Top Indian Songs of the week 26th March 2023

Here are the best songs released in India across languages and genres for the week ending 26th March 2023. 

If you are a musician submit your new music here.

1. Glow

Performed by Eden Kesang, Samantha Noella, Tubby

Lyrics by Indrajit Sharma, Samantha Noella

Composed & Produced by Indrajit Sharma

Language: English

Genre: Dance-Pop, Jazz-Pop

Samantha Noella is one of the finest vocalists in India and when it comes to Blues and Jazz she probably will end up being in a very small coterie or performers along with say Vivienne Pocha. This is not just a fine vocal performance but also a brilliant single and that is why it is at the top of the charts. Lion's share of the credit must also go to composer/producer Indrajit Sharma a.k.a. Tubby, for having produced and composed this emphatic song.

Samantha and Eden Kesang are the vocalists and the singing deserves huge praise because without such vocals the true quality and impact of the song would have been much less. Indrajit and Samatha also write up these beautiful words. This is is a dance-pop with a lot of keyboard programming, but it also transforms into a Jazz-pop song. Sheldon D'Silva is the bassist and he is having a total blast out in the middle. Eden starts things off and I was super impressed having heard her for the first time. 

The use of the trumpets and the Brass section elements along with the bass guitar, and rhythms evokes memories of "Sususdio" by Phil Collins. This is where the genius of Tubby comes in as every instrument and its application is the brainchild of the composer. Now when Samantha gets on board, she brings the house down with her unmistakable voice and her delivery is a singing masterclass. "You will be much stronger than ever before", and when she does her thing with this line, you just end up surrendering to the power of her vocals. Indrajit weaves beautiful lines and his production is top-notch getting all the arrangements to elevate each segment. 

Samantha cooks up one of the best vocal performances of 2023 and I am quite certain that with 9 more months to go, this will remain among the top 5 when the year ends. When she sings "wings to fly" and "believe in yourself" these phrases mean so much coming out of her vocals because of the impact she generates while delivering. The bridge section gets the collective skill of both Eden and Samantha, with vocals being arranged in different layers. The outro is pure genius and a chance for Samantha to exhibit her Himalayan potential. Jeremey Hagry does the mastering. 

@samantha_noella @@tubbys_music @livelove_eden @bassinova @thakurrupak @jeremy.duneaudio @inkkaudio

2. You'll Leave Me Behind 

Singer, Composer and Lyricist - Harry Arora

Producer - Swarup Chattopadhyay

Language: English

Genre: Ballad

Harry Arora reached out to me and submitted his song on my website. I consider it a blessing that I have made this option available to musicians, or else I would well miss out on some splendid songs and artists like Harry. I am yet to listen to his EP as he is releasing singles one after the other. If this song is the benchmark and standard then I cannot wait for the rest of the EP called "Girta Toot'ta Dil"

Manan Mehta plays the Piano and he gives a kicker right at the start. The tone and the notes on the Piano already reminded me of the uber-famous "Tears in Heaven" by Eric Clapton. Harry's voice is loaded with innocence and honesty and he tears me up with the emotionally apt delivery. If this was not enough to touch a nerve, Protyay Chakraborty piles it on with his scintillating on the strings we hear mildly in the background. 

The power of vocals can only be truly understood when someone like this comes along and delivers it like a knockout punch. When Harry sings " I feel so hollow" I can relate to and feel every syllable of that pain so well done Harry on the lyrics and the singing. He has composed this gut-wrenching melody and it must be said here that Swarup Chattopadhyay is the producer and the man behind all the programming and arrangements. 

2022 was a brilliant year for vocalists but the top 4 according to me were all women singers. I was elated with that, realising the power of the female voice, but also pondering as to why male vocalists in the indie space at least never experiment enough. I am delighted to listen to this and we might have one more candidate for "best vocal performances of 2023". When the title line is sung, the strings come thick and fast in layers and the Piano is too reverberates the emotions. 

Harry is also the mixing and mastering engineer and in this sensational performance, Harry and Swarup are sure to leave many other songs and performances behind in the race for the best. Harry gives a special mention to Darshan Merchant for helping out in the lyrics. 

@harrythisside @manan_potato @protyaych @swarupchattopadhyay @mixedbyharry @darshanmerchant

3. O Bedardeya

Music: Pritam

Lyrics: Amitabh Bhattacharya

Singer: Arijit Singh

Music Arranger and Programmer - Himonshu Parikh

Language: Hindi

Genre: Ballad/Seim-classical fusion

When you just think that he is down and out, he rises like a Phoenix from the ashes, this Pritam. The whole EP "Tu Jhoothi Main Makkar" has music of moderate quality and I would listen to any of the 5 other songs. Pritam however redeems himself with this song that strikes you like a hammer on a hot anvil. 

