Top Indian Songs of the week 30th July 2023

Here are the best songs released in India across languages and genres for the week ending 30th July 2023. 

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1. I grew up

Written & Performed by - Tarana Marwah

Produced by - Tarana Marwah & Gaurav Raina

Lyrics by - Tarana Marwah

Language: English

Genre: Electronic/Synth Pop

Tarana Marwah a.k.a. Komorebi, impressed me immensely with the background score for the Amazon Prime Webseries 'Dahaad'. It was out-of-the-ordinary, with some moments that truly haunted me. The standout element was the use of local Rajasthani folk instruments and style and such clarity, commitment and skill shared by Tarana and Gaurav Raina is showing its head again here. 

This composition is by Gaurav and Tarana, and the synths are powering up like a rocket ready to launch. Her dreamy and impactful vocals draw you in deep, and the duo produce this song with an immaculate style. We get the fantastic guitars played by Warren Mendonsa a.k.a. Blackstratblues. Listen to the absorbing strings in the background played by The Mavron Quartet viz. Chris, Beatrice, Rachael, and Niamh. James Gair has arranged the session. This feels almost Hans Zimmer-esque.  

The Keys and Synths never take a moment of break and Tarana's lyrics are imposing making you see the message as clear as day. The battle against time is a losing battle, she says and this message feels like a warzone, not knowing where sounds come and hit us from, and kudos to the spectacular design. 

One of the most enchanting movements is towards the end when we hear multiple layers of vocals, aided by the resonating drums, guitars, Keys and strings. The whole song makes me feel like, I was born, stayed innocent, playful and then suddenly grew up, fell in love, lost in love, and by the time I learnt my lessons, it was time to die. The song is an experience. Gaurav is the mixing engineer and the tracks are mastered by Mike Marsh. 

@komorebi.music @blackstratblues @james_gair @mavronquartet @mediamonks @groovio @suyashgabriel 

2. See Me Now

Vocals, Lyrics, Composed by: Sahitya Nepal 'YAATRI' 

Song Arrangement & Song Production by: Vishal J Singh (Pargot Studio) 

Additional Production by: Trisha Romeno (Pargot Studio)

Language: Nepali & English

Genre: Experimental

There are many artists here who I have never featured or heard before, and that in itself is something that thrills me. This superior rock single is a class apart and songs like these ascertain India's position in the world of music. Sahitya Nepal 'YAATRI', the Kathmandu-based project, has these unmistakable vocals and they suit the rock genre to perfection. Sahitya has composed and written the lyrics as well along with playing the acoustic guitars. 

There is an amazing contribution from Vishal J Singh who is playing the exuberant drums, and also getting the grooviness quotient up with his bass guitars and electric guitars. The Keys by Vishal pacifies things a bit in between, but the room gets hot and heavy thanks to Sahitya's breathtaking vocals. Take a bow, Vishal, for the wonderful arrangements and production with assistance from Trisha Romeno. The way the song amps up in intensity and then breathes lighter allowing the vocals and lyrics to be heard is all smartly done. 

There are moments when I felt like I was listening to Phil Collins perform, and that is one outstanding compliment according to me. Just past the 3rd minute, get a load of a sizzling solo on electric guitar by Vishal. We have the Choir Vocals by Loc Punk (Harip Tatwo), Vishal J Singh, Subodh Dahal, Sahitya Nepal & Ves Timalsina. Vishal and Jason Baruah have done the stereo mixing and mastering of the tracks. 

@risha_midicore @vishaljsingh @pargotstudios @subodhdahal_ @sahityanepalyaatri 

3. Dil Se Dil Tak

Music: Akashdeep Sengupta

Singers: Laqshay Kapoor, Akashdeep Sengupta, Suvarna Tiwari

Lyrics: Kausar Munir

Music Supervisor: Azeem Dayani

Music Production & Arrangement: AM.AN

Language: Hindi

Genre: Light Music 

I am yet to see this movie because I am a little worried about the Holocaust segment and its inappropriate treatment. Well, I should soon because I am a fan of Varun Dhawan's and this after all written by Nitish Tiwari and Ashwini Iyer Tiwari. This song was my favourite from the album, and I am glad to feature Akashdeep Sengupta, the composer of this song. He was last featured by me when Akashdeep worked as a music supervisor for "Maja Ma" on Amazon Prime that got released back in 2022.

