Shanmukha Priya is a well-known name among Telugu audiences. She made her singing debut in 2008 on Zee Telugu's Sa Re Ga Ma Pa L'il Champs 2008 and became familiar to the Telugu audience. Her next show, Padutha Theeyaga, in which S. P. Balasubrahmanyam was a judge, is her major breakthrough. She was born in Visakhapatnam on May 10, 2004.  Her musical journey began at the age of three when her father noticed her humming to the tune of an alarm clock.

Music is in her genes                                                                                                        Her parents named her Shanmukhapriya which is originally a Carnatic music ragam. It is the 56th melakarta ragam (parent scale) in Carnatic music's 72 melakarta ragam system. Her mother, Ratnamala, is a music teacher, and her father, Srinivas Kumar, is a musician who plays the veena, violin, guitar, mandolin, and keyboard. When her father first heard her humming as a child, he immediately took out the veena and gave her the notes and rhythm, to which she did quite well with her vocals, and that's when she began her formal Carnatic music training. She now specializes in Carnatic music, jazz, rock, pop, and yodeling.

Music shows changed her life                                                                                  Following her success on television with the music show Sa Re Ga Ma Pa L'il Champs in 2008, she became a playback singer and recorded a song for the 2010 Telugu film Tejam. She then went on to participate in another popular music show, Padutha Theeyaga Season 6 in 2013, and Super Singer 4 the same year. The same year, she made her Tamil debut with Super Singer Junior on Vijay TV. She returned to Super Singer 9 in 2015. Then, in 2016, she made her Hindi debut with The Voice India Kids S1, where she showcased her talent in front of a national audience but was unfortunately eliminated in the final week. Next came her second Hindi show, "Sa Re Ga Ma Pa L'il Champs 2017. Season 12 of Indian Idol, which aired in 2020-21 showcased her talent and efforts to the Indian audience and became the major show that changed her life.

Indian Idol season 12                                                                                                        Her performances on "Indian Idol 12" gained her widespread popularity and acclaim, with judges and music industry veterans praising her.  Upon seeing her jazz-style performance on the show to the song "Jaane Tu Mera Kya Hai" from the film Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na (2008), A. R. Rahman praised her and termed “ her the "Jazz Star of India." A.R.Rahman supported her with a piano piece; she also made the judges groove with her song 'Mera naam chin chin chu' and went on to captivate the audience and judges with her performance. She finished fifth in the competition and is regarded as one of India's most promising young singers, with a bright future ahead of her. 

Playback singing career                                                                                                      In 2010, she recorded the song "Iskon Lona Krishnudikaina" for the Telugu film Tejam. In 2019, she made her Hindi singing debut with the song "Samjhe Kya" for the film Ashi Hi Aashiqui. In 2021, she sang "Atta Sudoddhoi," song in film Adavi Donga. In terms of her work in movies and series, 2022 can be considered her best year, as she sang "Alone Alone" (female version) in 2022 for the film Malli Modalaindi, "The Spy Who Loved Me" in the Netflix original series Grey, "Kodi Katthi" in the film Dharmasthali, and "Manchali" in the Pan-India film Liger.

Her heart belongs to Vizag                                                                                            Vizag's beach waves and hills have their own piece of music, and who doesn't like Vizag? Shanmuka Priya is no exception. She enjoys exploring Vizag and will only leave the city for shows, concerts, and music-related work in other cities; otherwise, she will stay in Vizag, her hometown. 
Here we are presenting to you the voice from the city of destiny, and this 2023 Hello Vizag wishes Shanmuka Priya will go on to sing more songs, enchant the audience, and make the city prouder.

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