Top Indian Songs of the week 10th November 2024

1. Here

Vocals, Composition: Ananya Sharma

Lyrics: Jane Tyson Clement

Producer, Recording Engineer, Music Arranger: Ananya Sharma

Producer, Co-producer, Recording Engineer: Jorge I. Vázquez

Language: English

Genre: Pop

Mood: Inspirational

This is the second consecutive week that Ananya Sharma has been featured here on my weekly list. Ananya composes a stunning melody bolstered by her impeccable vocals and shape-shifting into a magnificent song thanks to the arrangements and musical production. I stand and salute you Ananya for the effort, vision and ultimate output because we live in a world where the easy route to success is filled with mediocrity, yet she chooses to take a path of inspirational songwriting. 

Jane Tyson Clement writes the lyrics, and Ananya writes the melody and performs the lead vocals. The song is co-produced by Jorge I. Vázquez and Ananya. We can hear the Harp by Rachel Groves mild and mellifluous. Slowly but steadily like a rain that gains its intensity from drizzle to showers, we hear the Violin by Djessy Van Den Dries. It soaks you in misery like the violin is supposed to bringing in the pathos and when we hear Ananya in lead and backing vocals "I stand Here, I stand Here" we feel the body tremble, not with fear but with all the gusto and determination of a person against inclement externalities. 

The singing and violin solo rise in pitch like a growing spirit and the double bass provides that support like a rock, for the song to stand, thanks to Mathew Baker. The second verse feels even more impactful and Djessy's violin teases you this time around with the playful plucks and kudos to Ananya and Jorge for the astonishing arrangements and production. Daniel Quesada is on percussion and the tracks are mixed by Nicolas Hard. The recording engineer is Tanishq Seth, Ishaan Jagyasi is the mastering engineer. The outro is where Ananya breaks free from her clutches and sings with her heart out, singing " One Wild Song". 

@ananyas.music @jorgei.vazquez @nic.hard @ishaan.jagyasi @rachel.harpist @djessyswan.music @mattbakerbaryton @dquesada.composer @tanizhqseth_ 

2. BeHaya Humre Saiyaan Bedard?

Singer & Music: Sanah Moidutty

Lyricist: Mahendra Dhirajlal Kamdar

Music Production and Arrangement: Prasanna Suresh

Language: Hindi

Genre: Semi-classical fusion

Mood: Relaxing

Sanah Moidutty is getting her game phase on, with an exploration into Hindi indie space in 2024 as a vocalist (check out amazing singles like 'Piya Mere' and 'Ghanan') and now she has composed the melody too. Lalait Talluri lures you with his flute solo in the prelude, and it immediately feels like a cool breeze touching your face and something you have longed for. Shomu Seal accompanies on the rhythm guitars and Sanah joins in and bamboozles you with her stunning voice. The Tabla by Hanif Khan is quick to make an impact and my favourite line is the antara that goes "ka kare ham be-inktiyari dil ki" with some tough landing notes sealed beautifully by Sanah. 

The melody feels like a whiff of Raag Bilawal to me. Prasanna Suresh who has collaborated with Sanah before, is in charge of the wonderful arrangements and production, so his contribution is much appreciated. The catchy interlude with Lalit playing a beautifully written melody with the chirpy Tabla is worth your time and you can play just this segment multiple times on loop. The sanchari (charanam/stanza) is another excellently written piece, and Sanah is just showing she is an able composer here. The whole team must be congratulated for creating some magic here. The lyrics are penned by Mahendra Dhirajlal Kamdar.

The notes, lyrics and vocals are endearing and oozing of richness when she sings " voh lagaaye chathiyan hum ko papi, ghar ke manva nain sauthan saali". Sanah does one better than my expectations with that brilliant bridge section "daga baaz jalaye hamaar jiyarava" with the fantastic accompaniment of the Harmonium, giving an ARRahman-esque Sufi flavour. The tracks are mixed and mastered by Abin Paul and the sound engineers are Pranjal Bora at Neo Sound Studio and Harmony Studios. The people who founded this music label Jukoz Music Pvt Ltd are Mahendra, Dhwanee, Archana and Bhupesh. 

