Top Indian Songs of the week 16th April 2023

Here are the best songs released in India across languages and genres for the week ending 16th April 2023. 

If you are a musician submit your new music here.

1. Oh Gloria

Performed by O Daapun

Written by O Daapun

Production: Bhargav Hazarika and Siddhartha Hazarika 

Language: English

Genre: Indie Pop

O Daapun has been featured by me before for a wonderful single and here they are once again and that too topping the Indian charts of the week. This duo has been in glorious form and they give us 'Oh Gloria' for our listening pleasure. Bhargav Hazarika and Siddhartha Hazarika spew magic here as they release their 4th single as part of their debut album "HIT-Hang In There". 

The duo of Guwahati is just one more feather on the cap of great Indian music emerging from the North East corner of India. Bhargav is the lead guitarist and Siddhartha is the lead vocalist. It shows how fantastic they are when I have already featured them twice, one for 'Skye' and one for 'Don't you drop'. Siddhartha serenades you to a zone of tranquillity with his vocals, and the combination of Keys, bass, guitars and drums paints a wholesome picture. 

The composition is beautiful with such deeply touching and hummable lines. I specifically love the line "I can't find you anyway, The way it burnt my heart. When it took your breath away, I have nothing else to say". It reminds me of this terrific hit song from the 1990s 'Nothing's gonna change my love for you" by Glenn Medeiros, and there are moments when I also felt some resemblance to Elton John's 'Circle of Life'. O Daapun should feel terrifically proud of these comparisons because they have been revolutionary songs globally.

Siddhartha has penned the lyrics and sung the song with all his heart as the duo writes this about a devastating apocalypse and the protagonist being unable to save the whole City and his Love Gloria. I was blown away by the singing especially when Siddhartha improvises in the line " And save you from this end, Its time to leave and go". He does a fantastic vibrato here at the end and this is where the song also comes to an inflexion point and has a shift. 

The guitars lead the way and the tempo builds up, Bhargav does fabulously on guitars, bass and Keys, and the solo on the electric guitar is to die for. Bhargav also mixes and masters the song. 

@odaapunofficial @nobinaryrecords @siddharth_daapun @bhargav_daapun 

2. Bhare Bhare Se Naina

Composition & Lyrics by GAYA 

Co-produced by REINER ERLINGS & GAYA

Language: Hindi

Genre: Semi-classical Fusion 

'Qisse' was a beautiful semi-classical single that Gayathri Krishnan a.k.a. Gaya released in 2022 and it was featured among the top 5 songs back then for a particular week. She is back again and with a similar genre, she trikes with a heartwarming tune. I did sense some Raag Bihag with the sensational vocals and delivery of Gaya we only float away with our feet off the ground and all the worldly pressure and disdain swept away, 

Gaya has penned the lyrics, composed the tune and sung it and she has co-produced the song with Reiner Erlings. The mild strumming of Guitars along with her vocals are enough to take this song forward. We also hear the Keys in the background, and the strings as well. Nothing quite overpowers the ghamakas and their beauty coming out of Gaya's vocal cords. Shaan Ramprasad plays the solo violin in the interlude giving it that classical touch further. 

The fast strumming of guitars is scintillating as we come to the end of the antara. Kudos to the producers for their arrangements. The humming is a nice way to end things. The song's beautiful video is edited, conceptualised and directed by Gaya, while Priya Mishra is the DOP and Nishika D'Silva is the Art Director. 

@gayamusic @pri.mi @nishika.dsilva @reinererlings @shaan.ramprasad @linformation

3. Meri Banogi Kya

Singer & Lyricist: Rito Riba

Music: Rajat Nagpal

Language: Hindi

Genre: Indie Pop

Rajat Nagpal is a very good composer and many times I feel he is underrated by the popular media. I have featured him more than a few times and they have all been amazing melodies. I strongly urge my readers to go check out Rajat's original music.

This wonderful pop single is written and performed by Rito Riba and I am featuring him for the very first time. Rito's vocals are magnetic to say the least and he soars with every note he utters. The team of musicians is like a galaxy of stars and they all are like building blocks that make up this enormous structure of a song. Suzanne Dmello is the voice in the background and she does her bit to serenade us. Gino Banks is the drummer and let us pay attention to the solo violin by Manas as well.