Arijit Singh finds fresh energy and his performance will go down as one of his best. If two people hold the song on their shoulders other than Pritam of course, they are Arijit as the vocalist and Himonshu Parikh as the programmer and arranger. The song according to me is set in Raag CHarukeshi which is the epitome of pathos, but I later did realize that this could be based on Raag Sarasangi which is quite close to Charukeshi. 

Either way the song's tune by itself wouldn't have created this sort of buzz and impact, but the production that goes on thanks to Himonshu is mindblowing. He elevates it into something fresh and fantastic and you can hear the Keys straightaway. I was shaking my head in complete awe thanks to the arrangements and programming genius of Himonshu. DJ Phukan works as the additional music arranger.

It starts in a normal fashion with Arijit's heartfelt rendition, but you have to just wait for the title line to begin. Here the song just zooms from 0 to 100 in 2 seconds with the keyboard and rhythm programming excelling. This is a song that has the main segment and a mild bridge section but the vocals and production rip it apart into something extraordinary. I love the dreamy male humming and after that Arijit floats away with his improvised singing and here the supremo Warren Mendonsa plays the guitars. There are fragments here that remind us of 'Kalank' the title song when Arijit sings in a high pitch. 

A lot of credit must go to DJ Phukan and Ashwin Kulkarni who handle the sound design, and we have Pritam's well-trained musicians like Brianna Supriyo as production manager, Aniruddh Anantha and Pranav Gupta as sound engineers and Antara Mitra, Aniruddh Anantha & Dev Arijit as vocal conductors. The introduction of the Sarangi by Dilshad Khan and the Tabla by Akshay Jadhav is a master stroke that stays in the head as something brilliantly creative. 

The last 1-minute outro is all about Arijit and how he takes you on this meditative journey. Eric Pillai does the mixing and mastering with Michael Edwin Pillai as the mixing assistant. Pritam, Himonshu and Arijit take a bow. 

 @himonshu @ipritamofficial @amitabhbhattacharyaofficial @ericpillai @aniruddhanantha @briannasupriyo @dev_arijit9 @arijitsingh @iamdjphukan @blackstratblues @dilshadkhansarangi @akshaymusic @pranavgupta_27 @antaramitraofficial 

4. Dancing with Demons

Produced by Ritwik Bhattacharya & Karthik Chennojirao

Songwriter, Composer, and vocalist: Saroj Kashyap

Language: English

Genre: Alt-Rock

I was floored by this amazing song that Saroj Kashyap sent me this song, and it helps I always begin hearing a song with a clean slate and hence no biases creep in. The song is composed and written by Saroj Kashyap and she gets a stupendous team on board. Karthik Chennojirao of Pineapple Express produces this along with Ritwik Bhattacharya. 

The gang of guitarists is immense with Ritwik on lead guitars and Prashanth Gnanamuthu on bass guitars. The Keys and lead guitars get the ball rolling and Saroj is stunning right from the get-go with her mind-bending vocal performance. The powerful delivery by Saroj gives the chills as we hear her sing " I'm gonna keep on slow dancing with the demons in my head".

Ritwik and Karthik know what they are doing with solid production and their experience in the world of rock clearly shows up with every segment of electric guitar and arrangements. One can trust Prashanth to perform exactly as per the briefing and here his bass guitars are funky with fervour. The Keys and drums are solid bed-mates in this journey and I love the transition into the bridge section.

Here Saroj just sizzles as she explores herself vocally and to make matters even more devastating for the distracted mind, Ritwik's electric guitar solo takes me back to "Brothers in Arms" by the band Dire Straits. The outro is just outrageous with drums, electric guitars, Keys and Saroj's vocals merging like the teeth of gears perfectly. 

@ritwikbhattacharya @clayartmedia @karthikchennojirao @prashanthgnanamuthu @akashshivakumar

5. Ghar Khalne Laga

Vocals: digV , Ayushi Joshi

Lyrics: Ayushi Joshi

Music arranged and produced by digV

Composer: digV, Ayushi Joshi 

Language: Hindi

Genre: Soft Rock

digV a.k.a. Digvijay Singh is a talented musician and it fills my heart with joy when I feature these musicians who make it a habit of creating good original music. digV is one of those and here he composes and performs a very enjoyable song along with Ayushi Joshi. Ayushi has written the lyrics and digV produces and arranges the song to make it a clear winner. 

