Top Indian Songs of the week 14th January 2024

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Here are the best songs released in India across languages and genres for the week ending 14th January 2024. 

1. Kaatuka Kallakettinaave

Music Composer, Lyrics: P V N S Rohit 

Singers : P V N S Rohit & Sahithi Chaganti 

Song Programmed by Ebenezer Paul 

Song was Arranged by Anudeep Dev

Language: Telugu

Genre: Musical Theatre/ Pop

Mood: Happy

'Dumbstruck', is the word that defines my feeling when I heard this indie single last week, walking back home after a dull and drab day. I realised the power of music in its entirety when this song played out, especially with the theatrics and vocal skill of PVNS Rohit beaming through my headphones. 

I am not sure how I missed this because it says that this is a 2022 release, but a few Spotify Playlists added this song in 2024. I wanted to feature this song nevertheless. The Accordion and Piano create a Musical Theatre kind of tone with Sahithi Chaganti's feeble humming in the background. After that, it is a show of mastery by Rohit with this incredible control, ghamaka-laden singing. I can hardly comprehend the things he is achieving vocally. 

The best part of the songs is that nothing is done as overkill, because many a time, vocalists can do so much that the beauty of a tune is damaged. Here PVNS Rohit maintains the sactity of his composition all along as he dazzles with his delivery. Ebenezer Paul does all the programming and the splendid arrangments are handled by Anudeep Dev. I urge singers to try this vocally at home! The recording engineers are Aditya, Bhanu & Anudeep Dev, with mixing and mastering by Abin Paul 

@flawed_brilliance @ebbypaul11 @anudeep.dev @sahithichaganti @

2. Kutty Kudiye

Music Composed, Arranged, and Produced: Vishnu Vijay 

Lyrics: Suhail Koya 

Singers: Sanjith Hegde, Vishnu Vijay

Language: Malayalam

Genre: folk-pop

Mood: Energetic

I am so happy that after long last Sanjith Hegde is being allowed to showcase his brilliant skills as a vocalist across languages. In Kannada, he is the reigning numero uno, but thankfully after AR Rahman made him sing in Tamil for 'Ayalaan', now the fantastic composer/flautist Vishnu Vijay makes him sing in Malayalam. This groovy pop single is from the movie 'Premalu' and I bet that this is going to be a super hit on all social media. 

Sanjith's singing is spotless and he induces this cool attitude when he delivers the lines so casually. The bamboo flute-based riffs that we hear are by Vishnu and this piece is proof of what Vishnu always offers in every song, 'freshness'. The way Sanjith ends the lines "pathi pathiye aaa, chiri virinje aa" with that mild falsetto reminds me Anirudh too. 

Nikhil plays the Ocarina which is a very unique wind instrument and the Key flute, with Vishnu on the Bau. The interlude has these elements on display and with the stanza Vishnu and Sanjith combine beautifully and make an indelible statement. The traces of the Accordion are interesting along with all the keys and rhythms. The lyrics are interesting and are written by Suhail Koya. The tracks are mixed and mastered by Sujith Sreedhar @ 2BQ Studios. The recording engineers are Vaishanvi Mishra, Kashyap Ram Mohan and Sanjay Romauld with Vignesh Raj as the sessions manager. 

@vishnuvijay01 @sanjithhegde @sujithsreedhar @nikhilramtp @suhailmkoya

3. Nazar Teri Toofan

Singer: Papon

Lyrics: Varun Grover

Music Director: Pritam

Music Arranger and Programmer - Prasad S.

Additional Music Arranger, Programmer & Sound Design - Sunny M.R. at ChordFather Studios

Language: Hindi

Genre: Jazz/ Musical Theatre

Mood: Romantic

It is like Pritam has re-discovered himself in this new avatar, with some excellent Jazz and 80s-styled music. After an excellent album in 'Dunki' in December 2023, we have some fabulous songs with this one being right up there among the best. Papon sounds terrific in this and there is a tinge of Mohan Kannan's tone when I hear this. 

The movie is called " Merry Christmas" and assuming that it is during the holiday season, I believe Pritam's score here, feels like songs like "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" by Andy Williams. Prasad S is the music arranger and programmer and we have the indomitable Sunny MR doing all the additional sound design, programming and arrangements. The end product is nothing short of magic. Even the rhythms feel like 80s and 90s pop and that is why Sunny MR deserves credit for the sound design, as it reminds me of "Sacrifice" by Elton John. 