The lead vocalists are Laqshay Kapoor, Akashdeep Sengupta and Suvarna Tiwari, and the splendid words are written by Kausar Munir. The Piano is impactful at the very beginning and the song boasts of some amazing production and arrangements thanks to AM.AN. Azeem Dayani, another musician I have featured before, steps into the role of music supervisor. A melodious line in the form of "Tere Dil se Dil tak mere", gets some able keys and rhythms in the background. Ishan Das plays the guitars and handles all the additional programming. 

Dilshad Khan plays that mild Sarangi, and Ishan's bass can be heard too. The heartwarming section comes through the chorus performed by Shubham Shirule and Mukund Suryawanshi. These are two amazing young musicians I came to know and featured last year in the series of Original Hindi music by Jam8 Studios. Aniruddha Anantha has worked on the design of backing vocals, and he also has performed. We get a nice interlude on the Sarangi and the Flute. The song's tonality can easily be seen as inspiration from Pritam's work, as many of these young musicians have worked in close quarters with the man. 

Suvarna Tiwari plays a brilliant cameo on her vocals and tracks are mixed and mastered by Eric Pillai, 

@tseries.official @akashdeep.sengupta @laqshaykapoor @imsuvarnatiwari 

@ericpillai @kausarmunir @azeemdayani @am.an_music @ericpillai @shubhamshirule @mukundsuryawanshii @ishandas_666 @gaurabeing_ @ashwinkulkarni89 @aniruddhanantha @diptijindal @imdb_______ @vivinsachdeva @shivamchanana @dilshadkhansarangi @ana_rehman

4. Aradhya

Music Composed, Arranged & Programmed by Hesham Abdul Wahab

Lyrics by Shiva Nirvana

English lyrics by Shiyas Abdul Wahab

Sung by Sid Sriram & Chinmayi Sripaada

Language: Telugu

Genre: Semi-classical/Pop

The last song in the movie album "Kushi" was a super hit and had a fantastic melody "Na Roja Nuvve". I was not entirely impressed with Sid's vocals initially but it kept getting better with the progression of the song and when the stanzas arrive he is on fire. Chinmayi is stunning as always as the female lead vocalist, and the way she begins in the high pitch. 

Hesham Abdul Wahab composes, arranged and programs this heartwarming number. Shiyas Abdul Wahab pens the English lyrics that we hear and the rest in Telugu are written by Shiva Nirvana. L Kishore Kumar can be heard playing the gentle Sitar solo, but Sumesh Parameswar kills it with his acoustic and bass 

guitars. 

The swaras sung by Sid, sound brilliant when he goes into the hyper-tempo mode. It probably is set in Hamsadhwani Ragam. Embar Kannan and Roopa Revathi are majestic on the Violins. The stanza is right down Hesham's alley and we feel an elevation of spirits with the semi-classical melody and western rhythms to accompany. Just then we get a Mrindagam intervention by D.A Srinivas in the second interlude and we also get multiple instruments like a mild Sarod and the Sarangi. 

The female chorus in the outro is beefed up thanks to some amazing singers like Vrusha Balu, Devu Mathew, Lakshmi and Ashitha Ajith. The song is mixed and mastered by Eric Pillai, with recording engineers Suroor Musthafa at HW Studio, Cochin, Midhun Manoj, Vishnu Shankar at Soundtown Studios, Chennai, Mani Ratnam at The Mystics Room, Chennai and Sai Prakash at My Studio, Cochin. Suroor Musthafa & George Thomas PV are music assistants. 