The duo of digV and Ayushi also perform this song vocally and it is just a beautifully produced and composed song that deserves a lot of love and recognition. If it was the era of the early 2000s this would have been a song by the trio Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy and that is my way of saying of how rich this song's melody is. digV impresses in more than a few ways, and it is his mysterious delivery of the vocals and his acoustic guitars that keep the romanticism in the song alive. When Ayushi begins singing her lines, she picks things off from where digV leaves and the duo make a perfect recipe vocally. 

She too teases and plays around with her delivery and I can sense a lot of potential in Ayushi as a vocalist and you will see proof of that in the attitude that she displays. Strings of Karma is brilliant on the electric guitar and the interlude is like an ode to rock bands the world over. He also plays the nylon strings right through the song. Dan Thomas is present and offers the energy that the song deserves by playing the drums. 

The live instrumentalists are serving up something nice every second in this song and that is why this is one wholesome song that should cheer any soul listening to it. Sahil Masih is the bassist and Tapas Roy plays the mandolin. The combined effect of both the lead vocalists feels like magic towards the end and the song is a perfect example of how good production is as important if not more than the melody itself. The drums and electric guitar combination spices things up in pure rock style and fittingly digV ends the song on a high by improvising beautifully and skilfully with his vocals. The song is mixed and mastered by Rupjit Das.

@digvijaysinghpariyaofficial @ayushijoshi.121 @strings_of_karma @danthomasondrums @mandolintapas @brownguyonbasstrip @rupjit_playheadstudio

6. Pehla Pehla Pyaar

Vocals, Lyrics, Composition: Manasi Ghosh

Music Production: Subhojit Dhar

Language: Hindi

Genre: Dance-pop

Getting new musicians into this list is not the sole aim, as the focus is always on good-quality music. But in the process, I keep getting fresh talent into the fray and that is a double bonanza not just for me but for avid music lovers. Manasi Ghosh has written, composed and sung this song and wow does she have a good set of vocals on her?

She wastes no time, and with the opening line that goes" Ishq hai, ehsaas tumhara, izhaar kar loon, yeh pyaar dobara", the subtle but very lovable ghamakas are there to hear and she performs like a seasoned professional. This is what we expect from vocalists - to test their limits and never let a dull moment appear in the song. Subhojit Dhar has produced the song and he too is excellent in all the synths, keyboard and rhythm programming. The song reminds me of the mercurial musical duo of Vishal-Shekhar and their prime days when songs like these would make Bollywood music tick. 

Well done Manasi for such a hummable melody and Subhojit gets the tone and sound design of the song to suit the modern taste of dance-pop. My favourite line is when she sings " Main udne lagi, main hasne lagi" and even better the second time with some twists and vibratos. The electric guitars and basslines are terrific and I was blown away by Manasi's delivery when she sings the same opening line but with outrageous improvisations on the words "tumhara" and "kar loon". 

Subhojit has fun in the interlude with a funky keyboard segment and this is A-grade stuff. Manasi continues to sizzle when she again sings "shuru hua pyaar ka safar" with that play on the first word going down s scale and coming back. Saibal Karmakar does the mixing and mastering for the song. 

@mansi_kta @subhojit.keys.08

7. Dance This Night

Performed by Tannison Mathews

Written by Tannison Mathews

Produced by Tannison Mathews & Wilson Lakra

Language: English

Genre: Pop

It has been a while since I featured Tannison Mathews, and he has been on my weekly playlists and reviews a couple of times. His strong points are his vocals and composition, both of which are on point here. The guitar strumming is the perfect companion and it walks along throughout the song. 

The use of the strings section in the background adds a nice layer. It is however the interlude on guitars that makes for some interesting listening. The song is produced very well and the usual suspects Wilson Lakra and Tannison work in this department. The song is written, composed and performed by Tannsion though. The texture and tone of Tannison's voice are something that will always score points in my book and he never misses using them to his full advantage

The strings section is cleverly used and it keeps elevating the song every step of the way. The last 30 seconds are creatively done as all the instruments fade away, with only the vocals and rhythms engaging the audience in what feels and seems like a live performance. Damian Colaprette is the mixing engineer.

