Top Indian Songs of the week 28th May 2023

Here are the best songs released in India across languages and genres for the week ending 28th May 2023. 

If you are a musician submit your new music here.

1. Guppedu Gundellona

Singer : Spoorthi Jithender

Lyrics: Bhaskarabhatla Ravi Kumar

Music Director: Vijay Bulganin

Language: Telugu

Genre: Filmi Melody/Pop

Vijay Bulganin is just unstoppable. The quality of his melodies is rich, with some breathtaking arrangements and production as well. So why won't he keep creating some of the best songs in the country time and time again? Joseph Vijay is terrific at making the aura of romance shine with his acoustic guitars and soon enough, Spoorthi Jithender starts singing. 

There is a shred of innocence in her vocals, and we slowly hear the Accordion and Joseph's bass guitars. The most heartwarming line of the song is the title and Spoorthi makes you tremble with love when you hear it. The guitar-led and dominated interlude ends and the song's stanza is only further proof of how a simple song can brighten our day as long as the melody is extraordinary like this.

Balu does all the keyboard programming to bring in new and fresh sounds like that whistle-like sound in the stanza, and the woodwind and strings as well, and we have Sabin Josh as mixing and mastering engineering. Anand Guarana is the music supervisor and Yadav is the music-in-charge. 

@vijai_bulganin @spoorthi_jithenderofficial @supervijayoffl @poetbb 

2. Ghoomey

Music composed Arranged, and Produced by: Mark K Robin

Lyricist: Manoj Juloori

Singer: Jubin Nautiyal

Intro Alaap: Prakash Chodimalla

Language: Qawwali-pop fusion

I did do a 1 Minute Music Review of this EP called "8 AM Metro" on my Instagram reels and recommended that music lovers stream this which is potentially one of the best Hindi EPs of 2023. Mark K Robin who is well-known in the Tollywood music space has composed, arranged and produced this belter of a song. 

The style is classic Qawwali and it invokes memories of some of AR Rahman's super hits. This is probably the best of Jubin Nautiyal that I have heard and he decorates the song with some lovable ghamakas. The harmonium riff and the Tabla combine with such grace taking us into oblivion and paradise. Anil Robin, Mohan and Nova play the Tabla and Dholak. Prakash Chodimalla sings the initial Aalap and after the first minor segment, we get a mildly western colouring on the song thanks to the Keys and Keith Peters' bass guitars. 

My favourite line is "Naye Naye pal bharne lage, abhi abhi dil hasne lage", and there is enough support for Jubin with additional vocals sung by Gary Misquitta, Rishikesh Kamerkar, Rahul Pandey, Sunayana Sarkar, Shazneen Arethna and Suzanne Dmello. Manonmani plays the Sarangi with some terrific timing and despite a short stanza, the interplay of all the live instruments and vocal harmonies soothe the heart. There are two more excellent numbers in this EP which will be featured subsequently on my website. Manoj Juloori pens the beautiful words. Shadab Rayeen is the mix/master engineer with assistants Pukhraj, Anup & Eshan.

@iammarkkrobin @jubin_nautiyal @shadabrayeen @gboy.nwc @suzanne_dmello @shazneenarethna @manonmanisarangi @manojkumar.juloori @keithpeters_bassman 

3. Mumma 

Singer, Composer & Lyricist: Samarth Swarup 

Backing Vocals: Hansika Pareek

Music Production: Samarth Swarup 

Language: Hindi

Genre: Lullaby

Many composers create songs to fit specific occasions, specially themed on Mother's Day or a Mother's Love. The focus tends to be on the lyrics, with the melody becoming run-of-the-mill. That is why I mostly get disappointed with these songs, but Samarth Swarup surprises me here with a delightful melody that he has composed and performed. He also has written emotionally touching lyrics. Samarth's singing epitomises all the innocent and desperate love of a child. 

Samarth becomes flawless in his production as well as all the arrangements are outstanding. The classical guitar is played by Amritanshu Dutta and Samarth handles the acoustic one. The interlude almost sounds like it is played on the Sitar, and we have well-arranged vocal harmonies. Hansika Pareek is the additional vocalist and her interventions during the stanza and outro are adequate. The classical guitar becomes one unmistakable highlight in the song and the outro delivers a perfect final blow. Kudos Samarth. He also is the mix/master engineer for the track. 

@samarthswarup @hansika_pareek @amritanshudutta @pmat_kun  

4. Pollununde

Singer, Songwriter & Composer - Gowry Lekshmi

Language: Malayalam

Genre: Indie Pop

Gowry Lekshmi is like the OG of South Indian Indie music and she juggles between some fantastic covers and originals, and I love them to shreds either way. Gowry has written, composed and performed this haunting and touching melody, glorified by Kenneth Gerald's Piano and Gowry's unflappable vocals. 

