Top Indian Songs of the week 18th June 2023

Here are the best songs released in India across languages and genres for the week ending 18th June 2023. 

If you are a musician submit your new music here.

1. Kya Karie Korimol

Written, Composed, Lead Vocals by Alif

Featured Vocals: Noor Mohammed

Creative Producer: Ankur Tewari

Vocal Bridge (Aashima Mahajan) Composed by Alif and Aman Moroney

Wavun couplets compiled by Rumuz Bekhudi & Alif

Produced by Aman Moroney, Alif and Ashish Manchanda

Language: Kashmiri

Genre: Musical Theatre-Folk

This song is a barrage of emotions that needs to be experienced, a review like this will never be able to do the project even half of the justice it deserves, and yet I try. It is the best song under 'Coke Studio Bharat' released thus far and kudos to all the musicians involved. 

Alif has written, composed and performed the lead vocals and the song's brilliant segment is also a bridge section and this was composed by Alif and Aman Moroney. I am thinking about where to begin, but here we go. This song is a story and this is exactly what a Coke Studio product should sound like. The father of the bride goes through hordes of pain and problems when his daughter's extravagant wedding is being arranged. The original main segment of the song sung by Alif shows us this perspective. 

Alif sings these lines in Kashmiri with great enthusiasm and he also plays the acoustic guitars while doing so. The strings section is on fire right from the beginning and they set the tone for this elaborate composition. Gaurang Deshpande of 'The Media Tribe' does the strings transcription and we have the eminent Jitender Thakur playing one of the Violins and the Viola. The 2nd Violin is played by Prabhat K with Johan on the Cello.  

Slowly we get the impact of the live instruments as Tanmay Pawar plays the solid acoustic guitars and the electric guitars, with Amit Gadgil on the bass guitars. A highlight of the song is the fantastic chorus, which is called 'Wanwun' in Kashmiri which means chorus and raising a toast to these amazing performers Zartasha Zainab, Shivani Matyal, Samhita Shiledar, Samiyah Nabi and Rumuz-e-Bekhudi. I want to take some time and enjoy the fantastic synths and Piano by Aman. 

You can suddenly hear the hair-raising switch in energy with the electric guitars and the drums are smashing hard with Karan Chitra Deshmukh also playing the Darbuka now, hearing the title line being sung in unison. Welcome to the second part of the song, the enchanting bridge section sung by Aashima Mahajan, and composed by Aman and Alif. The Cello dominates along with the Violins, and Viola, as the daughter tells her side of the story, getting ready for the marriage. 

The closing segment is hugely impactful with the collective vocals, drums, electric guitar and strings and almost feels like a Hans Zimmer score out of 'Inception'. Things take a turn again as we get to the father's story. Kudos to Aman Moroney, Ashish Manchanda and Alif who have produced this outstanding chart-topper.

@cokestudiobharat @aashima.mahajan @everythingisalif @mohammad.muneem @basswati @aman_moroney @ankurtewari @misfitsinc @kjpahji @karanchitradeshmukh @tanmay_aavishkaar @thedoccwhosings @saamiyahnabi @zartashaazainab @samhitashiledar @ashishmanchanda007 @themediatribe_bceducation 

2. Noolamala

Song Composed, Arranged and Produced: Jay Unnithan

Lyrics: Manu Manjith

Singers: Vanee Rajendra, Shivakamy Shyamaprasad, Kaanjana Sriram

Language: Malayalam

Genre: Electronic Folk Pop

It is his debut album in the movie space and Jay Unnithan is making his mark. I am confident that not only this song but the whole EP will end up being one of India's best this year by the end of 2023. The guitars hit you hard in almost U2 style from 'Mission Impossible'. Chaitanya Bhaidkar plays the scintillating electric guitar and he also immediately brings in the Saz and Banjo. 

The work of genius is to get the Korava vocals in the mix, in a way that I would have never dreamt of. The Korava vocalists are Lekshmi, Rama Lekshmi, Karthik. The lyrics are excellent with a lot of fun and frolic written by Manu Manjith. Thank God the people of Kerala did not create a ruckus because of words like "Answer, Where are you going" coming in a Malayalam song. I am sure Amitabh Bhattacharya wished he lived in Kerala. 

