Top Indian Songs of the week 26th January 2025

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Here are the best songs released in India across languages and genres for the week ending 26th January 2025

1. Edho Pesathaane

Composed, Arranged and Produced by Nivas K Prasanna

Lyrics: Vijay Sethupathi

Vocals: Siddharth and Shilpa Rao

Language: Tamil

Genre: Light Music/Pop

Mood: Romantic

Nivas K Prasanna is one of my favourite young composers and he proves his mettle every time he is handed an opportunity. This time it is for a Kollywood album 'Bun Butter Jam'. Keba Jeremiah heats things on the guitars and bass, and then Akkarsh Kashyap's solo violin ignites the passion in the intro. The melody on the violin sounds a bit like Karthik Raja's brilliant song " Intha Siru Pennai". Can you feel the temperature rising? Well, that is thanks to Shilpa Rao giving a splendid and saucy performance on lead vocals. Finally, after many mediocre songs in Tamil, she gets something she deserves. 

Nivas has composed, arranged and produced music for this with Alex Samuel Jenito as the executive Music Producer and all additional programming was done by KA Surya Srihari. Is there some Raag Keeravani in the melody? Maybe. The lyrics are penned by 'Makkal Selvan' and acting supremo Vijay Sethupathi. The other actor to feature here in the song is Siddharth who lends this voice as the male singer. We have seen him perform in live shows and interviews and this is not a good show by the versatile artist.

I love the interlude where we have the humming "thanna na thanna na than na" and the mild saxophone in the background. The stanza too builds on the beautiful melody already written with lines like "Vendatha Kelvi thaan, thandaatha kodu thaan". This is why Nivas stands out because he sits down to write good melodies with notes that can soothe you like the line " Baby Ne yen feel agura, Unnod Naan onnaguren". The recording engineers are Akash Mukherjee and Subhashree Das at Jam8 Studios, and the mixing/mastering engineer is Vinay S Hariharan. 

@nivas.k.prasanna @bhavyatrikha @raghavmirdath @raju_jeyamohan @rainofarrowsent @aadhiya_prasad @kebajer @shilparao @worldofsiddarth @akkarshkasyap @k.a.surya_srihari @jam8studio @subhashree.16 

2. Raa Shalabangalayi Nammal

Music Composed arranged and produced by Samuel Aby

Vocals: KS Harisankar

Lyrics: Manu Manjith

Language: Malayalam

Genre: Light Music-Pop

Mood: Romantic

Wow! Can you feel the music? Sandeep Mohan's guitar riffs are enticing along with those mildly thumping rhythms, as we get into the racy pop single composed, arranged and produced by Samuel Aby. I am featuring him for the first time, I believe, but what a song to start off! Say no more, as the master vocalist arrives, and when KS Harisankar performs, you are on Cloud Number Nine, probably just like how Bryan Adams meant and intended that song!

Manu Manjith's lines are beautiful, talking about the beautiful colours of the skies and the peacock feathers when describing the protagonist's lover. The best segment is when we cross over from the Pallavi to the anupallavi, and the vibrato on the first word "Raa" in the title line " Raa Shalabangalayi Nammal" is to die for. The interlude has Sandeep going solo on the electric guitar and he is also the bassist in the background. The melody is endearing in the interlude with the flute solo bit especially played by Josy Alappuzha. 

Samuel Aby is very impressive with the entire composition and I love the arrangements, the timely pauses like the one between the charanam and Pallavi. The outro ends stylishly with the flute solo. The recording engineers are Jisto George, Hariharan and Sanjay. Arjun B Nair is the mixing engineer and Balu Thankachan has done the mastering. 

@samuel_aby @harisankar_ks @anpodukanmani_movie @manumanjith_s @l.i.j.u.t.h.o.m.a.z @gibsandeep @josy_alappuzha @sanjay_811 @jisto_george@sethsethu @thebaluthankachan

3. You are my sunshine

Written and Performed by Alexander Shangoi Syiem

Language: English

Genre: Bluegrass music

Mood: Romantic

Alexander Shangoi gives us a song that feels like a breath of fresh air and the beaming rays of sunshine. This is some beautiful bluegrass music, traditionally with the accompanying guitars, banjo, fiddle and mandolin. I love the writing which has some of the best romantic words I have heard this month. The vocal tone of Alexander and his delivery with that uber-cool attitude make this song so special. 

