V. Harikrishna

**V. Harikrishna** (born 5 November 1974) is a prominent Indian music composer, playback singer, film producer, and director who works predominantly in Kannada cinema. Widely celebrated as one of the most prolific and commercially successful music directors of modern Sandalwood, he dominated the Kannada music charts throughout the late 2000s and 2010s, earning the industry epithet of the "hit machine."

Born and raised in Bengaluru, Karnataka, Harikrishna grew up in a musically inclined family. He began his musical training at an early age, learning the keyboard and harmonium, and performed with various regional orchestra troupes across the state. In the early 1990s, he entered the film industry as an assistant and programmer, spending over a decade working closely under veteran music directors such as Hamsalekha, V. Manohar, Gurukiran, and Sadhu Kokila.