@sanah_moidutty @mahendradkamdar @jukoxmusic @officialprasannasuresh @shomu_seal @hanifkhan5936 @@lalittalluri @mixwithabin @hanifkhan5936 @archana.kamdar.31 @dhwaneekamdar @bhupeshkamdar 

3. Mayavi

Singer: Sonu Nigam, Sanjith Hegde

Composed and Arranged by Sanjith Hegde

Lyrics by Nagarjun Sharma

Produced by: Gautham Hebbar, Sunny M.R., Sanjith Hegde

Language: Kannada

Genre: Light Music/Pop

Mood: Romantic

Another fabulous number comes out of Bhoomi 2024, and this time it is Sanjith Hegde who does one up on the earlier song he had written and performed for Bhoomi a couple of years ago. This guy has not only been one of India's finest vocalists, he also has forayed into the indie space over the last couple of years giving his fans and overall music lovers many treats. Sanjith has written the melody and done the instrumental arrangements and the decision to get Sonu Nigam on board for lead vocals is a masterstroke.

Sonu has been at the pinnacle of glory in the Sandalwood music industry for more than a decade now and his voice with these Kannada lines is a match made in heaven. Raghuraman Ramasubramanian is enticing on the acoustic guitars and after Sonu's sthayi lines get over we get Kathik Vamsi's percussions and the lovely sound of the Harmonica. The melody has traces of Raag Keeravani according to me and there are moments where the melody captivates you and makes you speechless. "Sothe hodhe sothe hode, sothe hodhe" with all of Sonu's enchanting ghamakas is pure bliss. The interlude on guitars, rhythms and the Harmonica gives a very upbeat Latin-styled flavour.

The second stanza is when Sanjith breaks in and adds to the oomph and class factors. The Latin flavours are enhanced with Karthik Vamsi's percussions. The song is produced with such finesses by Sanjith, Sunny MR, and Gautham Hebbar. The recording engineers are Raj Pandit at Blue Productions Sujith Sreedhar at 2BarQ Studios, Chennai. The tracks are mixed and mastered by Sunny MR at Chordfather Productions, with assistant engineers Farhan Shaikh, Abhishek Poojary & Nikhil Mathew

@sanjithhegde @nagarjun_sharma @salimsulaimanmusic @sonunigamofficial @merchant_records @gauthamhebbar @sunnymr @mixedbyaftab @raghuraman_ramasubramanian @alloy_francis @dharmil_music @karanghosh @sujithsreedhar @2bqstudios 

4. Beautiful Mess

Lyrics written by Meyisanen Lemtur

Music composition - Meyisanen Lemtur & Aonochet Walling

Music arrangement - Nash Longkumer

Language: English

Genre: Rock

Mood: Energetic

This is why NE India has some of the best music in the nation. We have 2 Assamese songs and this English track from Nagaland in this week's list. Listen to this blast of a track from these Nagaland-based musicians. Don't you agree that this is one of the finest Indian rock singles of 2024? Meyisanen Lemtur has this Bryan Adams-esque vocal tone and he is pulverising form on lead vocals. I want to get up from my chair and feel the adrenaline rushing all over my body because these instrumentalists are killing it. 

Wangshi is playing the guitars, Lima Jamir spices up things with his drums and Aonochet Walling is playing it cool and casual on his bass guitars. This is world-class music and Rod Stewart would be proud of this kind of work. The melody is written by Meyisanen and Aonochet, with lyrics by the former and production, arrangements by Nash Longkumer. The singing is immaculate with oozing energy and quality, the falsetto proves it. Nash ups the ante with all the harmonies and guitar arrangements, look out for a sensational electric guitar solo by Arenlong Longkumer and you will simply be bamboozled by it. Nash is the mixing and mastering engineer. 

@meyisanen_lamtur @wangshi_meren @your_beloved_bassman @arenlong_lkr @toshimoa_jamir @jamirjr.lima @nash_lkr @arenlong_lkr

5. Bordoisila

Music Supervisors: Achint Thakkar & Parth Pandya (Night Song Records)

Artists: Anand Bhaskar, Abhishruti Bezbaruah

Composed by Anand Bhaskar

Vocalists: Abhishruti Bezbaruah & Anand Bhaskar

Lyricist: Paplu Chetia

Music Production: Parth Parekh & Anand Bhaskar

Language: Assamese

Genre: Alt-Pop

Mood: Energetic

Maati Season 1, is doing a fine job as a collective, and after featuring 'Bawla' the single was featured a couple of weeks ago with some excellent disco-pop by Mikey McCleary and Sushant Divgikar. Here comes another fantastic musician, Anand Bhaskar and he composes this enticing melody and the rejuvenating Alt-Pop music production is done by Parth Parekh and Anand Bhaskar. The lyricist is Paplu Chetia. 

The project has Achint Thakkar and Parth Pandya (Night Song Records) as music supervisors and credit goes to this brilliant collaborative effort to elevate and promote Assamese folk music. Abhisrushti Bezbaruah is the lead vocalist for this single and she makes this one enchanting journey, Anand joins as the male lead. Parth Parekh ups the ante with Keys and Synths and one can feel the ground shake with this exhilarating programming. The heavy drums by Shishir Tao make way and we get a boost in energy here just around the chorus segment. The backing vocalists are Vacha Bipin, Shivya Sharma, Harshul Gautam, Hrishi Giridhar and Parth Parekh. 

Hrishi Giridhar sizzles on guitars and Neel Patel is providing the funk on bass. I was blown away by Anand's superlative vocals and Assamese diction in the higher pitch. The melody is just sweet honey to the ears and all the majestic singing and production beautifies this single even further. I love the teasing Mandolin in the background played so mildly but effectively by Hrishi and he also gives a Baul folk touch with the Dotara. 

The harmonies, percussion, and bass guitars work in tandem, and we also get some programmed horn sections, making this a solid track. Krina Shah is the recording engineer at Bombay Live Studios, and Prathmesh Dudhane mixes and mastered the tracks. Sharel Soans is the music coordinator, and Shalom Benjamin is the Studio Head. 

@warnermusicindia @bhaskarville @abhishrutibez @nightsongrecords @papluchetia @hrishigiridhar @achinstagram @parthparekhmusic @vachabipin @shivangirammurty @bombaylivestudios 

6. Bhalpua Hoi Bajisu

Lyrics, Composition & Music: Diganta Bharati

Singers: Papon & Bhaswati Bharati

Music Production:  Palash Surjya Gogoi

Language: Assamese

Genre: Light Music

Mood: Romantic

We have another Assamese song this week on the list and that is commendable. Hiren Das' Tabla and Palash Surjya Gogoi on the Harmonium delightfully create the prelude for the song and it is Palash who does the music production as well. Diganta Bharati writes the lyrics and composes the tune as well. We know what to expect when we see Papon's name in the lead vocal credits and as expected he wastes no time in making the heart swell in joy with his vocals. 

You can sense a semi-classical touch here with Papon's and Bhaswati Bharati's aalap and ghamakas. Aniruddha Borua plays the guitar and bass, and Subankur Hazarika's excellent intervention on Sitar is a showstopper. The melody is the strong point of the song and kudos to DIganta for this beauty which probably has traces of Raag Yaman. This song is from the Assamese movie album 'Abhimanyu'. To match Papon is no mean feat but Bhaswati does this incredibly with her singing, breath control and delivery. The melody feels the sweetest when BHaswati sings the title line "Bhalpua hoi Bajishu". 

The interlude is a Jugalbandhi of the Sitar and Harmonium, and what is impressive is Palash's production as he also has keys, Guitars and drums playing alongside the Sitar, Tabla and Harmonium making a fantastic concoction and fusion of styles. You will notice the skills of the composer and producer when we get to observe the two interludes one on SItar and Harmonium and the other on acoustic guitars and harmonies. The backing vocalists are Bidyut Bikash, Babon Bornill, Bubumani and Vicky. The tracks are mixed and mastered by Pinku Das at AV Studio. 

@digantabharati @paponmusic @bhaswati_bharati @deeplina_deka @palashgags @achinta_cut_it_ok 

7. Nahi

Written by: Janisht Joshi

Produced by: Timothy Thampy

Language: Hindi

Genre: Punk Rock/ Synth-Pop

Mood: Romantic

This is the first time I am featuring this artist Janisht Joshi and he impresses me straightaway. The song is quite energetic and breathes freshness and some very creative elements. Timothy Thampy, a producer I have featured many times comes on board and gives a fine finished product. Janisht shines with his incredible vocal control as he performs the falsettos with stunning ease and perfection. 

The constant and pacy acoustic guitars provide the necessary rhythm for the love song. His vocal range also seems to be wide and Janisht doesn't miss the opportunity to exhibit it. I am entirely invested when he sings the pre-chorus "Jo Hai, Woh hai" with the pauses and the synths loading up. The drums are ebullient and kudos to the Zen-styled writing by Janisht. It is a weird confluence of rock-styled exuberance in the production and calmness and detachment propounded through words. 

Like Janisht sings " Rok hum payenge nahi" I agree that such good music will make its way to the top of our minds and nobody can stop it. The production alters between Soft rock, Punk Rock and Synth Pop, giving it a varied experience for the listener. The tracks are mixed and mastered by Ninad Lad, and the music Label is Robach Music Group. 

