Top Indian Songs of the week 5th May 2024

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Here are the best songs released in India across languages and genres for the week ending 5th May 2024

1. Beete Nahi

Music: Siddharth Pandit

Lyrics: Alok Ranjan Srivastava

Vocals: Hansika Pareek (feat. Akanksha Sethi, Pooja Tiwari, Shriya Pareek)

Arrangement & Production: Siddharth Pandit

Language: Hindi

Genre: Pop

Mood: Romantic

A beauty once again after "Aadha", here comes the exciting talent Siddharth Pandit with a brand new song in his EP "Azaad Sangeet Season 3". It starts off with the Tabla, almost like "Dhak Dhak karne laga", that is the tempo and style I hear at the start, but then it magnifies into something more beautiful and original. The backing vocalists are all super singers themselves and they sing together in the intro viz. Akanksha Sethi, Pooja Tiwari and Shriya Pareek. 

In the background, we hear the mild Tabla along with a Lap Steel Guitar played by Michele B. It feels like a slide guitar and the combination of this stringed instrument and the percussion is a match made in heaven. The melody is so rich that I can feel warmth and love for music all over again, a reason why I started music journalism in the first place. When singers sing " Kho jaate hain, yahin kahin kabhi bhi", you know you are dealing with a banger of a song. 

Siddharth (rightly panditjeeee on IG) does all the masterful arrangements and production for this song along with the heartwarming melody being written. Hansika Pareek makes the foray singing the chorus segment Beete Nahi" and I can hardly make up my mind whether to focus on the terrific lap steel guitar in the background, or Hansika's beautiful vocals and delivery. The melody is loaded with such potential and when offered to Hansika, she dresses it up with even better flair and technical prowess.

I also urge you to hear Marcelo S, going bonkers and playing the electric guitar with finesse and gusto in the background, making me believe there is a Carlos Santana involved here. The tracks are mixed and mastered by Siddharth Pandit and I have a mix of emotions like joy and sadness, with the song coming to an end. 

@panditjeeee @hansikapareek @akankshasethimusic @poojatiwari_official @shaandaarshriya @hashtag.jazbaat @m.sorlii

2. S.O.T.I

Written and Performed By: RANJ, Clifr, Karan Kanchan

Language: English

Genre: Electronic Pop

Mood: Dance

I can control my excitement when I see these names, Clifr, Karan Kanchan and RANJ. They are terrific musicians and they never let their performances drop below a certain standard. The title is so unique and unlike the title, these artists are no strangers to music lovers in India. Bring on the Keys and rhythms and they pump up the energy with the bass guitars adding some glorious style to the proceedings. 

RANJ is a blessed performer and when she sings, or raps you better pay attention, or else you will grieve from FOMO. Substance is abundant as well as style and the trio of CLifr, Karan and RANJ write and compose this keeping in mind the tastes of the public, without compromising on quality and freshness. Kenneth Gerald is the man behind the talkbox and Vivek Thomas mixes and masters the tracks, with assistance from Sibin Wilson. The rise in the pitch towards the ends gets introduced beautifully with the guitar interlude acting as bridge. The catchy artwork is by Sahana Vathsa 

@ranjaniramadoss @vivekthomasproductions @speedysahana @azadirecords @clifr_ @karankanchanmusic @theorganboyofficial

3. Chhad Ke Na Jaa

Singer – Raghav Chaitanya

Composer - IP Singh, Rajarshi Sanyal

Guitars, Music production – Rajarshi Sanyal

Arrangement – Hrishikhesh Gangan

Lyrics - IP Singh

Language: Punjabi

Genre: Alt-Rock

Mood: Romantic

The new EP 'Ibtida' by Faridkot has a couple of good hummable songs and I also did a recent EP review on IG. This is undoubtedly the best of the lot and the other song I enjoyed was 'Aadatein'. The Kazoo-styled riff on the keyboard and a few delightful notes on the Keys make way for Raghav Chaitanya's vocal presence. The song's melody is written by Rajarshi Sanyal and IP Singh with the latter penning the words. 

Rajarshi handles the production and so he gets the keyboard and rhythm programming to depict an upbeat mood. The melody is well written but there are mild traces of "Ek ladki ko dekha to aisa Laga" from '1942 A Love Story'. The chorus segment is beautiful and when Raghav sings the title line along with embellishments like the harmonies, the song makes the heart swell. The arrangements are profound, and getting harmonies is one amazing strategy that works, but the interplay of the guitars and the Tabla in the verse is magical. 

