Legendary Indian playback singer Sistla Janaki, popularly known as S. Janaki or Janaki Amma, passed away at the age of 88 on July 11, 2026, in Mysuru, Karnataka, following a sudden cardiac arrest.
Hailed as the “Nightingale of South India,” she was one of the most prolific and influential vocalists in Indian cinema, boasting a monumental career that spanned over six decades. She recorded nearly 48,000 songs across films, albums, television, and radio.
Janaki sang in twenty languages, primarily dominating South Indian languages (Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, and Malayalam) while also singing in Hindi, Sanskrit, Odia, Japanese, and German. She was renowned for her ability to perfectly mimic voice textures ranging from an infant to an elderly person.
She formed legendary musical partnerships with composer Maestro Ilaiyaraaja and legendary co-singer S. P. Balasubramaniam. Janaki Amma won four National Awards for best female playback singing. She received thirty-three State Film Awards across Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh. In 2013, she famously refused the Padma Bhushan award, stating it came too late in her career and pointing out that South Indian artists deserve better national recognition.
Says M M Keeravani, “She was considered the Ashaji of South, while P Susheela garu is paralleled to Lataji. Her contribution to all the four languages from South was unmatched and highly commendable. She was also a composer and did music for films and independent albums like Meera Bhajans, etc She was very kind hearted that she was always first to appreciate next generation singers . I have worked under her music direction as a track singer. Though she didn’t sing many songs for me , my contact with her was frequent when I worked for K. Chakravarthy garu.”
Singer Hariharan adds, “Janakiji, she was one of the biggest artists of South Indian film industry. She sang for more than six decades, started a career in 1957 and kind of 2017 or 18 she retired. 40,000 songs she has sung. And I mean, it’s all statistics, everybody knows it, the kind of songs she has sung, the range which she has had. And she had a childlike quality in her voice, which was there till the very last. In her last songs also you could find, you could feel that it’s a 30 year old or 35 year old lady singing. You know, that youth, the way she, and so simple, the way she dressed, she was so sophisticated, so polished. And very, very quick on the uptake. She listened to the songs two, three times, rehearsed it two, three times. And then the take is done. Discipline, knowledge, hard work. This was Janaki Amma. It’s very, very sad that she’s left us. And God bless her soul. And we live with her music, this whole, this world will live with her music, her songs.”
In Hindi, Janaki Amma sang the maximum songs for Bappi Lahiri, who once told this writer, “Janaki Amma is an all-rounder. Whenever I compose a song suited to her voice she sings for me without a second thought. I could place her in any song situation, sad, happy, bhajan, cabaret, fun song, gham song… she took just a few minutes to catch the tune. Time was never lost when recording. No tantrums, no moods, no cancellation. Just Janakiji and the mic.”
In this writer’s one conversation with Janaki Amma she had expressed her joy at the sheer ritual of recording. “It doesn’t matter which language or mood… a song recording is my dharm, my pooja, my aradhana. When I sing, I forget everything else. It’s just me and the composition.”
S Janaki would now be singing duets with Asha Bhosle in heaven.
