Veteran playback singer Kumar Sanu, who has recorded over 25,000 songs across his career, has opened up about the pivotal moment he found his own voice — and how the blockbuster album 'Aashiqui' marked the turning point that separated him from long-standing comparisons to the late Kishore Kumar.

The Kishore Kumar Shadow

Speaking at his residence in Andheri West, Mumbai during the promotional run for his new song 'Suniyo Zara', Sanu acknowledged that the comparisons were not entirely misplaced. In his early years, he had regularly sung cover versions of Kishore Kumar's songs, making a stylistic overlap almost inevitable.

'For me, the most important thing was the style of singing. In my earlier songs, you must have felt that there is a touch of Kishore Da. People said initially that this is a copy of Kishore Da or a clone of Kishore Da. I got to hear this from the beginning,' he said.

Rather than taking offence, Kumar Sanu said he chose to treat the comparison as a creative challenge. 'So when I got to hear it, I took it positively and found a way to tackle it,' he added.

How 'Aashiqui' Changed Everything

The 'Aashiqui' soundtrack, which became one of Hindi film music's defining albums of its era, proved to be the crucible in which Sanu forged a distinctive identity. He recalled that prior to 'Aashiqui', his output largely consisted of dubbing and covering Kishore Kumar's repertoire.

'I tried a lot to separate myself from Kishore Da with 'Aashiqui'. Before that, I was dubbing all the songs of Kishore Da as I was doing their cover versions. I thought if I follow the footsteps of Kishore Da, then I can only go to a limit. I had to achieve something of my own to go beyond the boundaries,' he explained.

The gamble paid off. The album became a super hit, and Sanu noted that the transition was deliberate rather than accidental. 'In 'Aashiqui' sometimes it sounds like Kishore Da, sometimes it looks like Kumar Sanu. I tried very hard to establish this. Many people liked it and it became a super hit,' he said.

A Pattern Shared by Legends

Sanu also placed his own journey within a broader artistic tradition, observing that virtually every legendary singer began by emulating an idol before carving out an independent identity. The key, he argued, was seizing the right opportunity to demonstrate what one's own voice could do.

'How did they make their identity? When they got the right opportunity, they showed what they can do with their voice and talent. I accepted it,' he said.

What's Next for Kumar Sanu

Kumar Sanu is currently promoting his new track 'Suniyo Zara', continuing an active career that has spanned decades and produced one of Bollywood's largest individual song catalogues. The candid reflections underscore how foundational the 'Aashiqui' era remains to his artistic legacy — and how consciously he shaped that transition.