The lead vocalists are Vanee Rajendra, Shivakamy Shyamaprasad, Kaanjana Sriram and there is not a moment you wouldn't enjoy in their performance. Jay has composed, arranged and programmed, so he is the champion, producing this baby of his. My favourite part is when the leads sing " Minnaminni Ninne Ninne Ninnodonnu chothikkam".  

Rony George plays the additional guitar, and Sonu Sangameswaran is the bassist. The humming by the leads in the interlude is so charming keeping the folk flavour alive. Deepak SR is the recording engineer, and Abin Paul brilliantly mixes the tracks and masters the song. 

@__hijk @manumanjith_s @vanee_rajendra @shivakamy_shyamaprasad @kaanjana_sreeram @chaituontheroll @basssonu @mixwithabin @deepaksr.mix @thrishankufilm @thinkmusicofficial 

3. Virtuality

Lyrics: Bob Stark

Composition: Eliezer Botzer

Music production, arrangements, Sound engineering, programming, Keyboards: Ori Avni

Vocals: Eli Botzer, Lucky Ali

Genre: Indie Pop

The two musicians from different parts of the world combine again and the expectations immediately soar upon hearing about the project. Eli Botzer from Israel and Lucky Ali from India create magic here and it is the coming together of some solid vocals, live instruments, and phenomenal production.  

The melody is soothing and inspiring and it is the work of Botzer but the soul of the song is also in the amazing programming and arrangements. Ori Avni does that like a sorcerer at the peak of his powers. The guitars, keyboards, rhythms, bass guitars and vocal harmonies enthral us, singing "Nothing is as it seems". 

Wait for the best part, it is the humming that is like a breath of fresh air. The composition of this humming is well-written, and sung by Ayana Botzer and Tasmiyah Ali (the daughters). We have Itamar Doari on the wonderfully crafted percussion, Michael Frost on bass guitars, Idan Shneor on acoustic guitars and Amit Yitzhak on the electric guitar. 

The video was shot in the Dead Sea, and I'm sure music like this will bring life even to that water body. I can only recommend you listen to the last 2 minutes of the song in absolute peace and solitude to enjoy the greatest gift in life i.e. Music. The symphonic orchestra is elaborate with 4 Violins, 2 Violas, 2 Cellos, 1 Contrabass, 1 Flute, 1 Clarinet, 2 Trombones and 1 French Horn. The masterminds behind the orchestration are Ori Avni and Aviv Koren. 

The sound engineers are Bharat Kumar and Idan Katz and the tracks are mastered by Jonathan Jacobi, and the lovely words of inspiration are penned by Bob Stark. 

@officialluckyali @avniori @sharonmalin @botzer_official @thebigbeatindia

4. Joru Joraagi 

Singers: Suneel Rao, Varijashree Venugopal

Lyricist: Sharath Bhagwan

Music by: Dossmode

Language: Kannada

Genre: Electronic/Synth-pop

I am incredibly impressed with the soundscape and score by Dossmode a.k.a. Dheerendra Doss, for this Kannada album "Thurthu Nirgamana", and although the movie was released back in 2022, some songs were streamed online recently which got me interested. In fact, this song was released back in Feb 2020 (but I was just freshly introduced to the world of music journalism and hence maybe have missed out on this)

The singing is by Suneel Rao and the brilliant Varijashree Venugopal. With the male vocals leading the way at the start, we hear a female additional layer of vocals in the background. The Keys and Synths are supreme giving a fantastic flavour. Varijashree makes her foray in the stanza and the song just stays true to its class and full marks to Dossmode for the enviable sound design. 

I love the line "Nenapagi navunu allene, nilluta hejje, hakona hadona ", especially the way the notes drift towards the end. The keyboard and rhythm programming work quite well all along. Dossmode brings in more creativity in the second interlude with a nice humming and Keys. The song is soothing and can turn an irritating evening into something peaceful and positive. Midhun Anand does the mixing and Dossmode handles the mastering. 

