Top Indian Songs of the week 9th April 2023

Here are the best songs released in India across languages and genres for the week ending 9th April 2023. 

If you are a musician submit your new music here.

1. We break up for family reasons

Singers: Jhansi, Vedika Agarwal, Trishita Recs, Rushikesh Nene

Som Prem, Paritosh Pande, Suchita Shirke, Nikita Britto

Sahil Dhandhia, Zachary Ray

Created, Conceptualised, Composed and Produced by: Jhansi

Language: English

Genre: Musical Theatre

I heard this song out of the blue and was immediately awe-struck. It felt like a song out of a musical on Broadway, and credit goes to The Jhansi Way for her composition, conceptualisation, creation and production of this exciting song that has comfortably topped the All-India charts this week.

There are some exceptional singers and the list of vocalists is long viz. Jhansi, Vedika Agarwal, Trishita Recs, Rushikesh Nene, Som Prem, Paritosh Pande, Suchita Shirke, Nikita Britto, Sahil Dhandhia and Zachary Ray. The lyrics are fantastic, intelligent, creative and extremely relevant. The use of the Piano, and the strings section all glorify the song.

The highlight is clearly the vocal harmonies and their arrangements and that is why Jhansi cannot be appreciated enough. Such originality of thought must never go under-credited and every singer on board can also feel proud of the success of this project. Lyrics like "We are Hindu, but we have them them them and them" is subtle but substantial to drive the point across. The song rather than just being funny and smart moves higher up the gravity ladder and when the lyrics get serious like "we cry or we die", we have the stronger Piano as well as Accordion in the background. 

@thejhansiway @vedikaagarwal @priyankabans @muskaandawoodani @trishitarecs @rushikesh.nene @sompremm @paritosh.pande @sushmusic_ @sahildhandhia @diganntsurti @vrshabsansguirri @shohinidutta_official @zacharydanielray @namratajuneja @alyonaatalukdar_thedancer @manviekochhar 

2. Heer

Singers - Akriti Kakar & Shankar Mahadevan

Composer - Traditional.

Additional Composition by Akriti Kakar

Music Arrangement and Production – Rishabh Ravi

Language: Hindi

Genre: Semi-classical Folk Fusion

This whole EP called "Big Band Theory Season 2" is one of the best I have heard in 2023 and 'Heer' becomes the first song I am featuring from the collection. Akriti Kakar is the brains behind this EP as she does all the additional compositions for this traditional song. She is the lead vocalist along with the mighty Shankar Mahadevan and according to me there is a Raag Sindhubhairavi influences at play here.

Rishab Ravi handles all the musical arrangements and production and so a huge round of applause for this masterful work. Up until we reach the interlude we have some solid western-styled production on keyboards, and then we hear the Flute solo by Rajeev Prasanna and the Indian folk percussions by Satyajit Jamsandekar. The drums provide a nice solid western rhythm thanks to Joshua Vaz and we have Abhishek Dasgupta on the electric guitar and Alok Kulkarni as the bassist. 

The immersive strings are played by Mumbai Strings, conducted by Narendra Pardeshi. The strings along with the drums and Tabla is a magical recipe and with Akriti and Shankar's singing, we are headed up the stairway to heaven. The recording engineers are Rupak Thakur, Amey Mategaonkar, Amey Londhe and Rahul M Sharma. Vijay Dalal is the mix engineer with Chinmay Mestry assisting and Gethin John is the mastering engineer. 

@akritikakar @shankar.mahadevan @joshuavazofficial @rishabh.keys @alokkulkarni78 @abdg_1988 @satyajit_jamsandekar @rajeevprasannaflute @sound_wala.wav @chinmay.jpg 

3. Kho Jaane De

Singer: Vishal Mishra

Music: Vishal Mishra

Lyrics: Vishal Mishra

Language: Hindi

Genre: Indie pop

The one thing that I feel elated about in my experience as a music journalist, is that I have become a decent judge of quality. When I review and recommend good artists, I feel the pressure to be well-researched and unbiased. It is artists like Vishal Mishra who make me feel that elation and joy and time after time after time he comes up with the goods making all my effort worthwhile. 

This beautiful song is written, composed and sung by Vishal and according to me, this could well end up being one of the best male vocal performances of 2023. The guitars Ishan Das make the introduction almost taking us into the lands of the Mid-western US where folk music rules the roost. Every word and syllable Vishal utters is loaded with emotions and that is why he will always be a terrific vocalist and playback singer. I was glad that he could sing for A Rahman in 'Mili' in 2022. 

The mild Piano pulls you in and you feel like you are getting lost when Vishal sings. I do hear a mild slide guitar from time to time and it has a soothing folkish effect on the song like no other instrument. The lyrics are well written, giving you the perfect message and I cannot stress enough about the improvisations and ghamakas that Vishal brings about. The electric guitar solo is a killer segment that feels like pure bliss. I love the mild drums by Jai Row Kavi and bass guitars that just keep aiding the process and beautifully creating nice layers to the tone

Vishal tops it off with a nice and smooth bridge section, and I was floored when he did the falsetto on "kho jaane de" towards the end. The song is mixed and mastered by Shadab Rayeen and Trihangku Lahkar is the recording engineer. The song is what I have been looking forward to in 2023 because 2022's best vocal performances have all been from women 

@vishalmishraofficial @shadabrayeen @trihangkulahkar @ishandas_666 @vyrloriginals 

4. MaSalama

Music composed and produced by: M Jayachandran

Lyrics: B K Harinarayanan

Arabic Lyrics: Dr Noora Al Marzooqi

Singer: Shreya Ghoshal

Language: Malayalam

Genre: Ballad/Pathos

Untainted, raw melody is what we get from M Jayachandran as a composer and he has given Shreya Ghoshal a meaty and splendid melody that crawls and grows on you. The song is composed and produced by M Jayachandran and hence he must get all the credit for the mighty arrangements and programming as well. 