This song can topple any international single and that is the quality that we are witness to. Gowry brings a vulnerable shiver as she delivers the lines and her falsetto while singing the title phrase is addictive. Kenneth is as important to the song's supreme output and impact as much as Gowry. This is ground-breaking good because the Mollywood industry pretty much sticks to a tried-and-tested formula of classical melodies and Rap, Hip-Hop are dominant styles in the indie space. Pop songs like this are a rarity and kudos to Gowry for that. Another titan of a musician Rex Vijay does the mixing and mastering for the song. Ganesh Venkataramani plays the drums. 

@ganhitsthings @gowylekshmih @rex_vijayan @theorganboy

5. Dust and Bones

Written/Composed/Produced/Mixed - Ankit Shrestha

Language:

Genre: Indie Folk/Pop

Ankit Shreshtha creates something resembling magic in this terrific folk wonder. Ankit from Khatmandu, has written the lyrics and composed the underlying melody and his biggest asset is his voice that enters your bloodstream through the ears. The prominent strings in the background are the Upright Bass by Hugo Iglesias and the Cello by Juan Hernandez. 

I love how the writing means so much " If I could ever be, what you want me to be, would you want me to be somebody else?" relates to any two people bonding but finding differences between them to be creating cracks. Every element like Ankit's vocals, his writing, and the production reverberates as music of the highest quality. Nicola D Adamo plays the drums and the humming that repeats a few times is like the calming agency. Matt Giella plays the trumpets, and that is like a stunning piece of climax to the song. Ankit mixes the tracks, and the mastering engineer is Diwas Gurung

@ankit_shreshtha_ @diwasg @reuksh

6. Times Up

Performed by Anoushka Kotak

Written by Anoushka Kotak

Produced by Anoushka Kotak, Alex Riordan

Language: English

Genre: Jazz-Pop

Her last name reminds us all of a popular family that runs a big banking business in India. Well after hearing her single, Im fairly certain I can bank on her talent to keep giving music lovers fantastic singles like this. Anoushka Kotak was born and raised in Mumbai but moved to America later, probably spending most of her life so far in the US. 

The song is composed and written by Anoushka and it signifies a strong woman who decides the fate of a relationship on her terms. This is some amazing Jazz-pop music and we have Anoushka co-producing it along with Alex Riordan. The stunning lead guitars by Daniel Pock and bass guitars by Victor Blagoev work their way around the drums by Evan Kesel. I love the vocal harmonies in the background and it is all thanks to Aloe who has done the vocal arrangements. 

The writing is exceptional as she sings" It's getting old, your threats and abuses, violence with no excuses, I'm gonna hold my head high, these bruises don't define me!". The vocals are astounding and the way the arrangements stop and start like the guitars and drums is brilliant. Julian Schoming plays the keys and we have some known talents when it comes to engineering, as Adhithya Sivakumar does the mixing and Ayan De does the mastering. The artwork is done by Mehek Malhotra and the photography is by Palasa Bomble 

@anoushkakotak @danielpock @evankeseldrums @brotherjuju @victorbx6 @aloe.xoxo @adhithya.sivakumar @paralightsmusic @giggling_monkey @palasabomble 

7. Aasu Hasi

Written, Sung, Composed and performed by: Neyhal 

Produced by: Himonshu Parikh

Language: Hindi

Genre: Alt-Rock

Neyhal is becoming a consistent young talent and I am glad he is back after a minor gap. Himonshu is on a roll here producing this single again and after a few fantastic collaborations between Neyhal and producer Raag Sethi, we have the hottest name in the producer category embellishing this song written, composed and performed by Neyhal.

His voice is the main attraction as it feels raw and untouched by some of the fake glamour of the music industry. I can keep listening to that voice all day thanks to the innocence attached to the tone. Himonshu gets to work straight away, arranging an additional layer of vocals with Neyhal singing the opening lines. Dhananjay Chetri plays the guitars, and the way the decibel level of his vocals rises along with some peppy rhythms and keys is why Himonshu shines. We get a nice flavour of Alt-Rock thanks to an electric guitar solo and bass guitars keep accompanying. 

Well done Neyhal, as gets a very catchy composition and adds to the likability with his vocals. The closing segment has electric guitar playing mildly in the background and the finishing touch is the Keys fading out. Jason D'souza is the mix/master engineer. 

@neyhalll @himonshu @dhananjaychhettri @jasonmxaudio 

8. See You Again

Composer: Gregory Ford Nongrum 

Lyricist: Gregory Ford Nongrum 

Genre: RnB/Neo-Soul/Soul 

Language: English 

This talented and experienced composer/producer goes almost entirely solo for this single. Gregory Ford Nongrum has been featured by me for producing and featuring other singers and artists and here he has written, composed, sung, and played the guitars, bass and keys as well. 