@dossmode_official @thesuneelrao @varijashree

5. Noorie

Song written and composed by: Sahil Samuel

Vocals & Acoustic Guitar: Sahil Samuel

Language: Hindi

Genre: Rock

This indie rock band from Chandigarh keeps coming up with intriguing stuff from time to time. This is a song that kept playing in my head for multiple days in succession. Sahil Samuel's touchy vocals and acoustic guitars affect me at every note of the way. His writing and composition deserve a lot of credit. 

We get to hear the solo on the Violin by Suhail Ali Khan which adds a fantastic layer in the most unexpected moment. The drums tap by Aditya Kamboj, just before that to give us a hint on what is about to transpire. Subir Malik is playing the Keys and we have Mingma Lama on lead guitars and Ashish Dey as the bassist. The interlude is strikingly good with the sizzle of the electric guitars and the thrust of the drums. This is a terrific segment where you can just close your eyes and absorb all the musical goodness. Suhail never wants to feel left out so he joins the party with his ecstatic solo on the violin. The tracks are mixed and mastered by Mukul Jain at Ferris Wheel Studios

I shall listen to the full new album and do a review of the songs. 

@naalayak__ @mixbymukul @ferriswheelstudios @subirmalik666 @suhailaliartist @mingmalama___ @man_vs_strings @sahilsamuel_ @adityaondrums

6. Boy Who Cried Wolf

Performed by Sera Sanyal

Written by Sera Sanyal

Produced by Simon Reid 

The guitar-led Alt-Pop song begins with Sera Sanyal's gripping vocals. I had featured her a year or so back with another terrific song "Built to fall apart". Sera uses her exceptional vocal tone to deliver this seemingly dark and mysterious song. 

The way she delves into the falsetto is fantastic just after the line " misplaced trust", and Ishan joins in with his guitars. The song somehow does remind me of "It's a beautiful life" by 'Ace of Base'. The drums, electric guitars and harmonies provide the necessary support beneath Sera's unnerving performance in the lead. Schuler does a fantastic cameo on the solo saxophone, and it stands out as a highlight of the song. Kudos to Simon Reid on the fantastic programming, arrangements nd overall production along with the mixing as well. 

@serasanyalmusic @ishanmusic.17 @neelmenon_ @amschuler17 @ferzad

7. Sunflower

Written, Performed by Jeremiah de Rozario

Music Production - Palee Francis

Language: English

Genre: Indie Pop

This lad from Kochi is rising like the Mercury inside a thermometer and I hope there is no stopping him. Jeremiah de Rozario has a soulful voice and his singing and strumming of the acoustic guitar go together like wine and cheese. The beauty of the vocal harmonies can be heard in the background and Palee Francis of WCMT produces the song.

One has to admit that the song does feel and sound like something out of the WCMT playbook, but that is not a bad thing. Amith Vinod and Souparnika Rajagopal are the additional vocalists who make the harmonies sound beautiful and effective. 

The song just keeps sounding better as we progress along thanks to Jeremiah's absorbing vocals and the production. So clever lines have been written " The sun will come to you, do you wanna bet" with the backing vocalists shouting the same lines with a lag. Vivek Thomas has mixed and mastered the tracks. 

@paleefrancis @varunasi @_sevenstitches_ @expectczarcasm 

@_amithvinod_

8. Siyah - Fitna Fitoor

Written & Composed by: ALIF

Music Produced by Ashish Manchanda and Aman Moroney

Language: Hindi

Genre: Alt-Rock

It is a purple patch for Alif, Ashish and Aman as the three get involved in another fantastic song in the same week. After the mind-blowing 'Kya Karie Korimol' we have this Alt-Rock sizzles composed and penned by Alif. The song however is produced by Ashish Manchanda and Aman Moroney. Rohit Vasudevan is brilliant on the electric guitars and he makes his presence felt now and then with some solo interventions. He also plays the acoustic guitars. The producers are not going to sit silently as they too get cracking on the live instrumentals here. 

Ashish is the drummer and Aman plays the electric guitar and also handles the Synths. Alif has this peculiar style of aloof delivery and he gives the song a tone that feels different thanks to his vocal texture. Hardik Vaghela on keyboards is having a ball along with Aman on Synths and the collective power of electric guitars is felt with Jatin Kale, Savio Sebastian also playing. Rahul Majumdar is the bassist and Rahul along with Rohit are the backing vocalists. Alif can be heard having crazy fun laughing and making vocal improvisations in Jon Bon Jovi's style, especially towards the end. 