@janishtjoshi @timothythapy @robachmusic @dimplevc15 @jhaveridhwani 

8. Paradise

Performed by Jyoti Kavi

Written by Jyoti Kavi

Produced by Jyoti Kavi

Language: English

Genre: Pop

Mood: Contemplative/Trance

Jyoti Kavi goes solo in this English indie single, and she comes out on top. A few months ago I was in awe of her super-melodious Hindi single called "Na Ja" and here she gives off a different perspective of her singing prowess. The earlier single showed her classical training while this shows her Western pop attributes. Jyoti composed the melody, wrote the lyrics, performed the lead vocals and produced the song as well. The keys, synths and rhythms programming is eclectic and leads into a zone of trance.

Jyoti's vocals are a source of inspiration for many youngsters who want to sing across genres and styles. " It's another day in paradise" seems like a line inspired by Phil Collins' "Another Day in Paradise", and Jyoti tweaks and gives her version of that melody in the chorus segment. The vocal harmonies add depth and shifting between English and Hindi lines is done with incredible ease by Jyoti. The saxophone solo in the interlude brings great freshness to the song and the melody written for this interlude is also worthy of praise. The song stands tall mainly because of Jyoti's vocal prowess and delivery. 

@jyoti.kavi @horusmusicindia

9. Goom Ho Gaya

Singer/Composer: Gajendra Verma

Lyrics: Gajendra Verma

Language: Hindi

Genre: Synth Pop

Mood: Energetic

Gajendra Verma does well in this single, and this is the second I am featuring from his latest album, "Good Vibes Only". This single is the best of the album and this synth pop vibe is doing me more than good. Gajendra writes the lyrics, and melody and performs the lead vocals with some funky zest. The keys, rhythms and guitars create this web of fabulous instrumental arrangements that takes us back to the 1990s when Global Pop music was at its best.

The backing vocalist's team up to sing " Goom" after Gajendra sings the phrase"Ho gaya main" and this gives a good energetic pulse, albeit enjoyable. I love this line "Ab mein kaaton kaise raatein sun bina teri saare baatein" from a melody standopoint. The song is wholesome thanks to all these elements like vocals, production and overall soundscape. The music label is DroomMusic. The bridge section in English and Hindi is another enjoyable segment in the song.

@ivermagajendra @droommusicofficial @rolandfernandes25 

10. Maahroo

Performed by Amit Trivedi, Sunidhi Chauhan

Written by Amit Trivedi, Geet Sagar

Produced by Amit Trivedi

Language: Punjabi

Genre: Electronic Pop

Mood: Romantic

This is one of the 5 songs I like in this album called "Azaad Collab" by Amit Trivedi. I have been quite critical of the composer for some of the mediocre work in the last 5 years especially when it comes to the Bollywood music he is involved in. His indie releases have been better but this 15-track album is Amit's best work in the last 5 years. I strongly recommend that readers stream this album right away, and other than this gentle electronic pop, I'll be featuring a few more singles in the subsequent weeks. 

Sunidhi Chauhan shines as the lead female vocalist and in unison with Amit, the song gives off this gentle romantic vibe as well. The lyrics are penned by Geet Sagar and melody is composed and music production is done by Amit. My favourite part is when the two leads perform the title line. The background vocals and melodica combine nicely in the interlude. The song stands out thanks to the good melody, especially when we get to the stanza. Geet Sagar gets creative and writes these nice lines like "sookhi sookhi hai zameen, barishon ka paani tu". 

@itsamittrivedi @believemusicindia @sunidhichauhan5 @geetsagarofficial

11. Enthaanu Manassil

Vocals by Arun G S

Composed, and produced by BG Shirdi 

Lyrics by Kaviprasad Gopinath

Language: Malayalam

Genre: Light Music

Mood: Romantic

This Mollywood number features a few new names: BG Shirdi, who composed the melody and produced the song, Arun GS, who lent his voice, and Kaviprasad Gopinath, who wrote the lyrics. The guitars, Keys by Vinodh and strings section in the background are all mild but present. The woodwinds is a nice addition to the mix, with BG Shirdi introducing the Veena as well in the interlude. 

The song's melody especially the interlude has some strong resemblance to AR Rahman's ' Netri illatha Matram' from the movie "Puthiya Mugam". Arun GS delivers his lines with a few nice touches and his mild vocals sound soothing. The woodwinds by Lalit Talluri and guitars by Joel Sastry are all arranged excellently in the stanza. My favourite part is the humming "thara ra ra raa re" in the second interlude, and the production deserves some appreciation for sure for getting vocal harmonies also arranged with great effect in the second stanza. Kishan Sreebal is the mixing, and mastering engineer. 

@bgshirdi @kaviprasad.gopinath @arungsmusical @srsurajmuzzics @roshni_aravindaskshan @lalittalluri @vinodhkeys @joelsastry @nishitha_shetty_voleti