The song is soulful and as Gregory sings, when I listen to this "There will be no more sorrow, there will be no more pain", I concur with the words. The guitars, bass and drums unite creating a wonderful mild concoction. The backing vocals too belong to Gregory and it is well arranged, adding to the impact of some excellent writing. This kind of music makes us proud as Indians. Daryll Diengdoh plays the drums and he deserves special mention for getting so many different elements of the drumming apparatus perfectly. 

The electric guitar solo accompanied by the vocal improvisations is a fantastic moment in the song, and there is no better way to end the track. Gregory has mixed and mastered the tracks 

@gregoryfordnongrum @darylldiengdoh

9. Ghallu Ghallenuta

Composed and Produced by Mysore Xpress

Female Vocals - Aishwarya Rangarajan

Language: Kannada

Genre: Carnatic Pop

This Mysuru-based band released a very interesting and peppy EP 2 years ago that got featured on my website, especially a couple of songs that belonged to the Carnatic Pop fusion genre. This single is such a breath of fresh air and it pumps you up real well. The band do one better by roping in Aishwarya Rangarajan 

The guitar strumming by Raghunandan S Rao is fast and stylish, and we have a nice solo flute by Samrudh Srinivas in the background. This 5 piece band gets the elements up and running with Zubin Paul's stylish vocals and soon the energetic drums by Harshith Rao, Pramod Nayak's bass guitars and Samrudh's flute fight for attention. Aishwarya sings with such a cool attitude and all the pop brazenness. 

They maintain their style of Carnatic Pop and I could sense some Raag ABheri, especially with the flute. The introduction of the Konnakol is smart and this song is going to be a super hit amongst the youth. Vijay Surya plays the Nadaswaram solo towards the end and the band show creativity by intertwining this classical Carnatic feeling into a Pop song. 

@aish_rangarajan @psyntist @zubinpaulofficial @bassxmonk @raxzman @mysore_vijay_surya @somerudh_srinivas @mysore_xpres

10. Uljhe Dil

Lyrics by Biancca

Composed by Biancca

Produced by Siddhant Mishra

Language: Hindi

Genre: Indie Rock

The story is interesting and probably something that needs recognition. We only know about the end products, but seldom listen to what goes on behind the scenes. It is here alone that magic is created and effort is sustained because, without practice, perfection is nothing but a pipedream. Shannon Donald is an indie musician, but she is known more so today in the indie circle as a vocal coach. Biancca Fernandes claims that it was Shannon who coached her and instilled confidence that she could deliver her song with passion and panache. 

The pass-through of skills and style from Shannon down to Biancca is evident and the rock genre goes quite well encompassing her vocals. Karan Parikh plays the exuberant guitars and all the fantastic production is by Siddhant Mishra. Biancca beautifully exhibits the wide range of her vocals and there is purpose and confidence in every note she utters. The programmed drums combined with the electric guitar solo stand out. The song is mixed and mastered by Abhishek Ghatak, with Nishant Das as the recording engineer. 

@biancca_music @theghatak @karanparikh27 @siddhant581 @shannondonaldmusic

11. Dil Teri Raah

Singer, Lyricist, Composer: Akanksha Sethi

Music Producer: Himonshu Parikh

Language: Hindi

Genre: Indie Pop

It has been one long winter, and I say this because it has been more than 2 years since I featured Akanksha Sethi here and it was for a beautiful English single called "Winter". Here we have Akanksha rendering a mild breezy Hindi single and she has written, composed and sung it. Her biggest asset is her tender voice and that is how she puts it to great use in this romantic pop number. 

Vedant Thakur strums the guitar ever so gently and the backing vocals we hear belong to Himonshu Parikh and Akanksha. Look no further to understand why the song has fantastic production, sound design and arrangements. Himonshu is the man behind all these. The introduction of rhythms and Keys is timed to perfection after that brief segment in the beginning with just the guitars. That humming in the background is well arranged and suddenly you do find a minor change in rhythms as she sings "chalti hu, bin rukhe, na jaane kis mod pe", as these lines deserve our attention with lesser additional sound intervention. 

It is not only the production, Akanksha does a very fine job with the composition of the tune as you can see from the variations in the song, and proof of that is in the bridge section which goes "manzar aise hain dikhe, khoyi rahu apni dhun mein". Samir Dharap is the recording engineer and the tracks are mixed and the song is mastered by Aman Arakh. Kudos to the label Big Bang Music, Raghav Meattle and Vishesh Ghate. RItik Gupta handles the cover artwork. 

