Subbulakshmi (Kunjamma to her family) was born in Madurai, Madras Presidency, India to Veena player Shanmukavadiver Ammal and Subramania Iyer. Her grandmother Akkammal was a violinist.

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M.S. Subbulakshmi began her Carnatic classical music training under her mother Shanmugavadivu; and later in Hindustani classical training under Pandit Narayan Rao Vyas. Subbulakshmi first recording was released when she was 10 years old.

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Subbulakshmi gave her first performance at the prestigious Madras Music Academy in 1929,when she was 13 years old . The performance consisted of singing bhajans (Hindu hymns). The academy was known for its discriminating selection process, and they broke tradition by inviting a young girl as a key performer. Her performance was described as spellbinding and earned her many admirers and the moniker of musical genius from critics. Soon after her debut performances, Subbulakshmi became one of the leading Carnatic vocalists.

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By the age of seventeen, Subbulakshmi was giving concerts on her own, including major performances at the Madras Music Academy.

She travelled to London, New York, Canada, the Far East, and other places as India's cultural ambassador. Her concerts at

• Edinburgh International Festival of Music and Drama in 1963

• Carnegie Hall, New York; the UN General Assembly on UN day in 1966

• Royal Albert Hall, London in 1982

• Festival of India in Moscow in 1987

were significant landmarks in her career. 

 

In 1969 she was accompanied by Indian Railways Advisor SN Venkata Rao to Rameshwaram, where she famously sang several songs in front of each idol in the Rameshwaram temple.

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After the death of her husband Kalki Sadasivam in 1997, she stopped all her public performances.

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She was the first Indian musician to be awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour.