1. She was born on April 23, 1938 in Palapatla, Andhra Pradesh.

2. Her father was an Ayurvedic doctor and teacher.

3. She got her first stage performance at age nine in Sircilla.

4. She learned music from a Nadaswaram vidwan named Paidiswamy.

5. She made her debut as a singer in the 1957 Tamil film Vidhiyin Vilayattu at age 19.

6. She has sung more than 48,000 songs in 25 languages, including Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam, and Hindi.

7. She is known for Thevar Magan (1992), Pathinaru Vayathinile (1977), and Moondram Pirai (1982).

8. She is also known as "Janakiamma" and "The Nightingale of South India".

9. She has worked with composers of different generations, including SP Balasubrahmanyam.

10. She married V. Ramprasad in 1959, who encouraged her career and accompanied her during most of her recordings.

11. She has a sweet voice similar to Shreya Ghoshal.