"Tujko bhi rang doo mein, Aa" is such a beautiful line, because it came out of nowhere when I was listening to the melody. Hrishikesh Gangan deserves accolades for the arrangements. I love the intervention on the electric guitar solo in the outro and Faridkot hit this out of the park. Abhishek Ghatak is the mixing engineer and the tracks are mastered by Donal Whelan at Haford Mastering. The recording engineers are Surajit Ghosh Mazumdar, at T-series studios. The music assistant at Studio Faridkot is Jatin Mangal. 

@faridkotmusic @safirock @rajarshisanyal @raghavchaitanya @tseries.official @theghatak

4. Kanulenduko

Music Composed & Arranged: Chaitan Bharadwaj

Vocals: Nikhita Srivalli

Additional Vocals: Chaitan Bharadwaj

Lyrics: Vengi Sudhakar

Language: Telugu

Genre: Semi-classical Pop

Mood: Happy

Chaitan Bharadwaj is talented and he has been a part of my weekly lists and reviews quite a few times. I believe this is probably his best work yet, as he releases a super breezy, classy and upbeat semi-classical pop song with the core of Reethigwola/Karaharapriya/Darbari Ragam. Arun Chiluveru's guitars are at break-neck speed and titillate the listener. Chaitan not only composes the tune, he also is the bassist, and he does all the arrangements and programming on Keys and rhythms. The song gets elevated thanks to some outstanding singing by Nikhita Srivalli

In the interlude, I felt like there was a glimpse of the genius Late Shri U. Srinivas with his Mandolin. Thank you SM Subhani for playing the instrument in such a delightful fashion. The stanza goes on to bring me even more cheer thanks to the well-written melody and Nikhita gets even more captivating with the passage of every second. The tone of the second has many similarities with the works of Harris Jeyaraj. The tracks are mixed and mastered by seamlessly by Shadab Rayeen at New Edge with assistant engineers Pukhraj Sonkar, Anup Gandharla, Ehsan

The second interlude has Chaitan joining in this nice humming bit, but I cannot take my focus away from Nikhita's baritonish delivery at the beginning of the stanza. 

@chaitanbharadwaj @nikhita_srivalli @vengi_music @jungleemusicsouth @mandolinsmsubhani @shadabrayeen

5. Ninna Monna Naalona

Lyrics : Kittu Vissapragada

Singers : Shaktisree Gopalan, Adithya R.k

Music : Vijai Bulganin

Keybroard Programmer : Sajan Kamal

Language: Telugu

Genre: Pop

Mood: Romantic

With two songs in a single week, Vijay Vulganin is on fire for sure. This is another Telugu single composed by him with two amazing vocalists Shakthisree and Adithya. These performers are not just skilled in their delivery, but also gifted in that their voices are not easy to mimic and their unique tones can be mesmerising. Adithya's humming and Shakthisree's baritonish lines have already captivated me beyond repair. 

Sajan Kamal works on all the keyboard programming and the lyrics are written by Kittu Vissapragada. The finger flicks act like goo rhythms and soon enough Vijay Ganesan starts dominating on lead guitars and bass. The flute solo by Lalit Talluri in the interlude is stunning, reminding me of either Raag Hindolam or Shuddha Dhanyasi. The keyboards introduce sounds of the electric Veena, which feels ecstatic. The stanza is the space where the lead singers further induce magnetism. The line is just an unmatched earworm for me when he goes, "Mabbulo thele haaye choodaga, choope thaake modduga" followed by the humming by Adhithya. 

The magic ends with the outro once again, imitating the interlude heard before. The recording engineer is Hari, with Bhasha as the music in charge, Lijesh as the Voice engineer and Roshan Sebastian as the mix/master engineer. 

@vijai_bulhanin @adityamusicindia @prathibhaa_reddy @kushalinipulapa @adityamusicindia @rashi.real @sureshbanisetty_lyricist 

6. Po Po

Singer: Sooraj Santhosh

Lyrics: Suresh Banisetti

Music Composer: Vijai Bulganin

Keyboard Programmer: Sathish Sebastian

Language: Telugu

Genre: Pop

Mood: Energetic

This is one splendid song, and although I expect Vijai Bulganin to keep coming up with the goods, I like how he surprises me with such diverse genres and styles of compositions. Sooraj Santhosh is probably right up there as my favourite singer in the Indian playback, so I cannot be happier that he gets to perform this tricky song and he ends up smashing it. The guitars and rhythms are out of this world, and when the words go "Po Po Po", I feel the adrenaline pumping in my veins. Suresh Banisetti is the lyricist. 