@tannisonmathews @thewilsonlakra @damiancolaprette @sprshagrawal

8. Uske Aane Se

Performed by Divyanshu Mayal

Written, and composed by Divyanshu Mayal

Produced and arranged by Khwaab

Language: Hindi

Genre: electronic pop fusion

This feels like a fabulous electronic pop song that could very well figure in any of the top-earning movies in Bollywood. The production quality is sky-high and that is to be expected when you have Khwaab a.k.a. Nishant Nagar handling production and arrangements. He is one of the best around and it is like Khwaab has the perfect vision to bring attractive elements into a song and the end product just turns out to be magnificent. 

Divyanshu Mahal is someone I am featuring for the very first time and what a memorable way to make it to my weekly charts. He has written, composed and performed the song and his energy and cool delivery are infectious. The synths, keyboards and rhythms deliver the perfect concoction but we have to focus on what lies beneath. The saxophone can be heard playing mildly and it is the one and only Abhay Sharma who has been roped in to play it. 

It is a clear game-changer to have the live saxophone here in the production and arrangements and Abhay goes full-throttle when it comes to executing his role. When Divyanshu sings about "behthi nadi", Abhay's saxophone comes and flows like the river. This is just a cool song with some fantastic notes written for the saxophone segment.  

9. Love Wasn’t Enough

Music Production - FreddieDot

Singer/Songwriter - Damini Bhatla

Language: English

Genre: Indie pop

Damini Bhatla has been doing quite well, and it is her constant effort to come out on top by creating her best work, that is inspirational for one and all. Damini performs in the Tollywood music space for movies and she also keeps at it composing and producing sensational indie music. She has written, composed and sung this number. 

This one was such a brilliant song that puts Damini among the absolute best in the country. It will be an obvious nominee for the best vocal performances of 2023. She begins with this steamy low-pitched voice and to sound so convincing and produce some delectable vibratos is never an easy feat. 

I felt like I was soaring up in the skies when I heard her go "but u don't ever pick up when I call" and that steals the show. Though the writing sort of leads you to believe that the song has a message of sadness like that of a break-up song, her vocals and Damini's zest in the song make it more like an ode of inspiration. 

Credit must go to the lyrics which talk about moving on and the production by Freddie Dot which is focused on getting the mood and tone upbeat with the keyboards and rhythm programming. The song reminds us of global superstars like Celine Dion and Mariah Carey and their tone of delivery and style of songs. 

@daminibatlach @freddiedotmusic 

10. Ruswa Na Karo

Vocals, Composition and Lyrics: Neha Karode

Music production and live guitars: Rupjit Das

Language: Hindi

Genre: Semi-classical pop fusion 

It looks like we have a week with some solid girl power on display and I am glad it is that way. Neha Karode has always been at the forefront of some groundbreaking indie music in India. She is not just a fabulous vocalist with enviable skills, she also had a great sense of composition. Just a month or so ago she released a fantastic single in English and that was unlike her semi-classical fusion songs. 

Here I am glad she has gotten the recognition and acknowledgement of one of the most prestigious music labels in the country i.e. Merchant Records owned by Salim-Suliaman. Neha writes, composes and sings this with her friend Rujit Das taking over production duties. He also does the mixing and mastering of the song. 

Tapas Roy is just enticing you with his skilful fingers on the Strokes, and within seconds the sweet voice of Neha starts serenading us. Sahil Masih plays the bass guitars and with Rupjit on the acoustic guitars, we have a beautiful bed of these strokes and guitars the song has influences of Raag Hameer.

The interlude is a continuation of the strokes and we have also solid rhythm programming to back up the tempo. Neha doesn't just get elated with a couple of lines as would most indie musicians these days. Her songs are elaborate and here we have a longish antara which twists and turns, moves and sways reflecting the vision and skills of Neha. This is truly a composition some stalwarts like Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy or Amit Trivedi would have been proud of it back in their heydays if this was a Bollywood score. 

Neha is also someone who experiments and explores her vocals without staying in a narrow comfort zone and that is why these falsettos and pop western influences also show up in an Indian melody. This is what sets her apart from the rest of the crowd. Mrinal Kanti Das is the recording engineer 

@nehakarode_music @mandolintapas @rupjit_playheadstudio @brownguyonbasstrip @playheadstudio @mrinalkanti.das.334 @chris_productions2.0 @merchant_records @salimsulaimanmusic @radhika188 @shivansh.j @niravthakar @itsdhiraining @jaymehtagram @shivangijoshi @akshay5150 @lilyahluwalia

11. Serotonin Skies

Written, Performed by Chantelle Marie Menezes

Produced Mekeli Villamor & Sal Talon

Language: English

Genre: Ballad/Pop

The surprises just keep on coming, and once again we not only have one more woman singer-songwriter on this list, but we also have a first-timer. This is written, composed and performed by Chantelle Marie Menezes a.k.a. Achante. and she goes solo on this very engaging and beautifully rendered single. 

