Top Indian Songs of the week 28th January 2024

If you are a musician submit your new music here.

Here are the best songs released in India across languages and genres for the week ending 28th January 2024.

1. Dava Dava

Singer - Aishwarya Rangarajan

Music Composer -K C Balasarangan

Lyrics- Mahendra Gowda

Language: Kannada

Genre: Pop Fusion

Mood: Energetic

This is sheer brilliance and just like last week, the composer here too excels at fusing musical styles and we end up getting the number 1 song of the week. K C Balasarangan has composed and produced this song from the upcoming Kannada movie album " Anshu" WIthout Aishwarya Rangarajan's electrifying vocals, the song would only have accomplished half of its final glory. 

The Keys alone come in with layers and allow Aishwarya to excel with every note uttered. From being a soft and tender performer in the song's Pallavi, she explodes with great energy and attitude in the song's anupallavi section. The chorus section with the line "Dava Dava" lets us experience a rush of blood to the head. The interlude is loaded with the sounds of some ethnic strings. The initial pre-chorus segments tend to have some Sri Ragam influences but when we get to the stanza, there is Raag Darbari at play. 

The stanza is short but Aishwarya leaves no stone unturned and she displays an amazingly wide range and some terrific vibrato towards the end as well. Balasarangan incorporates a wide variety of rhythms and the humming in the second interlude is a clear giveaway of the Darbari influence. Vairavasan is the brilliant sound engineer behind this output and the tracks are mixed and mastered by by him A at Soniq Grit Studios, Chennai. The recording engineer is Vaishnavi Mishra.

@aish_rangarajan @aanandaaudio @kcbalasarangan @nisha_ravikrishnaoffl_ @mahendra.gowda.77 @aditi_narayan_official_

2. Pahadon Mein

Written, Composed: Vishal Mishra

Vocals: Vishal Mishra

Language: Hindi

Genre: Pop

Mood: Romantic

You can never keep a mammoth restrained and under covers, can you? Here comes one of the most talented and accomplished musicians from India, and he delivers a spell-binding performance in this indie project. Vishal Mishra has written the lyrics, composed the tune and performed the led vocals with such finesse. 

Ishan Das draws you with the guitars, and the gentle voice of Vishal is like the hook or bait and the end of that string. If you are a music lover, this will be your handicap and you cannot escape the beauty of his singing. The melody is so charming and the introduction of the Tabla is magical when the song's Sthayi is repeated, thanks to the live rhythms by Prashant Sonagra and Ishteyak Khan. 

The strokes are played by Tapas Roy in the interlude and when it combines with the Flute solo by Parth Shankar we are transported to heaven. The melody oozes even more quality into the stanza segment and Vishal captivates with the strings section in the background and the combined beauty of all live string instruments and rhythms. The supreme output of the song is also thanks to Vishal Music assistants Kumar Gaurav Singh, Trihangku Lahkar and Bixal. 

The tracks are mixed and mastered by Eric Pillai at Future Sound of Bombay with Michael Edwin Pillai assisting on mixing. Trihangku Lahkar at VM Studio and Sanket Tole at SevenHeavenStudios are the recording engineers. 

@vishalmishraofficial @sonalc23 @kumargauravsing @rajchanana @trihangkulahkar @ericpillai @gauravvaswaniofficial @mahirasharma @bixal__purplehaze 

3. Tu Meri Hai

Music - Sachin - Jigar

Singer - Jigar Saraiya & Shreya Ghosal

Lyrics- Priya Saraiya

Programmed & Arranged By - Sachin-Jigar & Himonshu Parikh

Music Production Head - Romil Ved

Language: Hindi

Genre: Pop

Mood: Romantic

Sachin-Jigar have a good 2023 with some good music for albums like "Bhediya", "Zara Bachke Zara Hatke" and " Saah, Bahu and Flamingos". And they have also been balancing it out with forays into indie music projects as well. This one is one more exemplary outing by the duo. Sachin-Jigar composed this enjoyable tune, but it would be incomplete without the enticing arrangements and programming of Himonshu Parikh who comes on board with Sachin-Jigar for the works. 

The keyboard and rhythm programming leave no stone unturned as Jigar and Shreya Ghoshal pierce deeper into our hearts with the vocals. We do hear the lovely acoustic guitars of Kalyan Boruah and bass by Hash Bass. The song moves from 3rd gear to 4th gear when Shreya makes an entry. Her subtle but succulent ghamakas are just like the icing on a cake. The stanza is simple in the tune but the vocals and production elevate it into higher orbitals. Tejas Vinchurkar intervenes with such ingenuity on the flute and woodwinds. The tracks are mixed and mastered by Eric Pillai at FSOB Studios and the mix assistant is Michael Edwin Pillai. Romil Ved is the Music Production Head and Priya Saraiya is the lyricist who has made these words feel etched in our minds. 