Amidst all the magnificent arrangements and instrumentals, let us not forget the stupendous vocals of Papon. The Synchron Stage Orchestra at Vienna with Conductor Bernhard Melbye Voss has given us this extravagant orchestral set-up. Close to 50 amazing musicians play the Violins, Violas, Cellos and Double Basses. The trumpet welcomes us into the interlude and after that, I love the fact that the stanza retains a melodic quotient of old Hindi music and that is a creative shift from the opening segment which sounded Western. 

The tracks are mixed and mastered by Shadab Rayeen at New Edge with Anurag Sharma and Brianna Supriyo as music production managers. Papon goes to 5th gear as he sings "Reh jaane De" with incredible zest and the orchestral arrangements soar in the outro. Antara Mitra is the music creative head, with vocal conductors Aniruddh Anantha, Dev Arijit and Sound Engineers Pranav Gupta and Aniruddh. 

@paponmusic @vidushak @ipritamofficial @sriram.raghavanofficial @sunnymr @aniruddhanantha @dev_arijit9 @antaramitraofficial @briannasupriyo @synchronstage @shadabrayeen 

4. Can I Change? 

Performed by Inayat Kaur Bajaj

Written by Ayush Handa, Inayat Kaur Bajaj, Sidharth Gupta, Utkarsh Varma

Language: English

Genre: Alt-Pop

Mood: Quirky

 She is just 15 and this young girl Inayat Kaur has just raised the bar for singers. Just around this time last year a young teenager Tanya Shanker captivated me with her singing and writing abilities, and now we have a Hindustani classical-trained performer. 

The heavy Pianos are startling and as I am struggling to keep my focus, a voice pulls me along and it is INayat moving across various vocal registers like a walk in the park. It is not just the wide vocal range, but her ability to express emotions with pin-point perfection thanks to her modulations and tonal shifts. 

She sounds vulnerable and aggressive whenever needed and to accompany her we have the strings section and Piano following as crucial layers beneath her vocals. The lead guitar interventions and drums help the song cross over into different genres. Kudos to this star, and to answer your question, Inayat, please only change for the better. This song is written by Ayush Handa, Inayat, Sidharth Gupta and Utkarsh Varma.

@ina_yat_kaur @handamusicofficial @medicatedmints @_youteee_

5. Piya Se Mila De

Singer and Composer - Ujwal Nagar

Music Producer and Arranger - Anindo Bose

Language: Hindi/Traditional

Genre: Classical Fusion

Mood: Relaxed

Ujwal Nagar is the frontman of 'Advaita' the folk and classical rock fusion band and he is one sensational classical singer. Ujwal has a PhD in Classical Music and his collaboration with Merchant Records is such a boon for music. Last year the Salim-Sulaiman label had 'Advaita' create a fantastic song 'Palkan' which was featured by me.

Here we have Ujwal singing this delightful melody in Raag Desh and to make matters extremely exciting Anindo Bose hops onto the bandwagon to arrange for and produce the song. The Keys are mild and just as well are the aalap notes by Ujwal. Like seeing the sun and moon at the same time in the sky, we have some beautiful Western influences on the Piano and rhythms along with the Hindustani. 

The interlude is filled with aalaps, and the sanchayi is another extended version of the sthayi and antara. The Tabla is introduced just towards the end. The Piano hets flowy and with the swara notations being rendered by Ujwal, we get inspired by the layers of additional vocals and the efficient and stylish production. The tracks are mixed and mastered by Anindo at Plug N Play Studios. 

@ujwalnagar @anindobose @plugnplaystudios @merchant_records @salimsulaimanmusic @maan_boruah @shivansh.j 

6. Nisukoni Geet 

Composition & Music Production: Shankuraj Konwar

Lyrics: Manash Mahanta

Language: Assamese

Genre: Alt-Pop

Mood: Relaxed

Just like Anurag Saikia, this musician is another rockstar who is also blessed with fabulous vocal abilities. Towards the end of 2023, a new EP "Indradhanu" was released by SHankuraj Konwar, but I thought it was better late than never to feature some of the gems from it. This song is my pick and we have Shankuraj composing, producing and performing on this one. 

Rupankar Das gently sways you into oblivion with the flute solo, and it feels like taking a drive along the wet and green grasslands of Assam on a breezy, drizzling evening. Bixal, Pratikhyaa Sarma, Dhidipon Dowarah all fantastic vocalists and musicians perform the backing vocals here. Shankuraj makes you sit with utter enchantment as his voice reaches your heart through your ears. 

