Top Indian Songs of the week 31st March 2024

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Here are the best songs released in India across languages and genres for the week ending 31st March 2024.

1. Chhodunga Na

Singer & Composer: Arijit Singh

Lyrics : Kaushal Kishore

Music Production & Orchestrations: Jim Satya

Language: Hindi

Genre: Waltz

Mood: Romantic

It is not some random statement when I have said in the past that Arijit is an even better composer than he is a singer. The proof of the pudding is in the tasting, isn't it? So here you go, have a listen and make up your mind. This Waltz-styled song is the chart-topper this week. Arijit composed the melody and performed the lead vocals. To be honest, what shines through the song even more than the score is the flamboyant arrangements and the orchestrations thanks to Jim Satya. 

The Accordion invites me on a beautiful walk along the cobbled streets of Europe and the acoustic guitar feeds in the sense of Romance. The sensational strings section in the background along with the Piano are more than just delightful. Every cell in my body turns red with a vitalised flow of blood thanks to the arrangements and production of Jim. Ekannt Singh is the classical guitarist and the symphony orchestra is brought to life by Budapest Orchestra with Sunny MR being the live orchestra co-ordinator. I love the line " hanstaa rahe to yoon lage jaise , har subah meri khwaboon see hai ban gayi". Kaushal Kishore pens the lyrics, and the video shows the unbreakable bond between a boy and his dog. 

The interlude is more of these live instrumentals, along with the live orchestra, but Arijit doesn't settle for anything ordinary. The stanza begins with a beautifully written melody, "aaye ye barsaaye, tujh par baadal ye boondhen abhee". The line is meditative in melodic terms and Arijit's ghamakas are just perfectly loaded to accentuate the beauty of the melody. "Koi rahe ya na rahe, main hoon har dum hi tere saath" feels like Arijit promising us that good music will remain with us, no matter who comes and goes in our lives. Sunny MR is the mix/master engineer, Kirti and Sukanto are the project coordinators, with Prithweeraj Sarkar doing the Vocal Edit. 

@arijitsingh @jimsat @oriyonmusicbyarijitsingh @sunnymr @mekaushalkishore 

2. Saiyyan

Vocals: Asim Azhar

Written & Composed by Hassan Ali

Music Produced, Mixed, and Mastered by: Sulaman Naseer

Language: Hindi

Genre: Folk Pop

Mood: Pathos

Hail the music that comes out of our neighbouring nation, and in just a few weeks, I am featuring the second song from Pakistan. I spoke to Sulamaan the last time featured 'Sadqay' which was a massive IG Reels hit in India, and I hope to meet this talented musician someday. The song's touching lyrics and stunning melody are both written by Hassan Ali. 

Asim Azhar is the lead vocalist and the mild but sensual vocals work brilliantly. The singing is loaded with elements of pathos and a bit of helplessness. The guitars are strong and drive the background sound design mostly. Then comes the serene flute solo by Dawood that keeps playing at multiple junctures. The Harmonium gives that folkish touch, and the interlude is a great segment with the interplay of guitars, flute and the Harmonium. The stanza begins and Hassan Ali's might comes to the fore, with a towering beauty heard in the notes here " jate jate koi aas ko thode, bole kuch na bas hum roye, kyun diya ye dard bata de"

Rahill Mirza plays the guitars and all the monumental production by Sulamaan Naseer. He also mixed and mastered the tracks. Kumail Abbas Rufi is the recording engineer. The melody does have influences of Raag Pilu according to me. 

@asimazhar @hassan_alihashmi @sulamann @dawoodflutist @sajalaly 

3. Yaqeen Na Tha

Singer: Papon

Composer: Mandeep Panghal

Lyrics: Youngveer

Music production - Anmol Daniel

Language:

Genre: Thumri/Ghazal

Mood: Pathos

We have a hattrick of splendid music here, and this time it is a Ghazal/Thumri fused into some very engaging and relatable production. Papon is on fire as the lead vocalist, allowing us no reprieve but to fall in love with his sentimental delivery. Youngveer writes the lyrics and Mandeep Panghal is the composer, creating some semic-classical magic. 

