Known mononymously as Sithara, Sithara Krishnakumar (born on 1 July 1986 in Malappuram, Kerala) is an Indian playback singer, composer, and dancer who has also dipped her toes in acting. She received professional training in both Carnatic and Hindustani classical music – completing a master's degree in Khyal music – and began making a name for herself as a singer in talent shows like Asianet Saptha Swarangal (2004), Kairali TV Gandharva Sangeetham (Seniors) and Jeevan TV Voice 2004. She kicked off her playback singing career in 2005 with the song "Pammi Pammi" for Vinayan's Indian Malayalam-language science fiction monster film Athishayan and went on to work with a genre and language-spanning constellation of composers, including G. V. Prakash Kumar, Prashant Pillai, Gopi Sundar, Bijibal, and more. Having largely focussed her career on Malayalam cinema, she has also lent her voice to Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada films and is a distinguished ghazal singer. Her prolific playback singing career has seen her amass over 300 film songs including "Chil Chilambumani" and "Kanna Nee" in 2022 as well as non-film songs like 2022's "Uppayude Makal". She has won numerous awards over the years including three Kerala State Film Awards for Best Singer (2012, 2017, 2021) and the 2020 Movie Street Film Awards for Best Female Playback Singer.
