IndiaGlitz [Wednesday, May 09, 2007] : She is the role model of many aspiring singers for the last two decades. And everyone who sings, likes to be like her , as her character and styles have yielded thousands of fans who admires her voice and as well as the beauty of her heart. All we are saying is about the nightingale of the South, Chitra. Twenty-five years have passed since Chitra sang her first song for films. The graceful singer of the South with yet a youthful voice opines from her experience that music and lyrics have changed over the years to accommodate changing tastes.” There were no celebrations.
In fact, it was my friends and the media which drew my attention to the fact that I had completed 25 years in music," said Padmashree awardee K S Chitra
Chitra first sang for the Malayalam film Attahasam in 1979. But that film got delayed and was released only in 1983. Her first recorded song was a duet with legend Yesudas in Njaan Ekananu. As her first song it, set to music by M G Radhakrishnan, turned out to be a hit and there was no looking back for the nightingale. Chitra's reign truly began after her melodious numbers in the Malayalam films Ente Mamatekutteammakku, Nokkathudoorathu Kannumnattu and Nakhaksthangal in the early 1980s became big hits. Her youthful voice which had its own identity in voice and rendition became the most wanted voice of the South in no time. She was also ably supported by Maestro Ilayaraja who called her to render all the super hits of the late eighties. She had taken over the baton from music veterans like P Sushila, Vani Jayaraam and S Janaki, who dominated South Indian music for over two decades.
She received her first national award for best female playback singer in 1986 for the Tamil film Sindhu Bhairavi with music by Ilayaraja. She won the next year's award too, this time for the Malayalam film Nakhaksthangal. She garnered more awards for Vaisali (1989, Malayalam), Minsara Kanavu (1996, Tamil), Virasaat (1997, Hindi) and Autograph (2004, Tamil).
Of late she has been one of the most relished names among album singers as her latest few ventures were good hits.
Chitra holds the rare honor of being the first person to be recognized by all four state governments in South India as the best playback singer. In 2004, she won the award for the best female singer from the Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh Governments. She also holds the record for receiving the Kerala Government award for best female playback singer 15 times, in this 25 years of glory
