Konal

Konal was born in Dhaka to Saima Monir and Monir Hossain Montu.{{cite web |title=A Musical Evening by Ms. Somnur Monir Konal at Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre at Gulshan in Dhaka at 6:30 PM on August 23, 2014 |url=https://www.hcidhaka.gov.in/news?id=eyJpdiI6InZjZGU2NlFvSXlWV3RzQUJIczhiQkE9PSIsInZhbHVlIjoiSHVrRlR6S0plY1luVjlkT3dcL2RIOEE9PSIsIm1hYyI6ImYwMzA1MjZmZWZmNDhlOTU4MjJjMjNmYTcxODYwOGUyNTQ3MGYzZDE5N2IyMmE5ODA5Y2U2NjA1ODUxZTVlYjAifQ== |website=High Commission of India, Bangladesh}}{{cite news |last1=Hassan |first1=Mainul |title=Voice of the generation |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/news-detail-119729 |work=The Daily Star |date=2009-12-29}} Montu died from COVID-19 in 2020. She credits her early interest in music to her mother, who was not a professional musician but loved singing.{{cite news |last1=Hossain |first1=Rafi |title=Konal's Quest for Musical Healing |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/konals-quest-for-musical-healing-53372 |work=The Daily Star |date=2014-12-06 |language=en}} When Konal was 6, her family moved to Kuwait, where her father worked for the Ministry of Interior.{{cite news |title=Konal to establish welfare trust in father's name |url=https://thedailynewnation.com/news/274038/konal-to-establish-welfare-trust-in-fathers-name.html |work=The New Nation |date=2021-01-04 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20210603185734/https://thedailynewnation.com/news/274038/konal-to-establish-welfare-trust-in-fathers-name.html |archive-date=2021-06-03 |access-date=2021-06-03 |url-status=live }} In Kuwait, she studied Hindustani classical music under Keka Mukherjee at All India Music Academy. In 2008, after finishing her A-Levels, she moved back to Dhaka, where she lived in her maternal uncle's home.{{cite news |last1=Shazu |first1=Shah Alam |title=Konal: A sure hit |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/news-detail-265582 |work=The Daily Star |date=2013-01-18}} She studied at the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh at the Department of Media Studies and Journalism.

Konal came to prominence through a national musical talent hunt, the 2009 Channel i Shera Kontho. Award-winning lyricist Kabir Bakul and folk singer Nadira Begum judged her audition.{{cite news |last1=Ali |first1=Anwar |title=Konal wins 'Channel i Shera Kontho 2009' |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/news-detail-119238 |work=The Daily Star |date=2009-12-25}} The competition started in May, and she was crowned champion in December, from a field of 92,000 contestants.

Over the next several years she was a playback singer for more than a dozen films, and hosted television shows for Channel i, including the 2012 edition of Shera Kontho. She also had a cameo role as a radio jockey in the 2012 film Lal Tip, and modeled in several television commercials for Airtel in September 2011.{{cite news |title=Konal in TVC for first time |work=The New Nation |date=2011-09-06}} Also in 2011, she enrolled at University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh in the Media Studies and Journalism Department.{{cite magazine |last=Afrin |first=Saudia |date=September 2012 |title=Exclusive interview with ULAB's Konal: A Classical Music Singing Sensation |url=http://ces.ulab.edu.bd/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/08/ulabian_eng_sep_2012.pdf |magazine=The ULABian |access-date=2021-06-04 |archive-date=2021-06-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210604001034/http://ces.ulab.edu.bd/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/08/ulabian_eng_sep_2012.pdf |url-status=dead }}

Her first solo album, Konal's Jaadu, was released in May 2012. It contains seven original Bengali-language tracks by noted composers and a cover of the song "Bangla Desh" in tribute to George Harrison.{{cite news |title=Konal's Jaadu unveiled |url=http://www.dhakamirror.com/uncategorized/konals-jaadu-unveiled/ |work=Dhaka Mirror |date=2012-05-16}} Her playback work in late 2015 and early 2016 included singing with Kanak Champa in the film Apon Manush, the song "Tomar Adhare, Tomar Anginate" with Andrew Kishore in film Bhalobasapur, and songs in films Rajneeti, Meghkanya, Premer Ki Sadh Ache Bol and Moner Raja.{{cite news |url=https://www.dailyinqilab.com/article/1041/%E0%A6%AA%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%B2%E0%A7%87%E0%A6%AC%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%AF%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%95%E0%A7%87-%E0%A6%AC%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%AF%E0%A6%B8%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%A4-%E0%A6%B8%E0%A6%AE%E0%A7%9F-%E0%A6%AA%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%B0-%E0%A6%95%E0%A6%B0%E0%A6%9B%E0%A7%87%E0%A6%A8-%E0%A6%95%E0%A7%8B%E0%A6%A8%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%B2?_e_pi_=7,PAGE_ID10,3426998615 |script-title=bn:প্লেব্যাকে ব্যস্ত সময় পার করছেন কোনাল |work=Daily Inqilab |language=bn |access-date=2018-01-16}} In May 2016, she and Belal Khan shared the Symphony-Channel i Music Award in the category best playback singer for their duet "Jotodin Dhore Bachi" in the 2015 film Ochena Hridoy.{{cite news |title=Shahnaz Rahmatullah honoured at SCMA |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/arts-entertainment/shahnaz-rahmatullah-honoured-scma-1230793 |work=The Daily Star |date=2016-05-29}}