The Keys along with Bhaskar Saikia's guitars just paint the picture with a light brush. The layers of the flute, strings section, vocal harmonies and heavy percussions are a match made in heaven. The tracks are mixed and matched by Trihangku Lahkar @ Contrail Studio (Mumbai) and recorded by Digbijay Gogoi at Wavemotion Studio, Dibrugarh

@shankuraj_konwarmusical @bixal__purplehaze @pratikhyaa_music @dhidipon_dowarah @bhaskar0707 @trihangkulahkar 

7. Vibe Of Mouli

Performed by Anantha Sriram, Anish Krishnan, Govind Vasantha

Written by Anantha Sriram

Language: Telugu

Genre: Metal

Mood: Energetic

This is the second song that I am featuring from this album, already I am very impressed with the album. I'll be putting out a video review and I recommend that you listen to this wonderful album by Govind Vasantha. Wait for the first 20 seconds or so with Anish opening like a rock ballad and the mild electric guitar notes playing on the horizon. 

Once we cross that timeline, the heavy guitars and drums make sure the song is ready for lift-off. The mercury starts rising and we get some headbanging stuff to follow. The intertwined electric, bass guitars with drums and strings section is emphatic. The bridge section elevates the song's impact further and I hope this cements Govind Vasantha on firmer ground in Tollywood. The solo on the electric guitar is pulsating 

@anishkrishnan89 @anantha.sriram 

 8. Ee Reyi Paadindi 

Vocals: Tarun Donipati

Written by Tarun Donipati

Language: Telugu

Genre: Semi-classical

Mood: Relaxed

Out of nowhere came this beautiful song, by an artist I had never heard before. Tarun Donipati has produced and performed the vocals. The moment he began the aalap I did feel a sense of Raag Bihag. Adi Pillai plays the Tabla, and the mild and touching flute solo comes along with multiple layers thanks to Akshat. The interlude is beautifully arranged. The orginal tune and lyrics are by Dr. Kumaraswamy back in the 1960s.

Tarun keeps it simple vocally, but the melody is good enough and keeps us all. Throughout the song, we have the support of Abhishek Jayakumar on Piano and Tiago Guzman brings everything together with the mixing and mastering of the tracks. If I am not wrong there was also the sound of the Santoor during one of the interludes, and that is why I feel there is appreciation needed for the well-rounded arrangements and production. 

@tdonipati @adi.pillai @abhishekjeyakumar @parthunemani

9. Masoomiyan

Producer: Ramya Pothuri

Writers: Sejal Kumar, Ramya Pothuri

Language: Hindi

Genre: electronic pop

Mood: contemplative

Sejal is this big star, a YouTuber and many would have known her even before started making music, but I like this phase of her. Having already featured her once before, I believe she is getting better. This single has some brilliant musicians collaborating like Ramya Pothuri on composition and production and Protyay Chakraborty on sound engineering, mixing and mastering. 

The guitars and the humming pulling like one unavoidable string and we just start moving to the music like puppets. Sejal is splendid on vocals with a stylish tone and efficient delivery. The Keys join in along with layers of backing vocals and everything comes together like a well-oiled machine. The mood gets into contemplation because of the neutral singing without harping on any extreme feelings. The melody for sure is a highlight apart from all the production and vocals. 

@sejalkumar1195 @ramyapothuri @protyaych @equinox_films @thislittletanvi 

10. Aarish

Singer/Artist - Himasri Sarkar 

Written By- Shaunak Sharma 

Composed by Mayyank Solanki

Language: Hindi

Genre: electronic pop

Mood: relaxed

This song moved me and it went to the extent of disrupting my morning run, and that too from a new artist I haven't heard. The biggest takeaway for me was the live guitars by Saransh Shukla which glorifies the song immensely right from the start. Mayyank Solanki must be credited with a beautiful-sounding melody that he has composed, and to execute it with such poise Himasri Sarkar leaves no stone unturned. It is exciting to see such amazing talent in the new year. 

I like how things come to a full standstill with the English lines and lyrics coming along. From there on we get a rush of adrenaline and we get a full-blown EDM segment and never do we have to face a dull moment in the song's production. Shaunak Sharma has penned the lyrics and I must admit that Himasri has piqued my interest enough to monitor her work in the coming days.

@_himasrisarkar.11 @mayyanksolanki @shaunak.sharma @saranshshukla