Kanakam was born in Kharagpur in 1927 and later shifted to Vijayawada. She started singing folk songs in All India Radio since childhood. She became famous for playing Nayakuralu Nagamma in Palnati Yudham and Sri Krishna in Kurukshetram dramas. She also played as Srirama, Chintamani and many more and toured the entire state playing the dramas. She is contemporary to Peesapati Narasimha Murty, Shanmukhi Anjaneya Raju, Kalyanam Raghuramaiah, Relangi Venkataramaiah, Madhavapeddi Satyam and others.

She sang some songs in the films including Cheyi Cheyi Kalupukora in Raksharekha and Bhale Doralaku in Shavukaru.

She received Nandamuri Taraka Ramarao Theatre Art Award for 2004 from the Government of Andhra Pradesh.^[4] Kanakam died in 2015, aged 88.^[5]