form of Hindustani classical music in the Indian subcontinent. Its name comes from a Persian/Arabic word meaning "imagination". Khyal is associated with romantic poetry, and allows the perfor ...

Music and Vocal Music from

Rabindra Bharati University Rabindra Bharati University is a public research university in Kolkata, India. It was founded on May 8, 1962, under the Rabindra Bharati Act of the Government of West Bengal in 1961, to mark the birth centenary of the poet Rabindranath Tagore. ...

Kolkata Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...

Sithara performing with Shankar Mahadevan

Sithara started off her

playback singing A playback singer, also known as a ghost singer, is a singer whose singing is pre-recorded for use in films. Playback singers record songs for soundtracks, and actors or actresses lip-sync the songs for cameras; the actual singer does not app ...

career in the year 2007 with the song Pammi Pammi in

Vinayan T. G. Vinayakumar (born 16 May 1957), professionally credited as Vinayan, is an Indian film director, screenwriter, producer, and lyricist, who works predominantly in Malayalam cinema and occasionally in Tamil cinema. Early life Vinayan is from ...

's Malayalam film Athishayan. Formerly, she was the winner of several musical talent shows like

Asianet Asianet may refer to: Disney Star channels *Asianet Communications, an Indian media company wholly owned by Disney Star **Asianet (TV channel), a Malayalam language general entertainment channel **Asianet Plus, a Malayalam language general entertai ...

Saptha Swarangal (2004),

Kairali TV Kairali TV is an Indian Malayalam-language general entertainment television channel owned by Kairali TV Network (Malayalam Communications Limited). It is headquartered at Thiruvananthapuram. It was launched on 17 August 2000. The channel is bac ...

Gandharva Sangeetham (Seniors) and

Jeevan TV Jeevan TV is a news and entertainment Malayalam television channel. Its headquarters is at Palarivattom, Kochi, India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and depende ...

Voice 2004. She also won Jeevan TV's 20 million Apple Megastars in 2008. She has gained a good reputation as a devoted Ghazal singer and a passionate stage performer of other vocal genres. She has worked with noted composers like

Ouseppachan Mechery Louis Ouseppachan (born 13 September 1955), known mononymously as Ouseppachan, is an Indian film composer and singer who primarily works in Malayalam films. He is a recipient of National Film Award, Filmfare Award and Kerala State Film ...

M. Jayachandran Madhusoodanan Jayachandran is an Indian composer, singer, and musician. He has won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Music Director for a record number of nine times. In 2005, he also won the state award for best male singer. In 2015, he wo ...

, G. V. Prakash Kumar,

Prashant Pillai Prashant Pillai (born 8 September 1981) is a music producer and composer from India. Early career After completing his Sound engineering in Chennai, he went on to work with A.R.Rahman. After a short stint with him, he moved on and settled in ...

Gopi Sundar Gopi Sundar C. S. (born 30 May 1977) is an Indian music director, programmer, playback singer, songwriter, actor and performer who works prominently in Malayalam, Telugu and Tamil film industries. He started his career composing music for tele ...

Bijibal Bijibal Maniyil is an Indian music composer and playback singer who works predominantly in Malayalam films, documentaries, short films and television commercials. He has composed for more than 150 feature films, several documentaries and televisi ...

Shaan Rahman Shaan Rahman (born 30 December 1979) is an Indian composer and singer, best known for his compositions in the Malayalam cinema. Shaan made his debut as a music director in the 2009 film ''Ee Pattanathil Bhootham'' directed by Johny Antony. He g ...

and rendered her voice to over 300 film songs including Malayalam and other Indian languages. Her works are of various genres. Sithara Performing at Qatar in 2019 by Ijas Muhammed Photography

Sithara Performing at Qatar in 2019 by Ijas Muhammed Photography

In 2017, she turned composer with the single Ente Akasham, Written by herself. The video which officially got released at a program held by Kerala State Women's Development Corporation to commemorate

International Women's Day International Women's Day (IWD) is a global holiday celebrated annually on March 8 as a focal point in the women's rights movement, bringing attention to issues such as gender equality, reproductive rights, and violence and abuse against wom ...

