Hariharan (born 3 April 1955) is an Indian playback singer, ghazal singer and composer. Trained in both Carnatic and Hindustani classical music, he is one of India’s leading ghazal performers and has sung thousands of film songs in Tamil, Hindi, Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada and other languages. His work with the composer A. R. Rahman produced some of the best-loved songs of the 1990s. With Leslie Lewis he formed the fusion duo Colonial Cousins. He has won two National Film Awards and received the Padma Shri in 2004.
Quick Facts
| Full name | Hariharan Anantha Subramani |
| Born | 3 April 1955, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India |
| Age | 71 |
| Occupation | Playback singer, ghazal singer, composer |
| Raised in | Mumbai |
| Education | SIES College and St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai |
| Years active | 1977–present |
| Spouse | Lalitha |
| Children | 2 (Akshay and Karan) |
| Honours | Padma Shri (2004), two National Film Awards |
Early Life
Hariharan was born into a Tamil family of musicians and grew up in Mumbai. His parents, H. A. S. Mani and Alamelu Mani, were both Carnatic vocalists, and his mother was his first teacher. As a teenager he was drawn to the ghazals of Mehdi Hassan and began learning Hindustani music from Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan, practising for many hours a day and working on his Urdu diction. He holds degrees in science and law.
Career
In 1977 Hariharan won the All India Sur Singar competition, and the composer Jaidev gave him a song in the film Gaman (1978), which brought him an award nomination. Through the 1980s he built his reputation with ghazal albums and concerts, including the album Aabshar-e-Ghazal with Asha Bhosle. His later album Hazir featured the tabla of Zakir Hussain.
Rahman gave him “Thamizha Thamizha” in Roja (1992), and their partnership continued with “Uyire Uyire” and its Hindi version “Tu Hi Re” in Bombay (1995), “Chanda Re” in Sapnay and many more. He became one of the leading voices of Tamil cinema. He won the National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer for “Mere Dushman Mere Bhai” from Border (1997) and again for the Marathi song “Jiv Rangla” from Jogwa (2009).
In 1996 Hariharan and the composer Leslie Lewis released the album Colonial Cousins, mixing Indian classical singing with Western pop. It was a major hit and won MTV and Billboard awards. The pair followed it with further albums and film scores.
Hariharan continues to record, to tour as a ghazal and fusion performer and to appear as a judge on television music shows. In all he has recorded more than 15,000 songs in about ten languages.
Personal Life
Hariharan is married to Lalitha, and they have two sons, Akshay and Karan, who work in music and film. He lives in Mumbai.
Awards and Honours
Popular Songs
Frequently Asked Questions
When and where was Hariharan born?
Hariharan was born on 3 April 1955 in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India and is 71 years old.
What is Hariharan’s occupation?
Occupation: Playback singer, ghazal singer, composer.
What honours has Hariharan received?
Padma Shri (2004), two National Film Awards.
Featured image: Hariharan at a concert in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, July 2018. Photo by Sanu N, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