Kudos to Alexander for writing and producing this beautiful love song. He hails from the West Khasi Hills of Meghalaya, and the music is as pristine as the region itself. "You are my sunshine in the rain, my sweet escape from all this pain", I hope you enjoy this number and dedicate it to someone you love and adore. I also love the bridge section as it moves away from the main melody of the verses, and the writing says "When I am lost, you're my compass". The Piano, Drums and electric guitars are samples for programming while Alexander plays the acoustic guitar. 

@alexander_s_shangoi_84 @songdewnetwork

4. Maine Muddat Se

Music Composer - Kavita Seth 

Music Producer - Kanishk Seth 

Language: Hindi

Genre: Blues-Pop

Mood: Dreamy

A terrific mother-son duo are here to persuade us that good music in India still exists. It is only the audience that determines whether such projects limp on and get recognition or have a blitzkrieg of popularity. Either way, I am here to talk about good music and promote it. The legendary Kavita Seth ji has composed the melody and performed the lead vocals, with the son Kanishk embellishing the song with some Jazzy arrangements and elevating the song's quality to further heights. 

Zion Mathew plays the gentle Piano and then comes Bhushan Chitnis on the electric guitar and ID Rao on the savvy Clarinet. I could sense some mild traces of Raag Mishra Khamaj in the melody, but I could hardly focus when Kavita Ji sings like a dream and I just don't want to wake up from it. The Bluesy mix of the Piano, Clarinet and mild drums, by Sanket Pahurkar, make it a superlative effort in music production. ID Rao dazzles in the interlude playing the Clarinet and then the English Flute enhances the chirpiness of the song in the verse. 

Bhushan freewheels in the background on his electric guitar and these degrees of freedom is what make this single worth your time. Aldridge D'souza is on the electric bass and the mixing and mastering engineer is Prathamesg Dudhane. The lyrics are adapted from a Nazm penned by Wazeem Barelvi 

@sethkavita @seth_kanishk @thewaseembareilviofficial @zionmathew @idrao_official @prathmeshdudhane @pankhurirnjn @_ceecee___ @aldridge_dsouza @imjustsidd_ @bhushan_bhu_chitnis @imma.joking @crayycraay @shinysyko

5. Ennai Neengathe Nee

Composed, and Produced by Darbuka Siva

Lyrics: Madhan Karky

Vocals: Kapil Kapilan & Pavitha Chari

Language: Tamil

Genre: Light Music-Pop

Mood: Romantic

It has been a while and now Darbuka Siva has returned to music composition responsibilities after the series 'Mathagan' on Disney Hotstar. I am eager to listen to his new album 'Tharunam'. This song is composed, arranged and programmed by Darbuka Siva, with lyrics by the ingenious Madhan Karky. Keba Jeremiah spices the romanticism with acoustic guitar riffs and he is also the bassist on duty. 

The melody in the intro and the solo violin sort of remind me of this beautiful song 'Poovukkellam' composed by Vidyasagar from the album 'Uyirodu Uyiraga'. Karthick Iyer plays the soulful solo on the violin. The way the violin is played, we are also intrigued and reminded of the Irish fiddle-like effect from songs like 'Visiri' in Darbuka Siva's "Ennai Nokki Paayum Thotta". Shyam Benjamin is the keyboardist and the keys-rhythms programming work well in unison to give a delectable pop flavour. 

The chorus segment is where the song gets a lush sound thanks to the well-written lines" Nee, en vanamum vanavilum nee, ena kathalum kalamum neeye, ennai neengathe nee" with both lead vocalists Kapil Kapilan and Pavithra Chari singing in harmony. Keba intervenes in style on the electric guitar and the gentle use of the Piano makes this song feel fresh and fragrant. Pavithra Chari's use of subtle vibrato is worthy of appreciation. Madhan Karky shows why he is one clever cookie and hence we get some very interesting lyrics like " Kadavul velai rendenben, aarthu vaithalum, unnai ennai serthu vaithalum". 

The outro is the highlight with Kapil's high-pitched vocals, excellent harmonies, violin solo in the background and some foot-tapping drums. The vocal production is done by Avinash Sathish, and the recording engineers are Paul Daniel, Hariharan and Ananthakrishnan R. The mixing and mastering is done by Balu Thankachan at 20dB Black. 

