Leslee Lewis recreates Yaaron with KK’s children Nakul and Taamara

KK’s song Yaaron has been among the most iconic songs on friendship. The evergreen track composed by Leslee Lewis has been on the top of the music list of most of the singer’s fans for over two decades now. Music lovers around the world were shocked and devastated by the singer’s sudden demise on May 31. Now, Leslee has recreated the song with KK’s children, Nakul Krishna and Taamara Krishna, as a tribute to him.
In an exclusive chat, Leslee tells Bombay Times, “More than two decades after we composed the song, I have recreated it with KK’s children Nakul Krishna, Taamara and his band. What made this experience special was that we recorded the song at the same studio, Purple Haze in Bandra, where KK and I had first recorded the original 23 years ago.”
The musician gets emotional as he shares, “Years ago, the day Nakul was born was the day when I gave KK his first jingle. Life has come a full circle. It was a special moment and great experience for me to do the same song, at the same spot, in the same studio with KK’s kids, to see the awe in their eyes as the reminisced all that their father had told them about this special experience of recording his first song with me at Purple Haze. I have technically made his children sing with him in this song because I have retained KK’s lines and also made Nakul and Taamara sing lines along with his voice. So basically they sang along with their father which they have never done before. It was a magical moment and they went back in time. After KK’s sudden demise, this was the first time that the children came out to record a song.”

Nakul shares, “Recording Dad's song with Leslee Uncle meant so much to Taamara and me. Standing there at that studio we felt that dad was there with us and that he was watching us, standing right beside us. It was a completely surreal experience for the three of us - my sister, my mother (Jyothy Krishna) and me."
When the pandemic struck, KK and his family, just like many other families, spent a lot of quality time confined at home. "That was when Dad spoke a lot about music. He would tell me and my sister to go and perform with him and the band. We were having a lot of music conversations and Dad wanted us to be on stage with him. But that never happened. Now I guess he is trying to make it happen in his own way. We'll be having a tribute concert for him on his birthday, August 23. Both me and my sister Taamara wanted to do something special for his birthday and we will be singing a few of Dad’s songs at this #NeverEndingTribute concert."
Prominent singers like Shaan, Papon, Benny Dayal, Leslee Lewis, Dhvani Bhanushali and others will perform on stage along with a few songs by Taamara and Nakul.
“We are very excited about the concert and have been rehearsing a lot with Dad's band, trying to figure out what songs we could do on stage. This will be a special event where prominent musicians will be singing Dad's songs and will also be sharing anecdotes, memories and stories of my father and talk about the fond moments that they have spent with him. It will be more than just a music show. We want everyone to know the special spirit of camaraderie that Dad had with all his colleagues and staff. We want to carry that forward in his name, so that everyone remembers him in a positive light."
In his growing up years, Nakul was never exposed to the celebrity-singer status that his father had. "For us he was just a father, just my Dad. I never really understood the scope of his fandom because he was never vocal about his publicity. He was family orientated and family life was everything to him. After he passed, we got so many messages and so many people told us what they shared with him as friends. It really felt great to know that all these people loved him. There was so much goodwill for Dad, people without even knowing us, sent messages of support. And now, I kind of realise the immense impact my father’s music had on everyone. It really feels great to hear good things about my father.”
Nakul and his sister Taamara, both budding musicians, have mostly been into English songs. "Now that Dad has gone we have been singing his songs a lot because we feel that is our way of connecting with him. We somehow feel as if we are communicating with him via the music and his songs. I guess singing out loud I feel a kind of release, as if some of the pain is lessened and I can handle the grief a little better.”