Achante is incredibly subtle and she sings every note and utters every syllable like she is the protagonist, and Im sold when she goes "It seems so wrong to be leaving this home" and I cannot imagine how brilliantly she hits that low pitch note while uttering the last word in that line. The emotionally uplifting humming is touching and it only gets enhanced with the Pianos in the background. 

The backing vocals also are quite effective as they sing the lines with a lag the song's tone and tempo remind me of great hits like "I believe I can fly" by R Kelly and "Heal the world" by Michael Jackson. The strings in the background intensify slowly and make a bigger impact on the listener. The synths start coming off now and the outro is all about Achante exhibiting her vocal skills. The song is excellently produced by Sal Talon and Mekeli Villamor. 

@achantemusic @mekeli_villamor @sal.talon

12. Sama

Composition & Performance: Parth Gadhvi

Lyrics: Parth Gadhvi, Omkar Powle

Production & Mixing - Sachin Nair 

Language: Hindi

Genre: synth-pop

This combination of Parth Gadhvi and Sachin Nair has been featured by me for a lovely song called "Still Around" and these guys are still around composing good music. The song is composed and sung by Parth while the lyrics has Parth working together with Omkar Powle. 

Despite the hummable tune, we always need good production to package a song into a very attractive final product and this is where Sachin Nair comes in. We have another song here that transports you into a calmer, serene place and my favourite part is when the line goes" dil ki baatein saari, labon se fisalne lagi" and the notes here are just way too enjoyable to listen to and hum along. Sachin does leave his mark as well with those synths and rhythms. 

There is not a second that you feel could have had a better utilisation of the space between the words and lines. The song scores high on synth and keyboard programming. It is simple in its structure but strikes hard owing to the well-executed vocals and production. Sachin also does the mixing and mastering of the song. Sujal Verma is the assistant engineer and he handles the vocal programming and post-production 

@sujalmixes @beatsanofficial @reallyomkar @parthgadhvi 

13. Chal Pada

Composition and vocals: Gaurav Bangia

Lyrics: Rahul B Seth

Music Production: Santosh Nair

Language: Hindi

Genre: Filmi Melody

I believe this song is special and it needed space on the internet to review and feature it. It is a dedication to the great performer KK who passed away unfortunately in 2022 and this is an original song purely created to evoke the right memories. Gauarva Bangi does a splendid job composing this song and he gets the tone and sound design perfectly thanks to Sachin Nair who produces the song. 

We are taken back to a time full of innocence and good music of course. Gaurav also sings the song and his delivery and texture come quite close to that of KK himself. The melody reminds me of "Dhooba DHooba" by Silk Route but in a much lower tempo. The famous lyricist Rahul B Seth is roped in to pen the emotional words and he never disappoints. 

One can get teary-eyed if one focuses on the message and idea behind the song and it is a mark of success if the music composer and team can achieve those feelings. I love the guitars in the song which try to keep a more upbeat emotion and we hear that electric guitar solo in the interlude achieving some goosebumps. Kudos to Gaurav for the well-composed bridge section and the backing harmonies that accompany the background. The song also reminds me of "Gazab ka hai din" from QSQT the movie. Pawan Rasaily plays those amazing guitars. Amruta Natu and Gaurav are the backing vocalists. The recording engineer is Partha Protim Das and the brilliant Aman Moroney plays the role of the mixing engineer. 

@santosh.nair.3572 @aman_moroney @rahulbseth_official @iamgauravbangia  

14. I Wanna Love You

Performed by Bharat Mike

Written by Bharat Mike

Language: English

Genre: Jazz/Blues

The last song to be featured this week is by Bharat Mike and owing to the fierce competition and the fantastic quality of songs in the week, we see this song occupying the last spot, else this is worthy of a much better rank for sure. Bharat has written, composed and performed this Jazz/Blues song that just slowly gets into your system like slow poison. Bharat hits this one for home-run when it comes to his vocal portions. 

Like Harry Arora, we saw at number 2, we have Bharat here who also experiments voraciously with his vocals. He tries everything and uses the entire gamut of skills, like the vibrato and falsetto and the best part is that none of it feels forced. The electric guitar solo in the end is a fitting way to end things - on a high. 

@bharatmike @shivamsemwaal @gills_michael @director.saab