Chitra Born on July 27, 1963, into a family of musicians, Chithra’s talent was recognized and nurtured from an early age by her father, the late Krishnan Nair. He was also her first guru (teacher). Chithra received her extensive training in Carnatic music from Dr. K.Omanakutty, after she was selected for the National Talent Search Scholarship from the Central Government from 1978 – 1984. She was introduced to Malayalam playback singing by Shri. M.G.Radhakrishnan in 1979. She made her debut in the Tamil film industry in Chennai under the guidance of Maestro Ilayaraaja. Lata Mangeshkar believes that Chithra is the best (next to herself). Even many Hindi music directors believe that Chithra is on par with Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle. She has worked with music directors such as Gulzar, Ustad Ali, Ghulam Ali, Anu Malik, and A.R. Rahman.
Awards
To this day, Chithra has recorded more than 15,000 film songs in different languages and about 4000 non-film songs. During her career, numerous recognitions have come her way including six National Awards for best female playback singer. This is the largest number of national awards awarded to any female playback singer. She has won the awards for the following films:
* 1986 - Sindhu Bhairavi, Tamil film
* 1987 - Nakhaksthangal, Malayalam film
* 1989 - Vaisali, Malayalam film
* 1996 - Minsaara Kanavu, Tamil film
* 1997 - Virasat, Hindi film
* 2004 - Autograph, Tamil Film