Any project will always do well when all stakeholders compete healthily to outperform each other. That is what is happening here with Rito's emotionally inspiring vocals, Rhythm's bass guitars Manas' violin interventions and the amazingly executed and arranged harmonies involving Suzanne. Kudos to Rajat for all the production supremacy. Rahul Sharma and Samir DHarap are the sound engineers involved. 

@rito.96 @iamrajatnagpal @prakritipavani @anshul300 @suzanne_dmello @manasviolin @ginobanksofficial @samirdharap9 @rahulsharma504 @rhythm_shaw

4. Mawaan Te Dhiyaan

Singers : Akriti Kakar, Sukriti Kakar, Prakriti Kakar, Nirmal Kakar

Composer : Akriti Kakar

Lyrics: Gurpreet Saini

Music Arrangement and Production – Rishabh Ravi

Language: Punjabi

Genre: Folk/Pop fusion

As promised here comes the second single from 'Big Band Theory' Season 2. After 'Heer' was featured last week, we have another beautiful Punjabi track here composed by Akriti Kakar. We have the whole Kakar army here as Akriti Kakar, Sukriti Kakar, Prakriti Kakar and Nirmal Kakar are the vocalists.

The song's strong point is its fabulous arrangements and production thanks to Rishabh Ravi. The bass guitars by Alok Kulkarni, drums by Josuha Vaz and acoustic guitars by Abhishek Dasgupta stand out as they westernise this folkish Punjabi tune. The combined effect of all the vocalists is brilliant and uplifts the notes. The interludes are nicely composed and Tapas Roy has a ball with the Strokes. 

The stanza begins with only Akriti singing her lines and then the others join in, and the beauty lies in the details. We can listen to the strings section in the background by Mumbai Strings and it is conducted by Narendra Pardeshi. Rishabh plays the Piano and the Tabla and other Indian Percussions are played by Satyajit Jamsandekar and Abhishek chips in with the electric guitar. I do sense some Raag Bilaval in this track and the song is mixed by Vijay Dalal and assisted by Chinmay Mestry. It is mastered by Gethin John and we have Rupak Thakur, Rahul M Sharma and Amey Londhe as the recording engineers. 

@akritikakar @joshuavazofficial @rishabh.keys @alokkulkarni78 @abdg_1988 @satyajit_jamsandekar @sound_wala.wav @chinmay.jpg @sukritikakar @prakritikakar @mandolintapas @kakarnirmal

5. Aaro 

Music Composed, Arranged and Designed: Sudeep Palanad

Lyrics: Shruthi Sharanyam

Singers: Remya Vinayakumar, Remya Sarvada Das, Sreedevi Thekkedath

Language: Malayalam

Genre: Latin Jazz

Sudeep Palanad does impress from time to time as a composer in the Mollywood space and I am glad he got this song bang on. This feels like reverberating Latin Jazz track with some heavy strumming on the guitars and groovy percussions that feel like the Cajon. I have to just get up and clap my hands for the phenomenal vocals by these ladies Remya Vinayakumar, Remya Sarvada Das, Sreedevi Thekkedath. They are on fire singing at break-neck speed and a lower pitch as well, something that requires great skill. 

Anurag Rajeev Nayan plays the guitars and the percussionist is Aravindh S Krishna, and the lead vocalists are ably supported by Sneha Nedhath, Indira Nedhath, Sandra Nedhath and Sini Nanadan. The song comes out so well because one can feel that the singers have had loads of fun just singing and recording this. The Mandolin and the Accordion all add nice feathers to the decorated cap.  

The stanza continues to be stylish and elaborate and kudos to Sudeep for composing such a creative single that oozes quality and feels like a breath of fresh air. Deepak Narayanan assists Sudeep. The song is mixed by Gokul Nambu with recording engineers Arjun B Nair, Abhiram and Kalesh Das. One must appreciate the lyricist Shruthi Sharanyam as the words beautifully fit the meter despite being a tune with some unpredictable tempo changes. 

@sudeeppalanadmusical @anuragrajeevnayan @arvd.the.storyteller @_three_rhythms

@remya_sarvada_das @remya_vinay @sreedevi.thekkedath

@muzik247in @shruthi.sharanyam @ramyanambessan

6. Ascend

Performed by Sulphursky

Written by Siddharth Chopra, Sujan Sengupta

Produced by Siddharth Chopra, Sujan Sengupta

Language: English

Genre: Synth-Pop

This Mumbai-based producer/composer/guitarist Siddhartha Chopra goes by the name of Sulphurskyand this is the second time I am featuring his work after his debut single 'Time'. This song is produced by Siddhartha along with Sujan Sengupta and the two have also written the lyrics and composed the tune. 