In October 2017, she recorded the song "Ma Tomar Anchol Kothay" with Tanvir Tareq for the 2019 film Maya: The Lost Mother.{{cite news |script-title=bn:তানভীর তারেকের সুর-সঙ্গীতে নতুন প্লে-ব্যাকে কোনাল |url=https://www.bd-pratidin.com/entertainment/2017/10/22/274230 |work=Bangladesh Pratidin |language=bn |access-date=2017-10-22}}{{cite news |last1=Karim |first1=Rahat |title=Maya - The lost mother |url=https://www.newagebd.net/article/96263/maya-the-lost-mother |work=New Age |date=2020-01-12}} She and Bappa Mazumder recorded the title song for the film Jannat in February 2018.{{cite news |title=Bappa Mazumder, Konal voice title number of 'Jannat' |url=https://www.dhakatribune.com/showtime/2018/02/05/bappa-mazumder-konal-voice-title-number-jannat |work=Dhaka Tribune |date=2018-02-05}} She also voiced the title song of the 2019 film Jodi Ekdin with Tahsan Khan.{{cite news |last1=Iqbal |first1=Shababa |title=Keeping up with Konal |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/news/arts-entertainment/interview/keeping-konal-1616833 |work=The Daily Star |date=2018-08-07}}

Konal and Imran Mahmudul, who was first runner up on the 2008 edition of Channel i Shera Kontho, judged the 40-episode 2019 edition of children's musical reality show Ganer Raja.{{cite news |title=Imran and Konal to judge 'Ganer Raja' |url=https://www.dhakatribune.com/feature/2018/10/25/imran-and-konal-to-judge-ganer-raja |work=Dhaka Tribune |date=2018-10-25}} Later that year she recorded a duet with Lincon in the party song "Agun Lagailo" for the film Password, starring Shakib Khan and Shobnom Bubly, which earned her widespread recognition and she received massive response from audience.{{cite news |last1=Iqbal |first1=Shababa |title=Konal on fire with 'Agun Lagailo' |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/arts-entertainment/music/news/konal-fire-agun-lagailo-1754557 |work=The Daily Star |date=2019-06-10}} She voiced another party song, "Sunny Sunny" for the film Bikkhov.{{cite news |title=Konal playbacks for Sunny Leone |url=https://www.thedailystar.net/arts-entertainment/music/singer-konal-playbacks-for-actress-sunny-leone-1792519 |work=The Daily Star |date=2019-08-30}}

In 2020, she sang "Tumi Amar Jibon" with Imran Mahmudul for Kazi Hayat's 50th directorial venture Bir, starring Shakib Khan and Shobnom Bubly, for which she won her first National Film Award for Best Playback Singer.{{cite news |title=Imran getting response for song Tumi Aamar Jibon |url=http://www.thedailynewnation.com/news/246155/imran-getting-response-for-song-tumi-aamar-jibon |work=The New Nation |date=2020-02-13 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20210604053025/http://www.thedailynewnation.com/news/246155/imran-getting-response-for-song-tumi-aamar-jibon |archive-date=2021-06-04 |access-date=2021-06-04 |url-status=live }} In 2023, she sang "O Priyotoma" for the highest grossing Bangladeshi film of all time Priyotoma, with a Akassh composition, starring Shakib Khan and Idhika Paul. It received massive response from audience and crossed over 100 million views on YouTube in just three months. For which she won Bachsas Award for Best Female Playback Singer.

Konal married Monzur Kader Zia, a journalist for Prothom Alo who she had known for three years, on 21 September 2016.{{cite news |url=http://www.clickittefaq.com/singer-konal-gets-married/ |title=Singer Konal gets married |work=The Daily Ittefaq |access-date=2018-01-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180117011848/http://www.clickittefaq.com/singer-konal-gets-married/ |archive-date=2018-01-17 |url-status=dead}}{{cite news |title=Konal marries Monjur Kader Zia |url=https://www.observerbd.com/details.php?id=34723 |work=The Daily Observer |date=2016-09-24}}

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{{Bangladesh National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer}}

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Category:Living people

Category:Musicians from Dhaka

Category:21st-century Bangladeshi women singers

Category:21st-century Bangladeshi singers

Category:Bengali playback singers

Category:Best Female Playback Singer National Film Award (Bangladesh) winners

Category:Date of birth missing (living people)

Category:University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh alumni

Category:1987 births