P Unnikrishnan

Early life and background

Unnikrishnan was born in Tamil Iyer family who were originally hailed from Tamil Nadu to K. Radhakrishnan and Dr. Harini Radhakrishnan in Palakkad, Kerala. The family home, Kesari Kuteeram, was a well-known landmark of Madras city, with great grandfather Dr. K. N. Kesari being an eminent Ayurvedic physician and the promoter of the popular Telugu women's magazine Gruhalakshmi .

He went to Asan Memorial Senior Secondary School, Chennai and later transferred to Santhome Higher Secondary School ,Chennai and completed his schooling in 1984.He graduated from Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda College, Chennai, and received his B.Com degree from the Madras University. He earned a General Law and Post Graduate Diploma in Personnel Management and Industrial Relations.

He worked as an executive in Parry s Confectionery Ltd. from 1987 to 1994 and quit his job to become a professional singer.

Singing career

Unnikrishnan was initiated into Carnatic music at age of 12 by Seshadri, Unnikrishnan. He was inspired by Sangita Kalanidhi Dr. S. Ramanathan. He attended a special workshop for six months on "Veena Dhanammal Bhani" under Sangeetha Kalanidhi T.Brinda and Sangeetha Kalanidhi Dr.T.Vishwa Nathan.

He is a national award-winning playback singer for his debut film songs "Ennavale Adi Ennavale" and "Uyirum Neeye". These songs were composed by A. R. Rahman, with whom Unni Krishnan gave most of his memorable songs.He was the first male playback singer to get national award for a Tamil song. He was one of the permanent judges in the reality television show AIRTEL Super Singer on Vijay TV in both the seasons (2006, 2008 & 2010-2011) and 2008 Idea Star Singer on Asianet.

Unnikrishnan is also becoming known for his experimental work. In 2008, he presented a novel jazz concert in Thiruvananthapuram with the Eli Yamin Jazz Quartet and pianist Anil Srinivasan.

He prefers singing classical songs over pop music.

“Carnatic music has grown to a great extent. The taste of the audience has changed with time. Youngsters have developed a taste for the music form and the number of people flocking to these concerts has increased by leaps and bounds. There is novelty in the genre.”He got many awards like "Tamil Nadu's Kalaimamani","Nada Bhushanam","Isai Peroli","Yuva Kala Bharathi","Isayin Punnagai","Isai Selvam","Sangeetha Kalasarathy".

“The nuances of Carnatic music may be difficult for a layman to understand but music lovers today are willing to put in the effort to enjoy the music. I have seen youngsters talking about this form of music with enthusiasm. People take time off their busy schedules to come and listen to us artistes. So, it’s our responsibility to ensure that they enjoy the music. Even in reality shows, we ask the contestants to develop a taste for Carnatic music so that they can perform better in light music”.

Personal life

Parrakkal Unnikrishnan is married to Priya, a Bharathanatyam and Mohiniyattam dancer and a native of Kozhikode, Kerala. They were married on November 1994 and have 2 children - a son named Vasudev Krishna and a daughter named Uthara. Vasudev Krishna was born on 27 May 1997 and Uthara was born on 11 June 2004. Uthara won National award for playback singing for her debut song "Azhagu" in the movie "Saivam". Vasudev is passionate about cricket and is a member of the Madras Cricket Club and Life Member of the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association.

Partial playback singing discography

In 2012, Unnikrishnan rendered a series of Devotional songs on Lord Ganesha, Lord Ayyappan, Lord Venkateswara, and Devi among others. The albums were produced by Gaananjali Recordings and were composed and released by Manachanallur Giridharan. The album titles include AYYAN MALAI ENGAL MALAI, OM NAVA SAKTHI JAYA JAYA SAKTHI, SABARIMALAI VA CHARANAM SOLLI VA, VINDHAIGAL PURINDHAI NEE EN VAZHVILE, and UCHI PILLAIYARE CHARANAM. Notable among them is the Harivarasanam, part of the Ayyappa album and is the only other popular rendering after the famous K J Yesudas's.