This synthpop track is dreamy and I cannot think of a better song to unwind after a hard day's work. There are multiple layers of vocals and the lyrics are perfectly relevant, because when I hear this music along with the vocals, and the synths and keyboards, I feel like I am ascending, into higher strata of conscience and experience. 

I love the drums (rhythm programming) and the beautiful alterations that we hear, and it reminds me of some brilliant synth-pop numbers of yesteryear like for example "Everybody Wants to rule the World" by the band Tears for Fears. The production is of immense quality as we get rich arrangements of both instruments and vocal harmonies. This song is also one that demands a lot from the lead vocalists and we have no shortcomings here. The outro on the solo electric guitar is solid. 

@sulphursky @sujan.gablu 

7. Oru Naal Solvaya

Music Composed, Produced & Sung by Nishanth Vijay

Lyrics by Debora

Language: Tamil

Genre: Indie Pop

Once again we have a new talent here as Nishanth Vijay goes almost solo in this refreshing project. It has been a while since I featured a Tamil song in this weekly list of the best. Nishanth rightfully earns his way into this week's rankings with a supremely produced, composed, and performed song.  

Debora is the lyricist who has penned the words very articulately. We get to hear Nishanth singing with all his heart and his ghamakas come out well, especially in lines like " mouna mozhi pesum kaadhal dhaan puriyaadhaa". The Violin Solo stands out in multiple segments and it is played by Hari Krishna who sizzles in the interlude mainly. The stanza sees other rhythms go silent for a bit when the guitar riffs alone decorate the background, and then once again we land on the opening lines. I do sense some Yamunakalyani from time to time. 

The song has some well-arranged vocal harmonies and Nishanth sings the high-pitched lines particularly well. One gripe that I can think of, is that maybe his diction of Tamil could have been better, like in the line "kanavaale moozhgiya kangal", the stress on the last word sounds wrong. 

@nishvjay @debora_lyrics @hk_1518 @vijayramanathan 

8. Flames of Light

Performed by Dwhetstone

Written by Dwhetstone

Language:

Genre: Metal

This Progressive Metal band from Chennai rips it apart in this single and I am glad I discovered them. This is the first time I am featuring the band and it boasts of Christadas David as the lead vocalist, bassist John Jonathan, lead guitarist Pradeep David and drummer Vineeth David. The vocal performance is beyond excellence as Christadas infuses that element of trance with those vocals. 

The drums and electric guitars are perfectly intertwined to create every ounce of effect a metal song is supposed to do. Vineeth becomes supremely experimental on drums breaking away from the norm and improvising multiple times. John provides all the necessary support on bass guitars and he becomes the unsung hero. The electric guitar solo bits are energizing and depict the quality and intent of this band. As I write this, I am trying hard to focus without the headbanging. The outro with the pacy drums feels rejuvenating. 

@dwhetstoneband @christadasdavid @jonnybassy21 @pradeep_david25 @vineeth4drums

9. If There's a Sign

Written and performed: Saachi aka Saachi Rajadhyaksha

Production: Saachi & Ayan De

Language: English

Genre: Indie Pop

Saachi Rajadhyaksha a.k.a. Saachi is making her debut on this website as a musician to have her song featured among India's best tunes for the week. Maybe this is a sign of things to come for this talented artist. The song immediately strikes you as something that is loaded with keyboard programming and Brent Tauro handles this end of things.

Saachi has written the lyrics, composed the melody and performed this song vocally, and when I look back to the day I decided to rate and feature this song, it was all about her stunning vocals. She has got some incredible control in her vocals and Saachi doesn't shy away from leveraging that gifted voice. The oomph that she brings on is audible at every instance and with the delivery of every note. 

The song is produced by Saachi and the specialist Ayan De and kudos to the vision and arrangements of the sounds. I love the Keys and the emphatic trumpets combined to add style and substance. If you pay attention you will hear a layer of vocals accompanying in the background and these are well arranged too. When things calm down a bit, we can also hear the bass guitars. The DOP is the multi-faceted producer Sidharth Bendi and we have Dheeya Shah working on the cover art. Ayan De has mixed and mastered the song. 