@darbukasiva @smruthivenkatofficial @kishendas @dirarvindh @kapilkapilanmusic @pavithra.chari @madhankarky @kebajer @thebaluthankachan @shyambenjamin @avinashsathish @karthick_iyer 

6. Maalik

Written and performed by Nawaazishein

Vocals: Siddhartha Sarkar

Language: Hindi

Genre: Rock fusion

Mood: Inspiring

I have featured this rock band 'Nawaazishein' and their delightful rock fusion is cathartic at times, like this one here. The Sarangi melody right at the intro segment is so powerful as it transports you to a land of pathos and mysticism when you hear it. Once this phase ends the song transcends into a zone of tranquillity with the soaring vocals of Siddhartha. He sings " Hey Maalik, mujhe tu apne hawale le le" and you feel like you are going to be embraced by the arms of the almighty. 

Siddharth Sagar is the bassist, and Lakshay plays the acoustic and scintillating lead guitars. Watch out for the interlude on the guitar solo and the heavy drums by Akash Gupta. This comes up after we get a flavour of Hindustani classical music as Siddhartha elaborately performs an alaap. We are just floating around, with levitation effects purely from the sound of Siddharha's voice and his pulsating delivery. The Alt-Rock flavours are punched in by Abhishek Noel on keys. The tracks are mixed and mastered by Lakshay Sharma who also produces this song. 

@nawazisheinmusic @sid_n_roll @akashdrums @sagar_siddharth @laksh_lokfi @abhisheknoel 

7. Keh Do Na

Composer & Singer - Hansika Pareek 

Lyricist - JUNO 

Music Producer - Aditya Bisht 

Language: Hindi

Genre: Pop Ballad

Mood: Romantic

Hansika Pareek is a talent to take notice of, as she has a fine voice and the technical abilities to accompany it. After a few years as an indie artist singing for many composers, Hansika has started making the foray into Bollywood as well. I am most excited about this because she is expanding her horizons and presenting a single as a composer here. So Kudos to this gentle romantic pop ballad performed and composed by Hansika, with lyrics by JUNO.

The gentle flowy Piano makes this a very soothing listening experience and you can already hear her doing a beautiful vibrato on "rukhe se ho kyun". When I listen to this, I feel like the protagonist is asking her partner to tell the words she is waiting to hear, and the vibrato is like a nudge to convince the partner further. Aditya Bisht is the music producer and he understands the job on his hands quite well. The arrangements like the double bass and violins in the background add to the sensitivity of the song's theme without ever being overpowering. The vocals and lyrics remain the primary focus. 

Hansika shines in the writing of the notes as the antara drifts nicely into a trajectory that pleases the listener with the melancholy of the melody. Aditya uses the interlude to drive the pathos further with a touch of the Sarod and the string arrangements in the background. The melody gets juicier lines like "Tum bolte bas raho, aur hum bas sune". JUNO too delivers with these simple but relevant lines that anyone will want to dedicate this song to their lover. Sachin Nair is the mixing and mastering engineer who does a wonderful job of getting these various layers and tracks together. Pratik Shrivastava stings you with the Sarod once again in the outro.

@hansikaapareek @sarodpratik @beatsanofficial @saregama_official @addy_music @mayurhasija @_harshj

8. Dhamaal

Vocals: Arslan Nizami, Qaiser Nizami

Composition: Arslan Nizami

Lyrics: Himayat Ali, Syed Mehdi Riza

Music Producer: Aman Moroney

Orchestra Producer: Nicole Picazo

Language: Hindi

Genre: Rock Fusion

Mood: Inspiring

Arslan Nizami, the Kashmiri talent, and Aman Moroney are amazing collaborators, and I have featured them many times. The end product is something that you will always cherish. Kudos to these guys, who create something worthy every time. The vocals in the opening verse are by Qaiser Nizami, who takes us into a meditative state with their touching delivery. Aman plays the electric guitar riffs and along with that, he is also the man on multiple instruments like the acoustic guitar, keys, synths and bass. 

I do sense some influences of Raag Shanmukhapriya in the slow and morose melody. "Yeh ishq mera dhamaal karta" they sing the words of Himayat Ali and Syed Mehdi Riza. We enter a deeper zone of trance with Arslan's singing subsequently thanks to his gifted voice and tone. The backing vocals by Shaurtya Saxena and the strings section by Budapest Symphony Orchestra make this a surreal experience. The rock flavours make a foray in the interlude with the drums by Karan Chitra Deshmukh and Aman's electric guitars. 