@sachinjigar @shreyaghoshal @jigarsaraiya @soulfulsachin @priyasaraiyaofficial @sonymusicindia @himonshu @sanjanavij @tejas.flute @ericpillai @kalyanbaruah @hashbass

4. Bairiya Re

Song Directed by Sneha Shetty Kohli

Music Composer- Akashdeep Sengupta

Singer- Vishal Mishra

Lyrics- Siddhesh Patole

Music Supervisor-Aniket Parpillewar

Music Arrangement - AM.AN

Language: Hindi

Genre: Semi-classical Pop

Mood: Romantic

I am not sure I will watch the Amazon series called "Police Force" because I keep very low expectations when it is directed by Rohit Shetty. But the two songs I have heard are top draw. This one is my 2nd favorite and I'll be featuring the other one next week. Vishal Mishra makes it 3 in the week, and what a performer he is! 

The vocals are stupendous and he exudes such a high-intensity emotion while delivering which is unmatched. Tapas Roy plays the strokes delightfully in the intro and AM.AN joins on the guitars. The chorus segment is magical, as the vocals are enhanced by the singers in the background viz. Akashdeep Sengupta & AM.AN. 

Let us not forget to compliment the composer of the melody Akashdeep Sengupta, and he is not new to me or music lovers. I love his flair for creating such mellifluous melodies. The interlude gets even more soulful with a tinge of sadness brought in by Momin Khan's Sarangi and the constant presence of Indian rhythms by Ishteyak Khan make things stay classical leaning. 

I love the lines that begin with " Jab Tu, Sab Tu, Fariyad kya hi karu" and when we hear " Maine ye dil tere naam kiya" the concluding part of this is unpredictable with the notes, and kudos to Akashdeep for the melody and Siddhesh Patole for the lyrics. The same holds for the line " ghar aashiyan tab se hai ban gaya". We have Satyajit Prabhu playing the Accordions, AM.AN on mixing and mastering and Trihangku Lahkar on recording. 

@akashdeep.sengupta @sid.patole @talwarisha @vishalmishraofficial @mominhanofficial @am.an_music @ishteyakkhanofficial @mandolintapas @magicsneya

5. Badalon Ke Peeche

Singer - Tanu Srivastava

Composer/Lyricist - Tanu Srivastava

Music Production - Syed Shujauddin

Language: Hindi

Genre: Light Music/Pop

Mood: Relaxed

Tanu Srivastava is tantalising in this single, purely thanks to her incredible vocal performance. She has written the lyrics and composed this likeable and catchy tune as well. The very first time I listened to the song I was in awe and had to play it over and over a couple of times. The production is another strong highlight of the song and we have Syed Shujauddin on it. He intervenes with some saucy interludes and the arrangements keep the melody and overall sound design of the song on a high. 

We get a mild but meaty electric guitar solo in the interlude, and Tanu displays her potential with that stunning humming. Once the stanza begins, she is on fire with a great mix of vibrato and falsetto punctuated at the right places. This could easily end up being one of the best vocal performances this year. Ashish Raitani has mixed and mastered the tracks 

@singer_khushi17 @tanmaynikhumb @shujauddin.syed @ashish.raitani_

6. Noor

Vocals, Composition and Lyrics - Koustav KC

Music Produced by - Mainak Chaki

Language: Hindi

Genre: Semi-classical -Pop Fusion

Mood: Relaxed

This song is a gentle tap on our heads and that comforting feeling when we get the warmest hug from our loved ones. Koustav KC sings it like a dream and the delivery and tone are both so contagious that all the positivity and goodness transfer to the listener. he has also written the lyrics and composed the melody.

There is a lot of Bollywood music resemblance, especially from the 2000s that we would have heard from the repertoire of Salim-Sulaiman reminding me of the album 'Dor'. This comparison is meant to give credit to Koustav for a heartwarming composition. The production by Mainak Chaki is an added feather on this cap with excellent guitars played and arranged by Swarnabha Gupta. Maybe there is a hint of Raag Hamsadhwani in the melody here. 

The stanza is delicate and the combination of the Tabla and guitars is a match made in heaven. The intervention on the electric guitars and the harmonies are excellent layers in the outro. Swarnabha has done the mixing and mastering as well. 