@akankshasethimusic @t._.vedant @bgbngmusic @himonshu

@samirdharap9 @shambhavisingh @raghavmeattle @acrimonious_aman @riitikgupta

12. Kaisi Kahani Zindagi

Vocals : Santanu Ghatak

Composition & Lyrics: Santanu Ghatak

Music Production: Anup Satam

Language: Hindi

Genre: Semi-classical Ballad

The song feels like it belongs to a movie album, and credit goes to Santanu Ghatak and Anup for the overall output which is simply outstanding. The melody is well composed and if I am not wrong it has influences of Raag Bihag. Santanu has written the lyrics, composed the tune and sang with a Bangla influence in the tone and delivery style. 

The tune has an Indian classical touch, but the introduction of the Keys brings in a fresh and lovely perspective at the other end of the spectrum. The song's mixing and mastering are taken care of by Anup who also has become the additional voice in the background. The interlude is simple but impactful with the additional vocal humming. Here in the stanza, I do sense some Raag Maand as well. Anup does well in rhythm programming. Snehal Malgindkar does the artwork.  

@anupsatam_unofficial @snehalmalgundkar @guptaronkini @santanusghatak 

13. Hiunda

Performed by Aabishkar Thatal

Written by Aabishkar Thatal

Language: Sikkimese

Genre: Indie Pop

This Sikkim-born indie musician released his debut EP called Hiunda, and from the collective, this title song impressed me the most. Well done Aabishkar Thatal for some excellent writing and vocals and the Piano. Shikhar Siromani Chettri is the bassist and also the mix/master and recording engineer, and kudos for the impressive quality and design. 

The guitar's by Aabishkar jostle and the first 30 seconds are all about conquering the heart. As Aabishkar begins his vocals, we hear the mild drums by Elvin Singh as well. The song is a perfect example of how music is beyond all barriers like language, as I cannot make out a single word of the Sikkimese lyrics but I can enjoy it immensely. The interplay of the guitars and drums is supreme and the message of the song is delivered through nites if not words. The production brings in some fantastic string sections and vocal harmonies both of which are by Aabishkar, into play. 

@aabishkarthatal @warnermusicindia @lvinsingh

14. Nikar Chalo Re

Singer: Sona Mohapatra

Composed by: Ram Sampath

Lyricist: Ashok Mishra

Music Produced by: Ram Sampath & Arabinda Neog

Language: Hindi Traditional

Genre: Folk/Pop

The movie 'Kathal' seems to be getting good reviews thanks to the satirical nature of the script and Vijay Raaz and Sanya Malhotra's acting performances. Musically it is a decent album composed by Ram Sampath, but this song stood out. It reminds me of Ar Rahman's album 'Lagaan' and the particular song that bears a similarity in tone is "Mitwa". The song is performed by Sona Mohapatra in a folkish style with lyrics by Ashok Mishra and Ram co-producing it with Arabinda Neog. 

The production is splendid as all sounds add such finesse and detail like the ethnic strings, and rural percussions and rhythms. Omkar Dhumal plays the Shehnai and we can also hear the bass guitars supporting. The baking vocalists contributing with those mild humming segments are Pratikhyaa Sarma & Arabinda Neog.

A key highlight is the electric guitar solo towards the end by Sanjoy Das and when it combines with the folkish beats it adds great character. The song, according to me, has influences from Raag Charukeshi. Amey Wadibhasme has done the mixing and mastering, and we have Amey and Pranjal Borah as the recording engineers. Vrashal Tejasingh Chavan is the music supervisor. 

@ramsampathofficial @ashokmishraa40 @sonamohapatra @vrashal @ameywadi @arabinda_music @pratikhyaa_music @sanjoygtr 

15. Kho Ja

Composer, Vocals: Himonshu Parikh

Lyrics: Himonshu Parikh, Rajan Batra

Music Production: Himonshu Parikh 

Language: Hindi

Genre: Indie Pop

This is the 3rd song with his name on it, take a bow Himonshu. After producing two very good singles, here comes Himonshu Parikh's composition and production. He is a skilled and smart musician who not only composes a likeable and affecting tune but also produces to be having a far wider reach and relevance in today's scene. 

The lyrics are penned by Himonshu and his bandmate from TYD, Rajan Batra. You can recognise Himonshu's style straight away with the very first chords that get punched. The singing is heartfelt and triggers deeper feelings of sadness and longing. The vocal harmonies are fantastic and add layers of connection with the listener. The rhythms take a break, and it is only the vocals along with keys and synths, here it feels very effective, Once again when the title line arrives we get the full impact of all elements. The song is mixed by Sid Shirodkar and mastered by Shadab Rayeen with Samir Dharap as the recording engineer. 

@himonshu @rajanbatra13 @samirdharap9 @warnermusicindia @studio5o4 @skaterjanvi @shadabrayeen