Ashish and Aman handle all the programming, with recording engineers Jignesh Shetye, Ashish, Aman, Ronak Chawla, Aniruddha Purushe, Aman Arakh, Meredith Douglas and Amit Kulkarni. Ashish and Aman incorporate all their skill with their production, programming, and finally while mixing and mastering the tracks as well. 

@aman_moroney @everythingisalif @ashishmanchanda007 @rohit.vasudevan.diaries @hardikv 

9. Dil Malanga

Vocals: Armaan Malik, Nimrat Khaira

Producer: Vaibhav Pani

Composer: Armaan Malik

Lyricist: Kumaar

Language: Punjabi

Genre: Indie Pop

Armaan Malik is undoubtedly one of India's finest playback singers and vocalists and here he composes the melody for the very first time for a Punjabi track. He ropes in Nimrat Khaira a s the female lead vocalist and the two are having a casual day at work singing with amazing ease and efficacy. Kumaar writes the lyrics.

The interlude has this amazing solo on the flute by Tejas Vinchurkar and everywhere else the sound design is spectacular thanks to Vaibhav Pani's programming and production. There are fragments of resemblance to the famous song " Tum Jo Aye Zindagi Mein". You can listen to the terrific Keys that glorify the output, and Vaibhav also plays the acoustic and electric guitar in the song. Abhishek Gautam mixes and masters the tracks. 

@armaanmalik @nimratkhairaofficial @vaibhavpani @mix.abhishek @kumaarofficial @tejas.flute

10. Worst Thing

Performed by Diya Dhar

Written by Diya Dhar

Produced by Vipul Tiru

Language: English

Genre: Alt-Rock

Diya Dhar appears for the very first time on my website and she believes this song is written and created like non of her previous works, and although I am yet to check out her discography, this song more than impressed me. Diya has written, composed and performed the vocals with production duties being held by Vipul Tiru. 

Ashmit Narula plays the electric guitar and the acoustic guitar is strummed by Vipul. We have the beautiful Piano being performed by Manasvi Baheti. She starts hitting the chords and following that is a couple of layers of vocals. Diya's lead vocals soar high and she is performing, brimming with confidence. I love the ending of every line, with that vocal improvisation "eh eh". Soon enough Ashmit raises hell with the electric guitar bits. 

I like the production work because it gives time and space for the song to breathe, taking the electric guitars away from the equation and only playing the acoustic guitar for support. This allows the listener to focus on the lyrics and the message. Diya excels on vocals and this probably will end up being one of the most memorable performances in 2023. The humming portion sticks to the head, and Manasvi brings her creativity intervening on the Piano beautifully at the right moments. 

@diyaadhar @manukapasara @ashmyth_ @vippy.tips 

11. Jindadi

Composer: Sayuj Jain 

Lyricist: Sayuj Jain 

Music Producer: Himonshu Parikh

Language: Hindi

Genre: Indie Pop

A fantastic song that might not strike you as a new tune altogether, but the arrangements, programming and production at every instance. Sayuj Jain is the singer-songwriter who impresses mightily with his vocals and score, but Himonshu Parikh blows red hot in this phenomenal production. 

The Keys are like the spine of the song and they get cracking, but nothing is to be taken away from Sayuj's excellent singing. When you hit the line "sabki baatein karein kyun", that is when you hear the magic transpiring in the production in the background. The Keys plays some very captivating notes. The interlude is all Himonshu shining on the Keys and synths, and we get a nice layer of mild additional vocals. Sid Shirodkar mixes all the tracks and also is the mastering engineer. 

@sayujjain @himonshu @warnermusicindia @jaymehtagram 

12. Sawal

Composition, Lyrics, Vocals: Sugandha Garg 

Music Production: Kabir Hiranandani

Language: Hindi

Genre: Indie Pop

I have always only known her as an actress, and what a performance in "Guilty Minds" on Amazon Prime. She is a polymath, sort of! Sughanda Garg is a writer, actor, director, singer, songwriter, and photographer... phew and the list keeps going. 