@thekoustavc @dibyo95 @gswarnabha @mainak_on_keys @viewmusicofficial

7. Ekam

Music Composition Arrangement and Conduction - Shubhankar

Vocals - Poorva Jathar, Shubhankar

Lyrics - Vikram Edke

Language: Sanskrit

Genre: Light Music

Mood: Relaxed

How often do we get to hear a song in Sanskrit? Rarely! So here goes a beautiful melody with lyrics by Vikram Edke. So he deserves the biggest round of applause for this project. Shubhankar who I have featured more than a handful of times has composed, produced and arranged for this sensational song. His voice soars as the male lead vocalist in the anupallavi section, singing the title line with immense passion. He is accompanied by Poorva Jathar with such a sweet and steady voice to create ripples of joy in the heart. 

The tune has a tinge of Raag Bhimpalasi according to me and the stanza has Poorva taking over. Vicky Hajeri plays the guitars and Shreyas Kadkol is the bassist. The flute solo played by Shreejeet Wadekar keeps intervening beautifully at the perfect instances. The heavy dose of percussion by Nagesh Bhosekar and drums by Tanmay Velankar keeps the song charged up. The backing vocalists are Tanvi Abhyankar and Ruta Vasant making the harmonies sound very engaging. Ajinkya Dhapare is the mix/master engineer. 

@shubhankar.28 @csmusicoriginals @jatharpoorva @_tanviabhyankar_ @rutavasant @shreejeet_05 @tanmayvelankar drums @nageshbhosekar @vicky.hajeri @shreyaskadkol @ajinkyadhapare @rashmi9009 @pushkaryawalkar @vikramedke

8. Toch Aahe

Singer: Aarya Ambekar & Harshwardhan Wavare

Lyrics: Kshitij Patwardhan

Music: Amitraj

Song programmed & Arranged Karan Wavre & Aditya Patekar

Language: Marathi

Genre: Light Music/Pop

Mood: Romantic

I welcome the very first Marathi song feature of 2024, and this comes from a composer I haven't featured before. Amitraj is the music composer and all the programming and arrangements are done by Karan Wavre and Aditya Patekar. The violin solo marks the intro section with a well-written melody and Harshwardhan Wavre takes over the role of lead vocalist. Kshitij Patwardhan is the lyricist. 

The keys and synths make the song have a good sound design and there are obvious electronic music influences. Aarya Ambekar is the female lead vocalist and as she goes solo in the chorus segment, we have the male vocals in the background layers. The humming, violin and bass guitars form a nice interlude section and the rhythm programming compliments things nicely. Rupak Thakur is the recording engineer at RT Studios. 

The tracks are mixed and mastered by Karan and Aditya at Trineeti Bros Studio and the Dolby Atmos mixing is done by Manasi Tare. The lead vocalists engage in some interesting alaap in the second interlude

@ambekaraarya @tips @sidchandekar @saietamhankar @tipsfilmsofficial @amitrajmusic @kshitijpatwardhan @nehashinde27 @harshavardhan_wavre @karanwavre

9. Dil Jhoom

Originally Written & Composed: Ali Zafar

Music Re-Created by Tanishk Bagchi

New Lyrics: Gurpreet Saini

Singer: Vishal Mishra, Shreya Ghoshal

Language: Hindi

Genre: Pop

Mood: Romantic

When I heard this, I enjoyed it and fell in love with every note. I knew right then that I had to feature it among the best Indian songs of the week. I didn't realise this is a recreated version of an original song composed and performed by the Pakistani actor-singer Ali Zafar. 

So credit goes to the original creator for the tune and lyrics but Tanishk Bagchi engages in his favourite activity. He has upped the tempo and worked on some production to give the original a newer twist and thanks to these and the scintillating vocals of Shreya Ghoshal and Vishal Mishra.

Gurpreet Saini must be praised for coming up with new lyrics here. The chorus segment is sparkling like wine poured into a glass ready for consumption. The keyboards and rhythm programming are spotless and Vishal tantalises with his impromptu short aalaps. The tracks are mixed and mastered by Eric Pillai at Future Sound of Bombay, with Michael Edwin Pillai as mixing assistant. 

@ali_zafar @tanishk_bagchi @shreyaghoshal @vishalmishraofficial @ericpillai @ghuggss 

10. Rang Tera

Performed by KhoslaRaghu

Written by KhoslaRaghu

Produced by KhoslaRaghu

Language: Hindi

Genre: Pop

Mood: Happy

The duo is one of those who have consistently been creating enjoyable and fresh music. This one too falls right in the middle of that argument and is why I like the duo's brand of music. Rishabh Raghuvanshi is the lead singer and songwriter, while the other half of the duo, Sanchit Khosla is the multi-instrumentalist and producer. 

The guitars are excellently arranged and with the introduction of the drums the Alt-pop single soars and lifts our spirits along the way. The duo handle every element of the song and we get them on composition, writing, production, vocals and instrumentals. I can see how this will be a catchy song that just never gets out of the head. The humming that plays constantly on a loop in the interlude and outro segments is the highlight. 

@khoslaraghumusic