@heshamabdulwahab @shivanirvana621 @ayshathsafa95 @suroormusthafa @georgethomaspv @soundtownstudioss @kd.vincent

@sidsriram @chinmayisripaada @midhunmanojj @ericpillai @singer_vrusha__ @ashita.ajit @devumathew @saiprakashh

5. Khaali Panne

Singers: Meghna Mishra, Varun Jain

Lyricist: Avinash Chouhan

Composer: Varun Jain

Music Producers: Varun Jain, Yashkirat Singh

Language: Hindi

Genre: Semi-classical Pop fusion

I strongly recommend all readers to please check out the new EP called "Milaap" with Meghna Mishra on lead vocals and 3 composers Varun Jain, Gioldie Sohel and Akash Chopra. This song is undoubtedly my pick from the EP and just two weeks ago I did feature "Saachiyaan" composed by Goldie Sohel. 

The song has a wonderful fusion of Indian semi-classical and Alt-pop styles. I love the notes in the line " Tere Nishaan, dhoondhe toh har dafa mile". Kudos to Avinash Chouhan for the touching lyrics. The beauty in the song is also brought out by Meghna's evocative singing. Sunny Deyali and Puneet Guglani play the guitars and Tushar Sharma is the bassist. 

Pratik Shrivastava thumps you with his solo on the Sarod and all you can end up doing is enjoy the interlude with shut eyes. The guitars are in your face and they along with the rhythms are quite impactful. Varun Jain handles the arrangements but it is Varun and Yashkirat Singh who have produced the song. The elements of vulnerability and pain are effectively brought about by Meghna's vocals. The electric guitar solo in the background is nicely introduced. Varun performs vocally in the outro. The tracks are mixed and mastered by Abhishek Ghatak. 

@_meghnamishra_ @varun_wave @writer_avinash @sarodpratik @puneet.musicofspheres @sunnydeyaliofficial @

6. Saaye

Composer, Lyricist: Aanchal Shrivastava

Vocals: Aanchal, Aasa Singh

Music Production: Britto Khangchian 

Language: Hindi

Genre: Light Music/ Pop

Aanchal Shrivastava is a bright young talent, and she has a knack for composing these very delightful tunes, and it is no easy task to sound unique and create something a little different in today's world filled with remixes, rehashes and repeats. 

The last time I featured her, she had a slow and beautiful number on friendship, called 'Nadan Dil' along with Vidhya Gopal the vocalist. This time, we have a romantic number in collaboration with another fantastic vocalist Aasa Singh. Aanchal is the composer and lyricist and she takes us back to a time when songs oozed of melodic vitality. I can see myself humming this song even if I don't know the lyrics perfectly and that is the sign of a good tune. 

The vocal harmonies are arranged beautifully, and you can hear first Aasa Singh, and then a wonderful mild alaap by Aanchal in the background. It does have glimpses of Raag Desh according to me. Britto Khanchian is responsible for the glorious production, and we can enjoy the introduction of the solo Violin by Koosha Nikkar, and acoustic guitars adding nice layers to the tune. The writing is simple and when intertwining with a lovely tune, great vocals and precise production, it can all add up exponentially. Britto plays the guitars and mixes the tracks. Aasa handles the mastering. 

@aanchalshrivastava @aasa.sing @britto_khangchian @madverse.music @lakshyashrivastava1 @riddhigosavi__ @koosha.nikkar

7. Welcome to Baale 

Composed, Arranged and Produced: Vishnu Sivasankar 

Lyrics: Ganesh Malayath 

Singers: Pranav CP, Kishan Sreebal, Vishnu Sivasankar

Language: Malayalam

Genre: Electronic Pop-Semi classical 

This is some brilliant Electronic Pop along with some cherished folk music from Kerala. The fantastic guitars by Sandeep Mohan entice you within seconds and kudos to Vishnu Shankar's outstanding production. He is also the composer and arranger for this funky song. The drums create an upbeat feeling, and with Keys and rhythms building up the likability factor we get lead vocals from Pranav CP, Kishan Sreebal and Vishnu Sivasankar