Chris Jason is on electric guitars and bass as well and Sathish Sebastian works on the keyboard programming here. Sooraj sings it with a folkish and the humming in the anupallavi "oi oi oi: with all the vibrato is so catchy. In the next couple of lines in the anupallavi, he sings it like a retro song from the 1950s with a semi-classical twist in the delivery. This shows Sooraj's ability. The interlude is a dancer's delight with the Clarinet Solo, and Vijai follows up this with some Piano intervention. 

The stanza is a further continuation of the song's catchy melody and the vocal intervention with the "ohh ohh ohh ohh" is pure magic. Lijesh Kumar is the Melodyn Engineer, and Chris Jason is sizzling with his electric guitar interventions right through. KK Senthil Prasath is the recording engineer at Vanajkesav Digi Audio Waves, Chennai and the mix/master engineer is Roshan Sebastian. 

@vijai_bulhanin @adityamusicindia @prathibhaa_reddy @kushalinipulapa @adityamusicindia @rashi.real @sureshbanisetty_lyricist  @roshansebastian @bassheart_bp @sai_swetha1 @christhejason @soorajsanthosh

7. Aa Chal Chalein

Composer- Akashdeep Sengupta

Singers- Akashdeep Sengupta, Ana Rehman

Lyrics- Siddhesh Patole

Language: Hindi

Genre: Pop

Mood: Romantic

AKashdeep Sengupta, the composer is riding a good wave now, and after his recent success with the album "Ae Watan Mere Watan" as one of the 3 composers in the album, here comes an indie project. The song is composed by Akashdeep and he gets another very talented musician Ana Rehman to perform on lead vocals along with him. Derrick Correia plays the acoustic, nylon and electric guitars and it is his strumming that makes the intro quite delectable. 

The guitars are so beautifully played here that the romance flows automatically even without a word being uttered. One can hear the backing vocals by Aniruddh Anantha along with Akashdeep in the lead in the verse. The harmonies get better with humming elements, almost making it like an A-Capella version. Kudos to Akashdeep for a well-written melody. Sidhesh Patole writes these beautiful love-struck lines. 

The interlude has this classy melody written for the nylon guitar and Ana jumps in with such a saucy tone in her voice. It is like a sensational cameo by Ana Rehman and just 2 lines have a prominent impact on the listener. Ashwin Kulkarni handles the excellent sound design and is also the mix/master engineer. The recording has transpired at Touchwood Studios

@akashdeep.sengupta @ana_rehman @sid.patole @vibe_musicentertain @ashwinkulkarni89 @aniruddhanantha @grbchakraborty @shraantistudios @derrick_correia 

8. Thoda Thoda

Singers - Rishabh Borchetia & Sireesha Bhagavatula

Lyrics & Composition - Rakshit Malhotra

Language: Hindi

Genre: Pop

Mood: Romantic

This looks like a song that was originally released back in 2022, and now the same composer makes a version with new singers. Rakshit Malhotra has written the melody and lyrics along with producing the song. It is Harsh Ghadkari who has played the keys and handled the programming. The original was music slower in tempo and felt like a ballad that had Priyangbada Banerjee and Shivahari Varma on lead vocals and backing vocals. The production is amplified here along with a faster tempo and more upbeat tone.

Kiro plays the guitars in the intro, and that gets quite inviting along with some attractive harmonies too. I prefer this newer version with two excellent vocalists Sireesha and Rishabh. The underlying strumming of guitars and harmonies paint a delightful picture in the background. Abhishek Bonthu is the bassist. Sireesha has been going great guns of late and she delivers a pleasing performance once again. The outro has Harshit on the woodwinds and Vaishnavi Agrawal and Raj Shekhar on backing vocals. Ameera does the artwork. 