@heyitssaach @paralightsmusic @dheeyabshah @brenttauromusic @yourmomisahashtag

10. Numaani

Composer: Rajarshi Sanyal, IP Singh

Lyrics: IP Singh

Vocals: Shilpa Rao, IP Singh

Language: Punjabi

Genre: Folk/Pop 

This is what a wonderful start can do to an entire song, as we hear some solid guitars, aided by well-punctuated rhythms and the icing on the cake is the additional vocals and humming. The song already gets your attention even before the showstopper Shilpa Rao renders a note.

The two-piece act Faridkot create a memorable single here and the song is composed by the members IP Singh and Rajarshi Sanyal. IP Singh pens the words and accompanies Shilpa in the lead vocals while the fantastic harmonies we hear belong to Arohi Singh, Priya Dubey, Sejal Keshari, Jaikishan Prasad, Ankit Sharma and Anjani Kumar Srivastav. 

I am glad a vocalist of Shilpa Rao's quality has gotten a wonderful melody to showcase her skills. Rajarshi is involved in a lion's share of a lot of the great sounds we hear as he plays the acoustic guitars, and the bass and is the man behind the solid arrangements and production of the song. 

Shilpa gets dreamy with her vocals and my favourite line has to be the title line which has all the prowess of the acoustic guitars and the collective strength of vocals all on display. IP Singh hits you hard when he opens the singing in the stanza and it is pure bliss to hear him. The additional vocals by Rajarshi and a layer of the violin enhance the output. 

Shwetang Shankar coordinates all the chorus vocals' recordings with all the magic transpiring at the Jam8 Studios. B Sanjh has mixed and mastered the song with Raj Chanana, Shivam Chanana, Sonal Chawla and Vivin Sachdeva involved in the music supervision. Many moments keep you hooked and one for me is the acoustic guitar notes that come in the outro and once during an interlude. When I hear this I do sense some Suddha Dhanyasi Ragam in Carnatic music and hence maybe there is some influence of Raag Udayaravichandrika. 

@shilparao @faridkotmusic @rajarshisanyal @safirock @tseries.official @

11. You'll Never Know

Music By: Neela, Akeel Henry, EKofo and Alvin Brendan

Performed by Neela

Written by Akeel Henry, Alvin Brendan, Kevin Ekofo, Neela

Produced by Akeel Henry, Neela Khare, Kevin Ekofo

Language: English

Genre: R&B/Soul

This is one of those tracks that just disturbed me, in a very nice way, because I kept listening to it multiple times and wondered what it was about the song that affected me the most. The sounds of the song are fantastic and it was produced by Akeel Henry, Neela Khare, and Kevin Ekofo. 

The guitar sounds just hit you immediately and the moment Neela starts singing, you have no option but to drop what you are doing and give it your full attention. Neela has written and composed this gem along with Akeel, Kevin and Alvin Brendan. 

Neela, a R&B singer-songwriter from Canada sizzles all the way through. The way she sings is exemplary for singers wanting to know how to emote while performing. I see this clearly when I hear " wish I could hurt you, and show you my pain". The guitars and mild rhythms and drums keep the energy and tempo intact. One line is evidence enough to show Neela's incredible capabilities as a vocalist as she sings the title line "You'll never know" at a soaring pitch and flirts into the falsetto zone as well. 

She has a wide vocal range as well and Neelam displays this unabashedly in various segments, the production being solid gets the arrangements of the Keys, bass guitars, and strings section too effectively. The song impacts me on various levels and the writing is a clincher as well. Purusha Anokhei directs this song's video. 

@kevinekofo @akeel.music @neelamusic @alvinbrendan @ranii_kaur @anokhei @notnoreen

12. The Search for Wild Geese

Performed by Anoushka Maskey, Cosmic Grooves

Written by Anoushka

Produced by Pranay Bakshi

If you ask me to name a few of India's most talented INdie artists of this generation and especially ones with a blessed voice, Anoushka Maskey will be at the top. I strongly urge you all to go listen to some of her mind-blowing songs like "September Embers" and "Empire of Fear". 

She works with the usual suspect Pranay Bakshi a.k.a. Cosmic Grooves and the latter produces this song while Anoushka has penned the lyrics and composed the tune. The Pop/Jazz mix is soothing and just the right ointment for a hurting heart. Anoushka kills it with her superlative singing and how she manages to have that tinge of a falsetto right at the end of a note is only known to her. 