Papon begins with his uber-cool aalap and we feel our hearts melting away in no time. Ishan Das plays the gentle acoustic guitars and Anmol Daniel is the brains behind the solid production. The melody immediately reminds me of Raag Yaman thanks to some obvious similarities in the notes. The bass guitars are so important in adding a bit of style, and I love the rhythms that just provide a modern touch to the semi-classical song. The interlude solo by Dilshad Khan on the Sarangi is pure ecstasy when we hear it. 

Anmol does a fabulous job in arranging the live guitars, Sarangi and the keys and rhythm programming. The stanza begins and the silence around lets Papon dominate, if only for a few seconds. The song could very well have tilted into sheer sadness because of the lyrics and tone of the composition, but the guitars draw back the song into a more romantic territory. Pankaj Borah has mixed and mastered the tracks. 

@paponmusic @mandeep_panghal_music @novicerecordsofficial @youngveer @phalgunikhannaa @haideralionline @dilshhadkhan @anmoldaniel_ @ishandas_666 @pankajborahb

4. Nammalani Undi

Music composed by : Kalyan Nayak

Lyrics: Bhargava Karthik

Singers : Haricharan, Ramya Behara

Language: Telugu

Genre: Light Music

Mood: Romantic

The song thanks to Haricharan's impeccable vocals gets wrapped around my head and fails to leave. Kalyan Nayak composes a meaty song here with so much to cherish, love and hum. The melody according to me has traces of Raag Jog (Nattai in Carnatic) and it exudes playfulness and joy when we hear it. Bhargava Karthik pens the lyrics. 

Durwin D'souza plays the guitars with some blistering passion and they are as attractive to the ears just like Haricharans infallible ghamakas. Francis Xavier can be heard playing the brisk solo violin and he is accompanied by Nikhil Ram on the flute, in this ravishing interlude. The bass guitars and acoustic guitars are teasing in the background and the arrangements offer so much for the music lover to listen to and be captivated by. Ramya Behara joins as the female lead vocalist in the stanza, and Cocin Strings is responsible for the strings section in the background. 

The combined vocals of the leads are a very heartwarming segment of the song. Jonathan Joseph does the arrangements along with Lakshmikanth M and Kalyan. Vivek Thomas is the mix/master engineer at VTP Studios, Cochin, with Aditya Gajula as the mix assistant.  

@kalyannayak_official @haricharanmusic @ramyabehara @durwin_dsouza @nikhilramtp @vivekthomasproductions

5. Kanulara

Music Composed, Programmed and arranged by: Shashank Tirupati

Singers : Anjana Balakrishnan

Lyrics: Shreshta

Programmed by: Harikrishnan ME, Finny Kurian

Language: Telugu

Genre: Light Music

Mood: Romantic

It is a terrific week for Telugu music as we have one more song coming in the top 5. I am featuring Shashank Tirupati for the very first time and I am so glad I discovered this musician. Pramod Umapathi plays the flute solo in the intro setting the standard for the song. Anjana Balakrishnan just teases with her vocals and I am touched, by her mildly baritonish vocals. The Pallavi had some Raag Jog(Naatai in Carnatic) influences. Shanshank waves a semi-classical melody here that pleases the soul at every turn of the note. 

Sandeep Mohan is masterful in his guitars and bass which adds such style and substance. Listen to the funky interlude with the electric guitar solo that makes the heart and foot tap side by side. As we move to the charanam we get a dose of Raag Nalinakanthi, according to me, and when I had a word with Shashank, he told me that there are many intertwining Ragas, like neelambari, shankarabharanam and some Mohanam. During the closing stages of the charanam, I did feel that Anjana felt less comfortable delivering the high-pitched notes. Shreshtha writes the lyrics. 

The percussion arrangements and execution are fantastic especially in the second stanza, with the ganjira taking control, thanks to Anil Robin. The whole melody in the interlude is a beautiful piece with Pramod on the flute, and Sandilya Pisapati on the Violin. The chorus is performed by vocalists of high esteem like Saicharan, Harini Ivaturi, Lokeswar, Nadapriya, Lakshmi Meghana, and Arjun Vijay with Lijo. K. Jose taking care of vocal arrangements. The programming is by Finny Kurian and Harikrishnan ME. The mixing and mastering is by Finny with Dil Vinu as the mixing assistant. The recording engineers are Jisto George, Finny, Shalem Kumar and KS Maniratnam. 