@rakshit.keys @sireeshabhagavatula @harsh_keys @kiroded001 @harshitshankar @abhishek.bonthu_ @rajshekharmusic @gaurimusic07 @ameerarizvii @jagritkhandari31_ @_harsh_24_ @p6perb6g

9. Betabiyan

Performed by: Sayuj Jain

Composer: Sayuj Jain

Lyricist: Sayuj Jain

Produced by: Himonshu Parikh

Language: Hindi

Genre: Ballad Pop/Blues

Mood: Contemplative

I played this song on a loop 3 times the very first time I played it, and that doesn't happen often, very rarely in fact. It is my way of probably telling Sayuj Jain that he has given me a wonderful song. The melody is pure, it touches the heart and with the lyrics, I am sold as he sings "kusch der ki bat hai, tere maate ke neeche mera haat hai". Sayuj has this Arijit-esque vocal tone but that is not wrong as long as there is no blatant imitation. I love the electric guitar intervention after the intro lines and we have one person to thank for, Johann George on guitars.

Himonshu Parikh has produced this song and so whatever arrangements, programming and sound design we feel it is all thanks to this wizard. The tempo is slow and it makes sense because we need time to get the whole message into our heads and the mood is more contemplative rather than upbeat. As we get to the chorus segment, the Pianos and rhythms are delightful, along with Sayuj's beautifully crafted melody. The Keys and bass guitar combination in the interlude is glorious and gives off this Blues tone, magnifying the song's likability even further. 

The stanza that follows is short and the chorus that follows is decorated further with the support of Keys and harmonies. Kudos to Sayuj for the writing, composition and vocals and the team of Himonshu and Johann for this worthy single. 

@sayujjain @himonshu @warnermusicindia @johanngeorge_ @rayofdope @tejasvipatil_ @ansikavj

10. Picchio Na

Vocals: Anirban Dasgupta-RIJU and Pralay Sarkar

Composition: Anirban Dasgupta-RIJU and Pralay Sarkar

Lyrics: Pralay Sarkar

Programming, Arrangement, Mix and Master: Samanway Samanta

Language: Bangla

Genre: Synth Pop

Mood: Dance

First of all, we don't hear many Dance/Pop and EDM tracks in Bangla from my experience over the last 5 years. So for that, I give points to this composer/producer for their creativity. The singing is terrific with Anirban executing the falsetto easy. The composition is breezy and here Anirban Dasgupta and Pralay Sarkar combine for that. The programming, arrangements and production is where the song reigns supreme. The keys and synths are reminiscent of the 1990s synth-pop wave that consumed us. The Bangla lyrics are written by Pralay. 

The lead guitar accompaniment along with bass and drums gives us a very stylish and Alt-pop flavour as well. Samanway Samanta is the artist who has done all the phenomenal programming and arrangements and the way he lets the keys and synths shine during the verse, and then the clincher is the Saxophone during the chorus and outro. The melody written for the Sax is wonderful and it takes us back to songs like 'One More Night' by Phil Collins and other works of Kenny G. Dhrubo Bhattacharjee and Anirban Ghosh at Jam52 Studio are the recording engineers, the mix/master engineer is Samanway. The audio label is JMR Studio. 

@jmrmusicstudio @pralay25 @rijuandpralayofficial @anis_ahmed6

@samanywaysamanta

11. Rehna Duur 

Performed by Akash Kaushal, Prateeksha Srivastava

Written by Akash Kaushal

Produced by Akash Kaushal, Bharath

Language: Hindi

Genre: Pop

Mood: Romantic

When you are that good, you also end up being offered worthy songs to perform. I am talking about Prateeksha Srivastava here. This is a richly melodious number composed and written by Akash Kaushal. He is also the male lead vocalist and starts things off in a gentle fashion. once we hit the chrous segment, the break between "Rehna" and "Duur" feels magical. The guitars accompany right though, and when Prateeksha sings her lines there is bliss and she does so much with just a few tweaks and vibratos.

The song is produced by Akash and Bharath and they deserve credit for introducing elements like a slide guitar, good rhythm and keyboard programming along with subtle harmonies. It is a simple melody but it warms the heart. 

@akashkaushalmusic @officialprateeksha @firstwav @bharath.mp3 @akshaysammi @_khantaha_ @rahulbansal.rb

12. Shadow

Performed by No Neighbours Around

Written by Vignesh Siva, Vikas Gotla, Vishwesh Siva

Language: English

Genre: Alt-Rock

Mood: Energetic

I am not sure how I missed the earlier music by 'No Neighbours Around', but after hearing this terrific single, I would love to keep track of their work. This is a Bengaluru-based 3 piece Alternative Rock band and they have everything going great guns for them right now. The lead vocals are performed by Vishwesh Siva, who also is the bassist. The lead guitars by Vignesh Siva make the intro feel like the opening scene of "Terminator". The vocals come along and it sounds like Bryan Adams in his early heydays. 