The title line is just oozing of richness and even before the nadaswaram interlude by Abhijith Warrier, we get to hear the mild Thavil in the opening lines. That brief Nadaswaram intervention makes me wonder if there is some Abheri Ragam involved and I did feel it strongly in the stanza as well. The chord progression is just terrific in the interludes and towards the end, The Nadaswaram notes give off a Jazz flavour which is quite inventive. Sandeep Mohan is probably the hero of the song with his blistering guitars. The vocalists make it quite interesting with their stylish deliveries. The tracks are mixed and mastered by Kishan Sreebal with Nishanth, Sanjay Arakkal and Kishan as recording engineers. 

@bhagavan_dasante_ramarajyam @pranavcp_harmony @kishan_sreebal

@gibsandeep @abhijith_m_warrier @sanjaiarakkal @vishnu_sivasankar

8. Tu Kahaan Hai

Performed by Akanksha Sethi

Written by Akanksha Sethi, Sid Paul

Produced by Sid Paul

Language: Hindi

Genre: Indie Pop

This musician is hitting a nice purple patch, if I may, and just a month or so ago after the wonderful single 'Dil Teri Raah', we have another beauty. Akanksha Sethi has written, composed and performed this with Sid Paul working on the lyrics and producing the song to perfection.

The combination of the Piano and the guitar riffs creates the necessary boost to our expectations straight away. Leave it to AKanksha as she kills it with her vocals, without any shred of doubt. The use of those amazing falsettos and the steady and stunning vibratos could make any experienced playback singer feel proud. Akanksha can sound chirpy if she wants to, and here she begins with a little bit of intrigue and mystery.  

But just as the line "khun ye khud hee khalipan mein kare yoon" she pauses, and utters the word "shor" with style, a little bit of a tease making it sound unbelievably sexy. Kudos to the creativity. Sid Paul is on his toes getting all the elements right, and I love the concerted play of acoustic and bass guitars along with the Piano in the background. The line "too kahaan hai" after " ter zikr bhee to yoon kiya hai" comes with some excellent notes and the chord progression is something I least expected, so the surprise was welcome. 

The stanza is ecstatic with the second line "too hee too dikhaai de raha hai" and the drums, and guitars are bouncy and function with some nice pauses instead of a continuum. But the Piano has this flowy roll of the Keys at the end of this line and that all collectively makes things so immensely attractive. Jignesh Patel plays the drums, Sharan is the Pianist, Vedant Thakur plays the electric guitar. 

The acoustic guitar riff by Sid that plays towards the end where everything else fades out and only Akanksha sings the lines " gum hote saare kaale", is memorable. 

@akankshasethimusic @sidpaul22 @_jigneshpatel_ @sharan.official._ @t._.vedant @gtrbhaskar 

9. Viyog

Vocals, Lyrics: Ashish Naskar

Music Production, Arranging & Programming: Siddharth Shenoy

Language: Hindi

Genre: Rock-Fusion

Yugaant is a multi-genre band from Mumbai and it is the first time I am featuring them. I was taken aback by the sheer quality of the work here. The music falls probably under the Rock-fusion style and we have the Keys by Siddharth Shenoy lighting up the audio along with Pratyay Mishra's electric guitar and Vishal Bhanushali's drums.   

Ashish Naskar starts things vocally, and the classically Hindustani-styled delivery fuses beautifully with the Rock accompaniments in the background. I do sense some Raag Hamsadhwani in the melody. Harsh Damania is the bassist, and he combines with Pratyay's sensational interlude solo on electric guitars. Ashish's vocals go a long way in adding a tender and genuine love for the song. Siddharth joins on the backing vocals with Sukhpreet Singh Gill engaging in Beatboxing. 

Siddharth and Ashish are the recording engineers, with the former also handling the mixing and mastering of tracks. 