@sashanktirupati @anjanabalakrishnan_ @sandilya_pisapati @pramodumapathi @gibsandeep @anilrobin_tabla @lijo.k.jose @harikrishnanme @finnykurian @saicharan_singer @hariniivaturi @lokeshwar @nadapriya.nedadurivendi @lakshmimeghana @dil_vinu @mr_arjunvijay_ @shalem_kumar_ @20dbsoundstudios @mysticroom @popmedia_house 

6. Lifafey

Composer - Abhijeet Srivastava

Lyrics - Shayra Apoorva

Malayalam Lyrics - Amal Ajith

Music produced by Gibson George at Gib Productions

Co-produced by Abhijeet Srivastava

Vocals - Aanchal Tyagi

Language: Hindi

Genre: Pop Fusion

Mood: Romantic

There is life being given a nitro boost when you hear this song. I have seen Abhijeet Srivastava, the composer collaborate with vocalist Aanchal Tyagi a few times, but I must admit this song has to be their best work yet. Aanchal serenades me into oblivion with that gifted voice and kudos to her for using it to her fullest potential. The song has some stunning guitar notes right at the start thanks to Abhijeet and Udayan Dharmadhikari.

I am reminded of Maestro Ilaiyaraja's "Nadham EN Jeevane" sung by S Janaki back in 1982, especially the similarities in the pre-chorus. The bass guitars by Sahil Masih keep bringing the funk on and Dhananjay Muraleedharan sizzles and trembles with his Violin solo almost incessantly in the ground. Abhijeet has composed the melody which is dripping with sweet honey with every note but the song gets a facelift from Gibson George's able production. I want to mention that the keys and rhythms are fabulous, one can hear that mild Thavil too in the background. 

The vocal harmonies by Subhashree Das, Ana Rehman and Palak Mohan are pitch-perfect and what a surprise to hear a Malayalam harmony-led interlude with singers Gibson George, Abhijeet Srivastava, Subhashree Das and Aanchal Tyagi. The Malayalam lyrics are written by Amal Ajith and Shayra Aporrva writes the Hindi words. The stanza is loaded with just goodness and Abhijeet proves that he has worked on a solid melody, which compensates for any other weaknesses if any. I hope musicians take inspiration from this and understand that in music, success is sweet but its secret is the melody. Shubham Shirule joins along with the melody in the stanza on his flute solo. Pranav Gupta is the mix/master engineer 

@abhijeetmusic @shayraa22 @aanchalmusic @unboundrecordz @gibsonbha @piyushkhadke @amal_ajith_aryanchery @gibmusick @pranavgupta_27 @ud_music_ @shubhamshirule @brownguyonbasstrip @subhashree.16 @ana_rehman @palakmohanmusic @vedaant.music @achmandev @ayushsaxx @dhananjay_violin 

7. Soona Soona

Original Lyrics and Composition: Aishwarya Majmudar

Vocals: Aishwarya Majmudar

Music Production: Mir Desai

Language: Gujarati

Genre: Pop

Mood: Pathos

The woodwinds and strings section play in the intro and I am hit by the warmth and mild pathos Raag Charukeshi. Mir Desai, the youngster has done the song's production and full marks to him for his valiance and vision. Aishwarya Majumdar pens the lyrics and writes the potent melody. The bass guitars and Keys keep distracting us with some very delicious interventions, but the champion of the song is Aishwarya's melody and vocals. 

The flute solo by Paras Nath dominates the scene after the chorus segment and the melody is very close to the song's pre-chorus lines. I keep hearing that famous song in Charukeshi "Teri Umeed Tera Intezaar". The Hindi and Gujarati lyrics keep interchanging and no matter what happens the song keeps spewing immense heartache with that pathos-inducing melody. The line "aankhen mere chamke jaise jalta koi diya" is my favorite. Mir Desai is splendid in production as there is absolute class in the song's overall sound design, programming and arrangements. The tracks are mixed and mastered by Tanay Gajjar and Alok Punjani is the recording engineer at Studio 208. 