The interplay of the bass guitars by Sahil Mathew and the mellow Saxophone played by Pranay is something that can only be experienced to the fullest when heard. The acoustic guitars are like the strokes of a brush painting some mild colours and when we get to the point where Anoushka hums we are left with no choice but to surrender to the beauty of the song.

I love that mild pause when she sings "And maybe when .... the curtains draw", and let us not forget to give due credit to the drums and lead guitars as well. The search for wild geese might have to go on, but the search for one of India's brightest young musical talents can stop. The song is mixed and mastered by Pranay and all the artwork is handled by Rinik.

@anoushkamaskey @pranaycosmic @sahilmathew @rinik_art 

13. Soft Boi

Lyrics: Tanya Shanker

Composed: Tanya Shanker & Richard Andrew

Produced, Arranged & Mixed: Richard Andrew

Language: English

Genre: Indie Pop

Tanya Shanker is a newbie as far as my website is concerned and I am glad that I could discover her. There are a lot of positives in this excellent single from a musical standpoint but I was most impressed with the lyrics and the message which seem so different from the usual narratives we keep hearing. 

If you start hearing Tanya's vocal tone you will assume it is one of those strong contestants singing in the final stages of American Idol. She is a gifted vocalist and she has also written these very meaningful words and she is just 17. The song's underlying melody is composed by Tanya and Richard Andrew and the latter has also produced, mixed and mastered the song. I have featured Richard before for another fantastic production of his last year called "Jee Bharke". 

Hearing the lines "All my friends keep telling me, that's the way guys seem to be, I found that I disagree, they aren't born with indecency", I feel happy that there is scope for men to transform and be good, but the fact also remains that we have been found wanting of decency most of the times. The lines just keep getting better when Tanya says " I want a guy who cries freely" and this is so refreshing to hear what a girl might actually want from a boy. It alters a sense of misconception about masculinity. 

The keyboards, guitars, bass, drums and rhythms, vocal harmonies and backing vocals do their bits in making this song about much more than just strong lyrics and that is where Richard's prowess comes through. Pravin Mani, the composer/producer has mastered the song. 

@itstanyashanker @richard.andrew.dudley @pravinmanimusic 

14. Dil Ho Tum

Composition, music production & arrangement - Rishi Kumar

Vocals - Hansika Pareek

Lyrics - Anurag Mishra

Language: Hindi

Genre: Indie Pop

Hansika Pareek is a phenomenal talent and I have always been fond of her vocals. Here we go once again as she arrives in fantastic form. Rishi Kumar is the musician who composed, arranged and produced this track and his impact is written all over. The initial Keys are mild and just marginally colour the song and he lets Hansika's vocals dominate the proceedings. 

Even within the first minute or so Hansika explores a few ghamakas and does what she is best at. The production gets fancier once the title lines are out with strings in the background and the rhythm programming. The acoustic guitars come and go and Hansika impresses with even a mild vibrato like for instance in" Hai yahi wajah mere".

Another wonderful musician Anurag Misra writes beautiful words for this song. I love another beautiful line because it is not only well written and sung, it also has some terrific strings in the background "kya ho tum, dil kahe, dil ho tum". Once I hear this, my heart is filled with love and joy. Rishi gets in place a nice brief bridge section as well and the outro is a coming-together of all the nice elements. Bhaskar Sarma has mixed and mastered the track. 

@rishikumarmusic @hansikaapareek @anuragmishramusic 

15. I Believe in You

Singer - Rukhsar Bandhukia

Lyrics - Stan Johnson

Music Composed & Produced - Stan Johnson

Language: English

Genre: Indie Pop

I have featured Rukhsar Bandhukia a couple of times, and they have been songs in Hindi. Her vocal prowess is unquestionable and she has been quite regular in releasing new music. This time she has an English single and I was astounded by her delivery, her diction and how close it is to sound like an American or a British artist. 

I was reminded of greats like Mariah Carey, purely for the immaculate control, and ability to handle a wider range as well. STan Johnson has written the lyrics, composed the melody and also produced this beautiful pop single that takes me back to the golden of 1990s. The fantastic keyboards and the background vocals do a massive job of garnishing the song. The gospel-like harmonies touch your heart in ways that only good music can. 

Well done Rukhsar, as she does not keep one faulty food forward and in as much as the production and arrangements deserve credit, the lead vocalist too deserves a massive round of applause. 

@rukhsar_bandhukia