, picturized the life of night-time female workers. She turned film music composer with the film ''

Udalaazham ''Udalaazham'' (lit. ''Body Deep'') is a 2018 Indian Paniya / Malayalam drama film written and directed by Unnikrishnan Avala. It features actors Mani, Remya Valsala, Anumol, Indrans, Sajitha Madathil, Joy Mathew and Nilambur Ayisha in the lead ...

'' along with Mithun Jayaraj. The film is produced under the banner ''Doctor’s Dilemma'' – a doctor's collective which includes her husband Dr. Sajish. M. She made a cameo appearance in the Malayalam film

Ganagandharvan Ganagandharvan () is a 2019 Indian Malayalam comedy film directed by Ramesh Pisharody and written by Pisharody and Hari P. Nair. Mammootty is playing a ‘ganamela’ singer named Kalasadhan Ullas. Debutante Vanditha Manoharan play the female lea ...

directed by

Ramesh Pisharody T. V. Ramesh (born 1 October 1983), professionally credited as Ramesh Pisharody, is an Indian stand-up comedian, impressionist, television presenter, actor and film director. He works in Malayalam television shows, stage, and cinema. Early l ...

Awards

Kerala State Film Award The Kerala State Film Awards are the film awards for a motion picture made in Kerala. The awards started in 1969 by the Department of Cultural Affairs, Government of Kerala and since 1998 the awards have been bestowed by Kerala State Cha ...

s: * 2012 – Best Singer – ''

Celluloid Celluloids are a class of materials produced by mixing nitrocellulose and camphor, often with added dyes and other agents. Once much more common for its use as photographic film before the advent of safer methods, celluloid's common contemporar ...

'' – "''Enundodee''" * 2017 – Best Singer – ''

Vimaanam ''Vimaanam'' () is a 2017 Indian Malayalam-language drama film written and directed by debutant Pradeep M. Nair, and starring Prithviraj Sukumaran and Durga Krishna. The film was released on 22 December 2017. This film is said to be loosely ba ...

'' – "''Vaanamakalunnuvo''" * 2021 – Best Singer – ''

Kaanekkaane ''Kaanekkaane'' is a 2021 Indian Malayalam-language drama thriller film written by Bobby and Sanjay and directed by Manu Ashokan. The film stars Suraj Venjaramoodu, Tovino Thomas, Aishwarya Lekshmi and Shruthi Ramachandran in important roles ...

'' – "''Paalnilavin''"

South Indian International Movie Awards South Indian International Movie Awards, also known as the SIIMA Awards, rewards the artistic and technical achievements of the South Indian film industry. It was launched in 2012 by Vishnu Vardhan Induri and Brinda Prasad Adusimilli to appreci ...

: *2014 – Best Female Playback Singer – '' Mr. Fraud'' – "''Sadaa Paalaya''" *2019 – Best Female Playback Singer – ''

Eeda ''Eeda'' () is a 2018 Indian Malayalam-language romance film written, edited and directed by B. Ajithkumar. The film is a modern take on William Shakespeare's ''Romeo and Juliet'', set in the backdrops of political violence in Kannur, north Ma ...

'' – "''Marivil''" Asianet Film Awards: *2016 – Most Popular Duet Song – ''

Jacobinte Swargarajyam ''Jacobinte Swargarajyam'' () is a 2016 Indian Malayalam-language family-drama film written and directed by Vineeth Sreenivasan. The film revolves around Jacob Zacharia (Renji Panicker) and the struggles faced by his son (Nivin Pauly) to clear h ...

'' – "''Thiruvavani raavu''"

Asiavision Awards Asiavision Awards have been held annually since 2006 to honor the artistes and technicians of Indian cinema and television & is organized under the leadership of renowned journalist Nissar Syed. More than 40,000 people across United Arab Emirates ...

: *2017 – Best Singer (Female) – ''

Udaharanam Sujatha ''Udaharanam Sujatha'' () is a 2017 Indian Malayalam-language drama film directed by debutant director "Phantom" Praveen, adapted by Naveen Bhaskar and produced by Martin Prakkat and Joju George. It is a remake of the 2016 Hindi-language film ...