This is just Sugandha being in her element and feels like she is giving a solo act with just the acoustic guitar and her steamy voice. The tone feels like a Western Classical movie, hearing the whistle and the slow guitar. I can almost visualise Clint Eastwood walking in the deserts of Nevada carrying a pistol in slow motion. Kudos to Kabeer Hiranandani for the production.

She zizzles when Sugandha sings "ab kya karein, kya karein", and one must credit the good writing as always. The shift from Hindi to English lyrics feels great to hear and Sugandha is equally comfortable in the delivery. The rhythms are fantastic, taking their moments to be mild and then upbeat. The song does feel like Madonna's "Secret" with all the tone. Tamzid Rehman does the mastering of the tracks. Sugandha's vocal modifications in, the production and writing all stand out in this dreamy slow pop song. 

@isugandha @kabir_hiranandani @tamzidofficial

13. Paraye

Performed by Jhalli

Written, composed, and produced by Aaliyah Qureishi

Language: Hindi

Genre: Blues/Pop

Aaliyah Qureishi a.k.a. Jhalli was featured a year or so back for a lovely electronic pop song called "Stupid Games". This is a diverse song compared to her earlier release. Well done Jhalli, for attempting a different genre and style. The strong strumming of the guitar layers below the French lyrics making it beautiful in tandem. 

We get to the Hindi lyrics and Jhalli keeps things very simple in vocal terms, almost like talking the words, and that too has an impact. The humming by her aided by the guitar notes and the mild sound of rain starts touching the heart. The production is nothing short of brilliant, as we progress and we hear the saxophone by Harsh Bhavsar. 

This is all well arranged by Jhalli and things get even spicier with the introduction of the additional vocal harmonies. Beat San handles all the additional vocal processing and Utkarsh Amarpuri does the mixing and mastering. 

@jhalli.music @harshbhavsarsaxophone @buttonchutney @beatsanofficial 

14. Yaad Teri Aaye Baar Baar

Singer: Saaj Bhatt

Music Composer: Sandeep Batraa

Programming & Arrangement: Sandeep Batraa

Lyricist: Azeem Shirazi

Language: Hindi

Genre: Indie Pop/Ballad

I have been listening to Saaj Bhatt as a singer for more than 2 years now, but it is not the vocals alone that glorify a song, but the melody and the composition that hold the lion's share. Sandeep Batraa has composed, arranged and programmed to create a fantastic final product here. Saaj does his bit to enhance the beauty of the song. 

Live instrumentalists can always strike you and hit the perfect chord and nerve, and when you hear the guitar riffs in the beginning, your mind opens up to the possibility that this song could be special. It is all thanks to the master Ishan Das who plays the acoustic and electric guitar. I love how the finger flicking is used to add some mild rhythms even as the guitars pile up in the background. Azeem Shirazi writes these cute and relevant lyrics for a love song. 

Sandeep's programming on the Keys is spot-on to suit modern tastes. I love the stanza which has a very touching underlying melody delivered nicely by Saaj. My favourite line is "Yeh joh aankhon mein chehra tera hai, mere jeene ki asli wajah hai" which is fabulous both musically and lyrically. Ishteyak Khan plays the Tabla and percussion and the tracks are mixed and mastered by Saurabh Kumar. I do sense some Raag Bihag in the song. 

@saaj__bhatt @sandeepbatraa @azeemshirazi @voila_digi @karishma2591 @sonuishteyakkhan 

15. Dikku Daari Tochitulla

Performed by Hridaya Shiva, Imtiyaz Sultan

Written by Hridaya Shiva, Imtiyaz Sultan

Language: Kannada

Genre: Filmi Pathos

That sad and haunting Sarangi plays and you have no way of taking your mind off this son. The mild flute joins in the background, and we get vocals to further add to the pathos. This movie deals with the hardships faced by farmers in India, so the tone of the song is clear. 

The tabla and Sarangi work together beautifully in the stanza and all these moments do make me wonder if there is Raag Pilu ( Kaapi Ragam in Carnatic) somewhere here. But the more I hear, the greater the confusion, and there is probably no one Ragam base, as I can hear some Raag Keeravani and Gowrimanohari Ragam (Raag Patdeep)too. This song has a very engaging stanza rich in Indian classical tonality and well done to the team of musicians. 

@hridayashiva @jhankarmusic