@yugaantofficial @vishal_bhanushali7 @damania_harsh @what.the.riff @sukhisinghzofficial @ashish7singer @priyankadutta_ @c_for_cheese

10. Love Yourself

Composer, vocalist – Kalyani Nair

Lyrics - Vikas Vinayachandran, Kalyani Nair

Additional music production – M.S. Yeshwanth

Language: English

Genre: Multi-genre

I am someone who feels immense pressure at seeing Kalyani Nair move upward and forward as a music composer. She is far too talented to just be involved vocally and in just arrangements and orchestration of songs. I know the value of each one of those roles and Kalyani excels at them, but this is what I have been waiting for. She has just released a 2 track English EP called 'Immerse' and this is my favourite track. The other one called ' I have no time is inspired by Sting's 'Shape of my heart'. Vikas Vinayachandran writes the lyrics along with Kalyani. 

The song is composed, sung and produced by Kalyani with M.S. Yeshwanth handling all the additional music production. It is also quite a pleasant surprise to hear Kalyani sing beautifully in English, since I have only heard her mostly in Tamil, and her delivery with an Americanised accent is quite good. Pradeep Kumar is on the acoustic guitar that accompanies mildly, and the hi-hat drums by Vasanth David are so apt. 

Keith Peters is the bassist, and Kalyani introduces so many moments of gentle but poignant vibrato. The composition is fantastic as it moves across genres, from gentle lullaby/pop to something like a musical theatre when she sings " I looked for love in too many places". This section is ably supported by probably the Cello. Pradeep strums away innovatively in the background. The overall strings section arrangements add weight to the whole composition. Kalyani doesn't stop here, she once again juggles into a Gospel style near the 2.50 minute mark and that is why the song is a great exhibition of her composition skills. The recording engineers are Yeshwanth, Avinash and Vicky with Yeshwanth also doing the mixing and mastering. 

@kalyaninair86 @pradeep_kumar1123 @sushasings @yeshwanth6 @vasanth_david1 @20dbsoundstudios @keithpeters_bassman @archith19 @vikasvinayachandran @gayathirimanavalan 

11. Cold

Vocals, Lyrics, Composition: Liza Lyngdoh

Language: English

Genre: Rock

Liza Lyngdoh from Meghalaya has set out to release her debut single and it is one heck of a ride. She hails from Meghalaya and this singer-songwriter and guitarist goes entirely solo. I am reminded of the Indian rock band 'Pineapple Express' when the song begins and it emits that kind of tone. 

We get a sizzling electric guitar solo and drums to enhance the effect. Liza begins to dominate proceedings with her vocals. I love the line " Sometimes I look into the sky" which has a phenomenal amalgamation of high-pitched vocals, insane drums and electric guitars. Yogesh Pradhan of "Girish And The Chronicles",  is roped in as the mix/master engineer for this song. 

The interludes are brief but have engaging drums and the solo intervention on electric guitars. The mood suddenly changes after she sings " And then I realized, that I have turned so cold, that I have turned so cold". It is beyond amazement how beautifully she makes a shift in style from Rock to gentle pop and the lines now talk about "Im glad Im still alive", so maybe this gratitude is better expressed in this style than in Rock and Metal. 

@ll4music @cleverbatstudios @yogesh_gatc @sdenzibudon @legatostudioproductions 

12. Vannathi Pullinte

MUSIC COMPOSED & PRODUCED BY M JAYACHANDRAN

Lyrics B K Harinarayanan

Sung by M. G. Sreekumar, Keerthana Vaidyanathan

Language: Malayalam

Genre: Light Music

Sometimes we have to just leave things to the experts, and that is why a song like this gets featured among the country's best. M Jayachandran a legend in his own right, has composed and produced music here with lyrics by another master writer BK Harinarayanan. Jayachandran sticks to the well-documented method of composing a timeless melody, but where he reinvents himself is in the arrangements, programming and production.

The sound design is in sync with the times and he gets Harishankar V to mix and master the tracks. MG Sreekumar adds so much depth to the vocals, teasing with his delivery. The flute solo and the folkish humming create a spectrum of sounds, just before the acoustic guitar leads up to the stanza. The percussions are apt and my favourite line is loaded with melodic value and it goes "vaanolam chellanum aavolam paaranum", with a beautiful string section accompanying the background. 