The highlight was the intervention on the Shehnai in the background by Raju Dhumal, making the listener experience something unique, rock tonalities with traditional Indian instruments like the Shehnai. I love the bridge section with Arslan singing with immense passion and energy and the accompanying strings section in the outro. Nicole Picazo is the Orchestra producer and Kovacs Peter is the session conductor. Rita is the executive producer with Peti Barabas on recording duties. The mixing and mastering is done by Aman Moroney. 

@aman_moroney @arslannizaami @qaiser_nizami @himayat_ali @syedmehdi_riza @karanchitradeshmukh @wearemusicversal @faheemabdullahworld @nicole.picazov @kovacs.peter.378 @ritasenhor @peti_barabas

9. Vazhithunaiye 

Music Composed, Arranged & Produced by Leon James 

Lyrics: Vignesh Shivan, KO Sesha 

Singers: Sid Sriram, Sanjana Kalmanje 

Language: Tamil

Genre: Light Music/Pop

Mood: Romantic

If you compose a melody in this Ragam, it is bound to be solid and impressive. Welcome to the world of Reethigowla, where you might have heard numbers like "Chinna Kannan Azhaikkiran," "Azhagana Ratchasiye," and "Kangal Irundaal." They all are set in the scale of Reethigowla Raagam, and so is this song from the movie Dragon. Say no more! The lyrics are by Vignesh Shivan and KO Sesha.

Leon James has composed, arranged and produced music in this album and he uses the semic-classical framework for this song performed by Sid Sriram and Sanjana Kalmanje as lead vocalists. Although I wouldn't rate teh song too high on creativity, it is still a beautiful to hear. Vishwas Hari stars as the man on the Mandolin with David Joseph on all the additional rhythm programming. Leon handles the synths and rhythms. The whole production gives a very stylish soundscape to this semi-classical melody and kudos to Leon and his team for that.

Keba plays the acoustic, electric, and bass, and when the verses begin, we are serenaded by Sanjana and Sid. I love the title line sung by Sid in the higher pitch, and the constant support on the Mandolin makes it breezy. The interlude before the charanam is where Leon gives a more authentic classical Carnatic texture with Sayee Rakshith's Violin solo and Sarvesh Karthick's Mridangam. The music supervisor is Ravi G. The recording engineers are Ashwin George John at Sounds Right Studios, Avinash Sathish And Hari at 20db Sound Studios, and Ravi G. The mixing and mastering engineer is Avinash Sathish at Jovi Records. 

@leon.james @sidsriram @sanjanakalamanje @wikkiofficial @ashwath_marimuthu @archanakalpathi @aishwaryakalpathi @agsentertainment @pradeep_ranganathan @kebajer @sayee.rakshith @ravig_official @vishwas.hari @davidthejoseph @aswin_george_john @sarveshkarthick @avinashsathish

10. Tera Sitam

Performed by Ali Sethi 

Written by Ali Sethi, Sunayana Kachroo, Romil Hemnani, Kaushlesh “Garry” Purohit 

Produced by Ali Sethi, Romil Hemnani, Kaushlesh “Garry” Purohit, Abdullah Siddiqui 

Language: Hindi

Genre: Pop

Mood: Trippy

He is a rock star from our neighbouring land Pakistan, with many fans in India for his beautiful and groovy compositions. This song is composed by Ali Sethi, Sunayana Kachroo, Romil Hemnani and Kaushlesh “Garry” Purohit while the lead vocals are by Ali. He sings with purpose and passion and, when he sings in the higher vocal registers. I love the line "Laakh Sahaa hai, Dil mein basaa hai, Aasraa hai tera sitam". The backing vocals are performed by Abdullah Siddiqui. 

All the keyboard programming is by Romil Hemnani with rhythms produced by Kaushlesh Purohit. He also plays the drums and Tabla in the song. The mild electric guitars are played by Romil who also handles the stylish synths along with Sashank Navalvadi. The verse has this Alt Hip Hop style of delivery and this is where the synths, drums and Tabla combine well. The highlight of the song is the chorus segment which carries the most haunting melody. The tracks are mixed by Kaushlesh and mastered by Chris Gehringer. 

@alisethiofficial @sunayanakachroo @garry.purohit @abdullah.s.siddiqui @rohil.hemnani @sssawaniii @sashanknavalvadi