Jingles

He moved to Mumbai in the year of 2001, where he began his foray into the music industry.^[19]

When he moved to Mumbai, he already had a few friends there who were connected to the film industry. He was recommended to musician Ram Sampath, who was looking for a new voice for a jingle for Nakshatra diamonds. Kher would later recall the jingle as one which did not bring instant recognition but fetched him ₹5000, which he needed desperately at the time "just to survive".^[20]

Kher's foray continued with him singing jingles for TV and radio commercials, receiving critical acclaim for his unique style of singing. He sang in commercials for big brands such as Coca-Cola, Citibank, Pepsi, IPL and Honda Motor Cycles.^[21]

Playback singing and regional singing

Kher had to struggle to get a chance in Bollywood. He got an opportunity to sing a song for the movie Andaaz. In this movie, his song "Rabba Ishq Na Hove" became popular. His song "Allah ke Bande" from the obscure movie Waisa Bhi Hota Hai Part II became very popular and this song made him a popular singing star in Bollywood.^[22]

He sang a number of the songs in the Bollywood film Mangal Pandey: The Rising, in which he had a cameo appearance. His another famous song is "O Sikander" from Corporate.^[22] The song "Teri Deewani" from the album of the same name by his band Kailasa and the song "Ya Rabba" from the movie Salaam-e-Ishq: A Tribute to Love had record sales. He got opportunity to sing for the film Baahubali 2: The Conclusion. In the film his song "Jay Jay Kara" and "Jal rahi hai chita" became much popular.

A. R. Rahman commented,

Kher has a uniquely soulful, raw and high-pitched voice. I remember how I first heard of him. I had asked Mehboob, our lyricist, for a new voice that is earthy and strong, and he said, I have just the person for you. That voice can only be that of Kailash! And he sent Kailash to meet me. The moment I heard him, I knew that here was a voice that was so wonderful, and which had its own unique space.... I want to say that Kailash Kher's voice has something that had been lacking a lot – it had pure soul! Allah Ke Bande is one of my all-time favorite songs.^[23]

Kailasa

Kher formed a band named Kailasa in Mumbai in 2004, with Mumbai-based musician brothers, Paresh Kamath and Naresh Kamath.^[27]

. The band's first album, Kailasa, was released in March 2006.^{[citation needed]}

Their second album, Jhoomo Re, was released in May 2007.^{[citation needed]}

Kailasa's third album, Chaandan mein released in June 2009, was yet another smash hit!^{[citation needed]} He made his first international album on the acclaimed independent record label Cumbancha.^[28]

He released his fourth album, Rangeele, which was released by his owned company Kailasa Records in January 2012. This album was widely acclaimed amongst the fans of Kailasa, and was critically acclaimed worldwide.^{[citation needed]}

Kher has also sung a few non-filmy Nepali pop songs including "Phool Ko Thunga" and "Bolnai parcha bhanne K cha ra" from the album called Only Love in 2011.

2016 marks the return of Kher with his brand-new melodies, Ishq Anokha. This album, self-produced and distributed by SaReGaMa was a chart buster shortly after its launch. Ishq Anokha comprises eight fresh numbers as 'Ishq Anokha', 'O Jogi', 'Meharbani Teri', 'Berukhiyaan', 'Vaari Vaari', 'Guru Ghantal', 'Turiya Turiya' and an electro version of the track 'Vaari Vaari'. The album had to be launched thrice, in 3 different metropolitan cities, Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata.

Performances and international concerts

He has not only performed for the south east Asian diaspora, but also for international audiences in festivals and venues such as GlobalFest at New York's Webster Hall, Kennedy Center (Washington D.C.), Stern Grove Festival (San Francisco), Celebrate Brooklyn, Santa Monica Pier Festival (LA), Fillmore Center (San Francisco), Hollywood Bowl (LA), Hammersmith Apollo (London), Symphony Hall (Birmingham), Massey Hall (Toronto).^[29]

In 2007, he participated in a concert tour in North America entitled "The Incredibles", also starring Asha Bhosle, Sonu Nigam and Kunal Ganjawala. In March 2011, Kailasa performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., as part of the Maximum India festival.^[30] Kher performed at the closing ceremony of the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi.^[31]

In 2012, as part of Kailasa's third Nepal tour, Kher performed at Dhaka in Bangladesh, Nairobi in Kenya, Zimbabwe and Congo, Karachi in Pakistan and Muscat in Oman.^[32]

Television and reality shows

He has appeared in various television shows, including Wind of Change (Bangladesh) (Gaan Bangla),^[33] Saregamapa Li'l Champs (Zee TV), Mission Ustaad (9X), Indian Idol 4 (Sony), IPL Rockstar (Colors) and Rock On (MTV).^[34][35] In 2009, Kher appeared in Indian Idol 4 as a judge along with Javed Akhtar, Sonali Bendre and Anu Malik.

In 2013, Kher collaborated with singer Shreya Ghoshal for the first time for a mission titled 'The Project Resound: Upgrade your Ears', in which Kher wrote, composed, and invited Shreya to sing along a song named "Naina Chaar". This online initiative by Sony Music India, aimed to make people aware of the rising technological advancement in the field of music, which may make it difficult to distinguish between noise and music. The project also promoted the use of Sony headphones.^[36][37]

On 15 March 2014, Kher appeared in the celebrity talk show Comedy Nights with Kapil, at the special occasion of holi celebrations.

Controversies

Kher was accused of inappropriate behaviour and harassment by multiple women during the Indian Me Too movement in 2018.^[40][41] Kher, however, denied the allegations, stating, "Accusing without a formal complaint isn’t authentic."^[42] He then went on to make a public apology for the unintentional behaviour on his part that may have made the complainants uncomfortable.^[43]

Film awards and other honours