Vikas Gotla smashes his way ahead on drums and the trio create a perfect launchpad for some headbanging music. The melody written is good here and that is we also get something worthy of humming. The lead guitars as the name suggests lead the way and the verses are perfectly studded with terrific guitar interventions. When the lines go "I need someone to believe in" the guitars are bringing the roof down. The recording, mixing and mastering engineer is Sonal Siby at Muzico Studio

@noneighboursaround @megathrax @thewishspecial @rhinestoneeyed 

13. Always

Singers: Armaan Malik, Calum Scott

Composers and Writers: Armaan Malik, Calum Scott, Jon Maguire, Bill Maybury

Producer: Jon Maguire

Language: English

Genre: Pop

Mood: Romantic

There have been many a time we hear some Indian musicians working in close collaboration with global icons and global producers, but the reality never quite meets the hype. I will say this much that Armaan Malik is different. His songs have been quite good, and this one is a must if you like English Indie music, especially with international songwriters and producers on board. The core of such good performances becomes the ability and vocal strength of the lead performer, and Armaan is fabulous in that department

The piano is mild but meaningfully persistent, and with that in the background, Armaan shines with his delivery and soon joined by Callum Scott on vocals. The melody is written by Armaan Malik, Calum Scott and Jon Maguire with Bill Maybury writing the lyrics. Bill was recently featured by me when wrote for RIKA's songs in her latest EP. The melody is elevated with the strings section and the Piano in the background. 

Callum takes over, going solo and against Armaan's innocence, Callum sounds overpowering but they both strike the heart with their lead performances. I love how Armaan forays into the falsetto zone and makes it sound beautiful. The song is produced by Jon Maguire and he deserves a round of applause for the arrangement of the Piano, strings section and harmonies. The song reminds me of Elton John's "Can You Feel the Love Tonight " from 'The Lion King' OST. The tracks are mixed by Charlier Holmes and mastered by Simon Francis. 

@armaanmalik @calumscott @warnermusicindia @billmaybs @jonmguire @charlieholmes @alexdaviesmusic @cal.j.p @

14. twentytwo

Written, Composed & Performed by Pruthvi Dhawale

Composed, Produced, Mixed & Mastered by Sudan

Language: English

Genre: Pop

Mood: Happy

Pruthvi Dhawale creates this very modern-day foot-tapping Pop single called twentytwo. She shares her story in this song and it s filled with some eloquent and able singing. Pruthvi's falsetto is like a breeze of fresh air and it cools the face and senses hearing her perform. She has composed the melody, written the lyrics and sung the lead vocals, shining in every element. 

The lead guitars, drums and Keys keep the chord progression and energy sustained and interesting. I love how the lead guitar interventions in the background are constantly innovating when Pruthvi sings the verse. Then comes a pause, when Prutvi sings "Thet would take another 10 years to figure out", hinting that Pruthvi needs to take a break and think hard. Pritpal Sudan does a fine job on the musical production, and he is also the mix/master engineer. She just turned 22, and I hope she has so much more to offer to music lovers, shortly. 

@pruuuthvi @notsudan @misfitinc @prxnv

15. It’s Got Me Again

Written by Liam Christian

Produced by Minaxi

Language: English

Genre: Alt-Rock

Mood: Energetic

Yeah, the band that was formed with its lead man Shrenik Ganatra, who hails from Nalaasopara. People outside Mumbai, have never heard of this place, and for many in Mumbai, it is a station far far away on the Western Suburb train line. I have reason to believe that this part of Mumbai has its share of some amazing musical talents, especially the core of the Mumbai Hip Hop scene. This band now operates from Brooklyn, NY and in their recent album, which had some very rich and impactful music, I found this one to be their undoubted best. 

Steve Carlin is explosive when need be, and he goes under the radar at times too playing the drums. Shrenik is the lead vocalist and he plays the guitar along with Liam Christian who also backs up on vocals along with playing the guitars. The guitars are strikingly good giving us the impression of a Coldplay performance. I love it when Shrenik goes berserk on the higher register singing "It's got me courageous" and the intensity rises on the guitars and drums as well. Thomas Herdon is the bassist adding a bit of groove to the setting. Liam Christian writes the melody and lyrics. The outro is heavy on guitars and drums and it feels cathartic with Shrenik's rhythmic humming and grunts

@minaxitheband