@aishwarya_tm @mirdesai16 @parasnathflute @mox.asia @rima_majumdar @believemusicindia @personalartistmanagement @tanaygajjarofficial @dhwanidave18 @sarvasvabymanthan @alokpunjani

8. Pardesiyaan

Performed by Bombay the Artist

Written and Composed by Bombay the Artist, Reverse Prodigy and Utpal Udit

Language: Punjabi

Genre: Folk Pop

Mood: Energetic

I have featured Bombay The Artist so many times in 2023 and her songs are part of the best of Punjabi music released in 2023. More than that a couple of her songs from the EP released in 2023 woul be among the nations best of last year. To anyone who says that Punjabi music is repetitive and boring, well listen to her stuff. The guitar strumming is like that movie trailer that immediately pulls you in and you are now heavily invested in the song. 

Her vocals have this tone that captivates the mind and her ability to add the folk style ghamakas adds more to the artillery of the song. The male aalap starts playing in the background thanks to Utpal Udit and Sayuj Jain. Soon enough we get two vital additions in the form of the Harmonium and the Tabla. The production by Reverse Prodigy is unparalleled and it makes it such an enjoyable song, although let us not take away any credit for the song's innate melody composed by Bombay The Artist, Reverse Prodigy and Utpal Udit. 

As I listen to the song, it offers so many elements for me to absorb and let my head move and sway with my eyes closed, all signs of the mind's complete approval of the song. The backing vocals are excellently placed and arranged one can just thank this team of musicians for the outstanding work. Like a few songs I heard from Bombay The Artist last year, the Shehnai makes an entry here too in the outro. The artwork is by Channel Chutney, with mixing and mastering of the tracks done by Pixl. 

@bombaytheartist @reverse_prodigy @utpaludit @sayujjain @pixlpxl @channelchutney

9. Sana Aaro Nee

Composed, Vocals & Arranged: Sharan Rajamohanan

Lyrics: Anand Sankar

Language: Malayalam

Genre: Pop

Mood: Romantic

Malayalam music saw the biggest growth year-on-year according to Spotify news released recently. Maybe that has something to do with the quality of content released in movies as well as indie space in Malayalam. This becomes a self-feeding prophecy or a virtuous cycle. Take this guitar-led pop song, which has some amazing arrangements and such quality indie music never gets released in other regional languages. Anand Shankar is the lyricist for this song. 

Sharan Rajamohanan plays stunning guitars and he also has composed the melody, performed the lead vocals and arranged too. The humming is extremely catchy and it gets intertwined with the bass guitars by Ninoy Varghese. The interlude is classy thanks to the simultaneously playing layers of the Cello by Albin Jose and Violin by Francis Xavier. The string section arrangements are done with such poise and Sharan wins hearts this song, something that could become a romantic anthem. Francis Xavier excels in the execution of the violin solo and takes it upon himself to leave a lasting impression on the listener. Jisto George is the mix/master engineer and he is also the recording engineer along with John Mathew. 

@sharan_rajamohan @zandeep @thinkmusicmalayalam_ @gopika_ramesh_ @zankony @francisxavier_violin @albinjose.in @ninoyvarghese @jisto_george @johnmathew390 

10. Zindagi Tere Naam

Composer: Vishal Mishra

Singer: Vishal Mishra

Lyrics: Kaushal Kishore ,Vishal Mishra

Music Production: Vishal Mishra, Vaibhav Pani, Gaurav Vaswani, Bixal

Language: Hindi

Genre: Light Music

Mood: Romantic

Continuing with his terrific form, Vishal Mishra composes this Bollywood track that conquers us more through its production and his majestic vocals. Vishal composes the melody which is nothing out-of-the-ordinary, but elements of vocal harmonies and other live instruments when arranged well, we get a very likable package. Like in this song we get some backing vocals by The Mumbai Vocal featuring Suzanne D’Mello, Gary Misquitta, Keshia Braganza and Rishikesh Kamerkar, with vocal arrangements done by Suzanne. Hansika Pareek the mesmerising singer also does additional vocals in this song. 

The strings section adds beauty to the background and this is where the song's production stands tall, thanks to Vishal Mishra, Vaibhav Pani, Gaurav Vaswani and Bixal who have all worked on it. "Tere dil mein bhi dhadak rahi hai, dhadkane mere naam ki" is a line I just adore thanks to the writing and Vishal's charismatic vocals, especially with the ghamakas at the end. Kaushal Kishore writes the beautiful words. Vaibhav Pani is playing the guitars on this one and Azeem Dayani is the Music Supervisor (assisted by Manish Natekar) with Vishal being assisted by Kumar Gaurav Singh, Trihangku Lahkar and Bixal. 

