Born on April 3, 1955, in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, Hariharan was raised in Mumbai. He trained in both Carnatic and Hindustani classical music, which laid the foundation for his diverse musical career. Hariharan gained prominence in the 1990s with his soulful ghazal renditions and playback singing in various Indian languages, including Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada. His collaboration with composer A.R. Rahman on songs like “Tu Hi Re” from the film Bombay (1995) and “Roja Jaaneman” from Roja (1992) are particularly acclaimed. In addition to film music, Hariharan is known for his ghazal albums and as part of the fusion band Colonial Cousins, blending Indian and Western musical styles. His contributions have earned him numerous awards, including the Padma Shri in 2004.