He stole our hearts with ‘Chura ke dil mera’, became an important part of the industry with ‘Dheere dheere se meri zindagi me’ and till ‘Dard karara’, everyone went crazy over his soothing voice. The Guinness World Record holder and voice behind the hit tracks of the 90s and early 2000s melodious songs, Kumar Sanu is the most versatile singer of B-town. With 1990 film, Aashiqui, Kumar Sanu rose to fame and ever since then, he’s an icon for every kid born in the nineties. (Also Read: Kumar Sanu's Controversial Love Life: Affairs With Many Famous Bollywood Heroines And 2 Marriages)
While everyone knows about his personal life, his link-ups with B-town actresses and his 2 marriages, there’s one secret that Kumar Sanu has been keeping from everyone since 2001. In a singing reality show, Dil Hai Hindustani, Kumar revealed that he adopted a baby girl in 2001 and never wanted to disclose this fact. Kumar’s eldest daughter, Shannon, who is also a singer, was adopted by Jab Koi Baat Bigad Jaaye singer way back in 2001.
In a statement, Kumar stated, “I never wanted to disclose this as I was scared of what the society would think. I wasn’t sure how they were going to see this. But since now this is out, I’m really proud of Shannon. It doesn’t matter if she is my real daughter or not. She is very hardworking and has already achieved so much in her life. A lot of people in Hollywood know me because of her and that is a matter of pride of our family.”
Kumar Sanu has two children, daughter Shannon Kumar and son Jaan Kumar Sanu, who decided to follow their father’s footsteps and pursue their career in singing. In a recent interview, Kumar revealed that he never forced them into this career, and was quoted as saying, “Interestingly, they both have been following in my footsteps. I never forced them to choose music as their career, it was their own decision. I believe that they (children) should be allowed to purse their dreams. Doing so will always help them come up with good work and extraordinary results. That will also make the parents feel proud.” (Also Read: Abhishek Proposed Aishwarya With A Fake Ring During The Shoot Of 'Guru', Her Reaction Was Unexpected)
Sharing his kids’ journey in the music industry, Kumar remarked, “My daughter sings in English and we recently came up with a song titled It’s Magical. It is a fusion of English and Hindi lyrics. Shannon has sung in English and I have sung the Hindi lyrics.” Further adding about his son, he shared, “My son is interested in working on covers. He has recently recomposed song Dil Mera Churaya Kyun from film Akele Hum Akele Tum (1995).”
Shannon is settled in Los Angeles, and he shared that her journey has been a difficult one, unlike the assumption that star kids get everything spoon-fed. He mentioned, “My daughter is struggling to get some work in Hollywood because nobody knows me there, but for my son, it is not so difficult. Most importantly, I believe that their hard work and passion bags them work.” (Also Read: Virat Kohli Dedicates His Century To Wifey Anushka Sharma, Kisses The Wedding Ring)
After the release of her first single in 2014, Shannon opened up about her father and shared to the Times Of India, “My father is everything to me. His voice takes me away in a different world each time I hear his songs. I’m a bit unfortunate that I can’t sing in Hindi but I’ll try at least one song in Hindi for him when I’ll be confident enough to pronounce words correctly. But my dad never interferes or forces me to sing. It is my own passion and wish to become a singer.”
She went on to say, “Dad always encourages me and tells Anna and me to do whatever we want to do. He does not want us to forget our Indian values and roots even though we don’t live in India. He teaches us not to hurt anyone and pursue own dreams.” (Also Read: Shoaib Ibrahim Makes It Special For Wife Dipika Kakar On Trailer Release Of Her Debut Film 'Paltan')
Shannon made her singing debut with a pop single, “A long time”, written and produced by singer Justin Bieber’s frequent collaborator, Jason “Poo Bea” Boyd.
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