The bass guitars are a solid support line right through and in the second interlude, we get the mesmerising vocals of Keerthana Vaidyanatha, who haunts you with the Tenor scale. The song is a gentle ride on a boat in the backwaters of Kerala on a full moon night. 

@keerthanavaidyanathan @mjayachandranmusiczone @mgsreekumar25 @harinarayanan.b.k

13. The Times

Performed by Fourth Lane

Written by Aditi Muley, Ajay Kumar Majethia, Ram Adgulwar

Language: English

Genre: ALt-Pop

I came across an article in a magazine about this genre-bending band from Pune called 'Fourth Lane'. This trio comprises Aditi Muley as the lead vocalist, guitarist Ajay Kumar Majethia and drummer/producer Ram Adgulwar. The EP 'Mood Swings' is worth your time and even though the styles might swing, the tracks constantly keep you glued and intrigued. I loved 4 of the 5 songs, and that is a phenomenal success rate. 

This song called 'The Times' is my favourite followed by 'Saint'. The song begins with that heartwarming guitar by Ajay, and the Cello and strings, along with vocal harmonies add some very delectable layers of joy. Kudos to Ram for producing the song so well, and adding these arrangements. Aditi's voice stays mild, feeble just about creates that sense of wonder and it portrays the protagonist's state of mind as she talks about memories. 

The tone and progression of the song remind me vividly of Elton John's 'Believe'. The bass guitar support is constant and stylish, while the electric guitars later on create a sense of resurgence. The song moves on from being passive to passionate. The drums, guitars and strings section help in this transformation. Radha and Vasudha Kalyankar handle the photography. 

@fourthlane_official @aaditimuley @raghu_1_8 @guitars_n_chopsticks @radhaupadhye @desiphotowali 

14. Mahiya

Singer- Purva Mantri 

Music Composed, Produced & Mixed and mastered by - Veer Pandya

Lyrics - "Shayra" Apoorva Tiwari

Language: Punjabi

Genre: 

Sanchit Chaudhary's stunning Violin solo is rich and poised to deliver some pathos and with that we have Purva Mantri singing "Shayra" Apoorva Tiwari's beautiful words. The gentle Piano supports Purva's delivery. Veer Pandya does fabulously not only with the composition but the production mainly. 

He gets the arrangements perfectly lined up, and we can hear the Violin interventions, guitars by Veljohn and the faint electric guitar too in the background. The guitar in the interlude is extremely stylish but kind of reminds me of the notes played at the beginning of " Oh o Jaane jana" by Kamaal Khan. The stanza moves along with Purva's magnetism, and the accompanying live instruments embellish the song quite well. 

@purvamantrisinger @veerpandya @shayraa22 @shailjaanand @sanchit_violinist_official 

15. Thirugo Bhoomi

Music: Raghavendra V

Lyrics: Venkatesh Kulkarani  

Singers: Sai Sharan, P Hiremat  

Programming: Varun Raghavendra  

Language: Kannada

Genre: Semi-classical

Tejus Ravi's Violin solo makes the introduction and gets us accustomed to the semi-classical style of the song. Sai Sharan is the lead vocalist and he draws us into the song with his Vijay Prakash kind of tone. Raghavendra V composed, arranged and programmed the song and he smartly gets the Dhol, Dholak and Indian percussions that uplift the energy of the song. 

Venkatesh Kulkarni writes these beautiful words that are philosophical like ''Janana marana, naduve payana, kaala nirnayavo". The interlude has Mahesh Prasad on the Veena with the strings section in the background and here I did sense some Kaapi Ragam. The stanza has lead vocals and a backup vocal role played by P. Hiremat. It has many twists and turns and is quite well composed by Raghavendra. Christopher Jayson is the mixing and mastering engineer. 

@saisharanofficial @pradeep_hiremath__ @chetas_tejus.aravi