When we get to the bridge section, Vaibhav's guitars make it an enjoyable Alt-Rock and finally a moment of magic appears when the song turns into a Sufi extravaganza thanks to the introduction of the Tabla. Shadab Rayeen is the mix/master engineer at New Edge Studio, with assistants Pukhraj Sonkar and Anup Gandharla. The recording engineers are Madhur Hatiskar @Studio 64 and Trihangku Lahkar @VM Studio. 

@vishalmishraofficial @zeemusiccompany @vaibhavpani @gauravvaswaniofficial @azeemdayani @bixal__purplehaze @mekaushalkishore @suzanne_dmello @gboy.nwc @thekeshiab @rishikeshkamerkarofficial @hansikaapareek @trihangkulahkar @shadabrayeen

11. Mulchedi

Vocals: Haniya Nafisa, Govind Vasantha

Lyrics, Composition: Haniya Nafisa

Language: Malayalam

Genre: Pop 

Mood: Pathos

The song has immense emotions packed into a simple tune with minimal arrangements. You don't need much when you have a strong core element like this. Haniya Nafisa writes an impactful melody of the song and meaningful words and here point-blank vocal performance she delivers a stunner. There are no gimmicks in the singing, but Haniya becomes the protagonist in every note and syllable uttered. 

Durwin D'Souza's guitar strumming is another praise-worthy hero of the song, as he accompanies all the way. Govind Vasantha strikes hard in the interlude with his Violin and he also does the arrangements for the song. When he joins as the male lead vocalist, the heart swells and the love for the song becomes complete. The outro deepens the pathos with the violin solo at first and multiple layers later on. Varun John, assisted by Vipul Das, and Nishanth (NHQ Studios) are the recording engineers. 

@haniyanafisaa @durwin_dsouza @varunjohn_ @vippy.wav @thenoiseheadquarters @clutter_art @aslam.seju

12. Door Na Raeen

Sung, composed and written by Shraddha Pandit

Music Production: SoumyaM

Additional Music Production: Anshuman Sharma

Language: Punjabi

Genre: Disco-Pop

Mood: Trippy

We have heard so many songs written by Shraddha Pandit and adored her lines and intricate messages through words. Here she comes in multiple avatars as Shraddha composes the melody and takes over as the lead vocalist as well. The production by SoumyaM is blistering good and he packs a punch with the rhythm programming. I do love the stylish bass guitars that play all along and they compliment Shraddha's oomph in the delivery. 

This disco-pop song is a perfect recipe for a night of dance and Anshuman Sharma does all the additional music production. The chorus line is fancy and funky, with the turbulent drums adding to the song's massive appeal. The interlude has some guitar and keys as well making the song complete in terms of its arrangements. Vocally Shraddha does a fabulous job in the stanza with those subtle ghamakas, and when we get to the outro, the high-pitch pop-styled improvisations and classical-styled mini aalaps are all just testament to her talent. The tracks are mixed and mastered by Anshuman. 

@shraddhapandit @anshuman.sharma1 @soumyaadeepmbarman @arhaanpatelofficial @salimsulaimanmusic @vidhipoddarmusic @shivansh.j @ashyln_1100 @gayatrinarale_ @merchant_records 

13. Jaan Leva

Singer / Songwriter - Siddhant Bhosle

Lyricist - Rajan Batra, Siddhant Bhosle

Music Production - Siddhant Bhosle, Dejour Thomas

Language: Hindi

Genre: Pop

Mood: Romantic

Siddhant Bhosle knows the secret sauce to make good foot-tapping music. he writes the lyrics along with Rajan Batra so you can imagine the brains behind this one. Siddhant composes the melody and performs the lead vocals as well. The rhythms are catchy straight away like the clap of the hands. I love the line just before the chorus that goes "baaton mein aise hi". 

The production is by Siddhant and Dejour Thomas and these guys get the programming on keys, guitars and all arrangements spot on and we couldn't have asked for a better sound design. The verse showcases Siddhant's vocal potential and I am glad he doesn't restrain himself. João Martins is on mixing and Théo Quayle is on mastering. All the vocals have been recorded at Gravity Studios (Mumbai) and Tiny Room Studios (LA)

@sitdownbhosle @rajanbatra13 @dejour @joaomartins