Pradeep Kumar

Pradeep Rangaswamy Kumar (born 12 May 1986) is an Indian playback singer and music director who has worked in Tamil language films. After beginning his career as a Carnatic musician, he has regularly collaborated with composers Santhosh Narayanan and Sean Roldan.

Career Born to a police inspector father and a music teacher mother, Pradeep Kumar grew up in Subramaniyapuram, Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu. His mother, Lalitha Vijayakumar, taught Carnatic music through private lessons and at a government school in the area, meaning that Pradeep Kumar was constantly exposed to Carnatic music as a youngster and often joined his mother in singing at home. He later was introduced as a playback singer in Tamil cinema through the film Attakathi by Santhosh Narayanan He later began studying music under J. Venkataraman from the Aalathur School of music, who became his first guru.

Outside music, Pradeep Kumar studied science, wrote the engineering entrance examination and joined an engineering college in Thanjavur hoping to become a theoretical physicist. However, after a week, he decided to opt out of college. As a backup career plan, he instead pursued a diploma course in audio engineering, which also taught him more about sound composition. In 2014, he worked on a documentary called Arunagiri Perumale, which was a live concert recording of a three-piece Indian band along with a 16-piece chamber symphony orchestra, which had taken place in 2014, in Boston. He described the venture as his "pet project", and relied on crowd-funding to get it completed by 2017. During the same period, he married his fellow singer, Kalyani Nair. He also worked as a composer on his first film album for the Telugu project, Maine Pyar Kiya (2014).

Through his work as a musician, Pradeep Kumar became acquainted with composer Santhosh Narayanan. The pair had first met in Trichy when Pradeep Kumar was 18 and then continued to jam together, while studying for the same course in audio engineering. After Santhosh Narayanan became a film composer, Pradeep Kumar regularly worked as his acoustic guitarist. He had also worked as a lyricist in Jigarthanda. In 2016, a music critic from The Hindu labelled the three as "the new-age musical trio of Tamil cinema".

In 2017, Pradeep Kumar made his debut as a music composer in Tamil cinema after Santhosh Narayanan had convinced the producers of Meyaadha Maan to allow him to work on the film. Subsequently, Rathna Kumar who directed Meyaadha Maan selected him as a music director for Amala Paul's next film, Aadai.

Discography Composer

Playback singer

Singles

Awards Kerala State Film Awards Year Category Song Film 2021 Kerala State Film Award for Best Singer (male) "Ravil" Minnal Murali Ananda Vikatan Cinema Awards Year Category Song Film 2015 Best playback singer (Male) "Aagayam Theepiditha" Madras 2017 Best playback singer (Male) "Maya Nadhi, Vaanam Paarthen" Kabali

Filmfare Awards South Year Category Song Film 2015 Best Tamil Male Playback Singer Award "Aagayam Theepiditha" Madras

South Indian International Movie Awards Year Category Song Film 2015 Best Tamil Male Playback Singer Award "Aagayam Theepiditha" Madras

Vijay Awards Year Category Song Film 2015 Best Male Playback Singer Award "Aagayam Theepiditha" Madras

Norway Tamil Film Festival Awards Year Category Song Film 2016 Best Male Playback Singer Award "Maya Nadhi" Kabali

Behindwoods Gold Medal Year Category Song Film 2018 Best Singer (Male) "Kadhalaadaa, Enna Naan Seiven, Pogatha enna vittu" Vivegam