'' – "''Ethu Mazhayilum''"

Mirchi Music Awards South Mirchi Music Awards South is the South Indian segment of the annual Mirchi Music Awards, presented by Radio Mirchi to honour both artistic and technical excellence of professionals in the South Indian music industry. The awards are separately giv ...

: *2012 – Best Female Playback Singer in Tamil – ''

Muppozhudhum Un Karpanaigal ''Muppozhudhum Un Karpanaigal'' () is a 2012 Indian Tamil-language romantic thriller film directed by Elred Kumar starring Atharvaa and Amala Paul, while Jayaprakash, Anupama Kumar, Santhanam, Yashika and Nassar played supporting roles. The m ...

'' – "''Kangal Neeye''" *2019 - Best Female Playback Singer in Malayalam - ''

Kumbalangi Nights ''Kumbalangi Nights'' is a 2019 Indian Malayalam-language drama film directed by Madhu C. Narayanan. The directorial debut was written by Syam Pushkaran and jointly produced by Fahadh Faasil and Nazriya Nazim under their production house Fa ...

'' - "''Cherathukal''" Mazhavil Music Awards *2019 - Best Female Playback Singer -

Madhura Raja ''Madhura Raja'' () is a 2019 Indian Malayalam-language action comedy film directed by Vysakh, written by Udaykrishna and starring Mammootty, Jagapathi Babu and Jai alongside Anusree, Siddique, Nedumudi Venu, Vijayaraghavan, Salim Kumar, Ma ...

- "''Mohamundiri"'' *2020 - Best Female Playback Singer *2021 - Best Female Playback Singer -

- "''Paalnilavin''" Janmabhumi Film Awards: *2018 – Best Female Playback Singer -

- "''Marivil"'' Mangalam Music Awards: *2017 – Best Female Playback Singer Yuva Awards: *2017 – Best Female Playback Singer Red FM Malayalam Music Awards: *2017 – Best Female Playback Singer Anand TV Awards: *2018 – Best Female Playback Singer *2016 – Best Female Playback Singer

Federation of Kerala Associations in North America The Federation Of Kerala Associations In North America (FOKANA) is an umbrella organization formed on July 4, 1983, in New York City to unite all Kerala/Malayali organizations of the American continent. It was during the seventies that many Malaya ...

Awards: *2016 – Best Female Playback Singer – '' Lailaa O Lailaa'' – "''Nanayumee Mazhai''" Other Awards: *2002 – Baburaj Memorial Award – Best Female Singer *2004 – Swaralaya Kairali Yesudas Award – Best Singer *2009 – Drishya Award – Best Female Album Singer *2011 – Mohammed Rafi Memorial Award – Best Playback Singer *2011 – Vayalar Samskarika Vedi Award – Best Playback Singer *2012 – Kannur Rajan Memorial Award – Best Playback Singer *2012 – L Channel Award – Best Playback Singer *2012 – Inspire Film Award – Best Playback Singer *2019 - Johnson Music Awards - Best Playback Singer *2020 - Muzic2morrow Awards - Best Female Singer *2020 - Movie Street Film Awards - Best Female Playback Singer

Discography

As composer

Albums

Films

As Playback Singer

*''All songs are in

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam was des ...

language unless otherwise noted''.

TV series title song

Albums(Non-film songs)

Malayalam film songs

Discography (other languages)

Tamil

Kannada

Telugu

Filmography as Actor

Television shows

References

External links

Official Website
*
Facebook
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sithara 1986 births Living people Indian women playback singers Indian women classical singers Malayalam playback singers Tamil playback singers Telugu playback singers Kannada playback singers Musicians from Kozhikode Indian women ghazal singers Indian ghazal singers Singers from Kerala University of Calicut alumni Film musicians from Kerala 21st-century Indian singers Women Carnatic singers Carnatic singers Indian women folk singers Indian folk singers 21st-century Indian women singers Women musicians from Kerala Actresses in Malayalam cinema