Ever since "Sufiyum Sujathayaum" I have been a fan of M Jayachandran's use of the Istanbul Strings and here we have the Oud opening the song giving the necessary Arabic and Middle Eastern flavour. Midhun Maliyekkal can be heard playing the Keys and this is when Shreya begins her vocals adding tons of impact with a vocal tone fraught with pathos. 

The title line is pure magic as we have backing vocalists joining in and this is where the strings section adds weight. The music is conducted by Unni Elayaraja and Sumesh Parameswar plays the booming bass guitars. The Arabic vocals are sung by Abdulla Alshehhi and Ibrahim Alobaidli, with lyrics penned by Dr Noora Al Marzooqi. The Malayalam lyrics are written by B K Harinarayanan. The interlude is a beautiful symphony and concoction of strings, Keys and enchanting percussion. 

The title line 'MaSalama' is excellently composed and I love how the notes drop the second time the line is sung. We have Akshay Kakkoth and Amey Londhe as recording engineers and the song is mixed and mastered by Harishankar V. 

@mjayachandranmusiczone @shreyaghoshal @akshay_kakkoth @londheamey @parameswarsumesh @iamharishankarv @istanbulstrings @harinarayanan.b.k @unni_elayaraja_indeevaram 

5. Chamkeela Angeelesi

Composed, Arranged and Programmed by Santhosh Narayanan

Lyrics: KASARLA SHYAM

Singer: RAM MIRIYALA, DHEE

Language: Telugu

Genre: Folk/Dance 

There are 5-10 songs at least every month that gets released in Telugu resorting to this style of dance and folk, but they don't quite match the quality, effort and impact of this outstanding song composed, arranged and programmed by the remarkable Santhosh Narayanan. If you don't trust me just go check out similar songs like 'Yentemma' by Payal Dev and "iPhone Song" by Mickey J Meyer. 

The song starts off with a brilliant Violin by the master Embar S Kannan. The song then is all about the vocals by Dhee and Ram Miriyala along with breathtaking percussions and rhythms by Siddharth Nagarajan. 

Dhee is unstoppable as she gets the mood and tone of the song on point with her emphatic delivery. Santhosh's songs never miss out on the belligerent bass guitar support and the notes written for the bass have become his USP. Naveen Napier is solid as the bassist and the whizkid Aditya Ravindran plays the guitars right from the get go. 

It is impossible to not dance and when I had a word with my singer-wife, she swears that this is one song she would love to perform on stage. The interlude is tailored to melt your heart and Embar Kannan executes these melodious notes with amazing poise on the Violin. The master stroke by Santhosh is when the song has a surprise change in tempo after the first two lines by Dhee. Ram just blasts away with the faster lines and Dhee matches up to him in that closing line that becomes like a percussionist's dream. 

The outro is all about Kannan and he just sizzles on the Violin and sort of reminds me of Ilaiyaraja's "Kaala kaalamaga vazhum" from 'Punnagai Mannan' and the ending bit feels like a classical Carnatic jugalbandhi with all the mandolin as well played by Vijay Joseph. Hats off to the genius Santhosh Narayanan. The song is recorded by Santhosh, Karthik Manickavasakam, Rupendar Venkatesh and Pranav Muniraj, with Santhosh and Rupendar also donning the roles of mixing and mastering engineers. 

@musicsanthosh @dhee___ @miriyala_ram @adityaravindran95 @napier_naveen @supervijayoffl @karthikmanickavasakam @drumssiddharth @embarkannan @rupendar_venkatesh @pranavbalu 

6. Ottamuri Vakkumayi

Song composed and Produced - Sushin Shyam

Singer - Pradeep Kumar

Lyrics- Vinayak Sasikumar

Language: Malayalam

Genre: Ballad

I have already done a #1minutemusicreview of the EP "Romancham" on my Instagram account giving it a score of 3.75/5 and this is one EP that music lovers should STREAM. Sushin Shyam is in fine form as a composer and producer in this EP and I have already featured 2 upbeat songs earlier this year. This one is a Pradeep Kumar special as the singer shows exactly why he is one of the best in the country today. 

Pradeep demands total attention when he sings and it becomes impossible to focus anywhere else. Sushin backs up in the vocals and the song is a sleeper that starts off mildly but steadily grows and conquers your head. The keys and mild strings in the background do just enough to provide a layer without overpowering the lead vocals. Then we have the backing vocals slowly rising in decibel levels and it feels beautiful like a chorus altogether. 

Rithu Vysakh is stunning playing the one-man quartet and just past the 2.20-minute mark we get a fantastic riff on the keyboards. The strings, the humming and Pradeep's vocals combine like a tried-and-tested recipe that can never go awry. Abin Paul is the mixing engineer and Gethin John masters the song. Vinayak Sasikumar writes these beautiful words. 

@sushintdt @pradeep_kumar1123 @rithuvysakh @vinayaksasikumar @mixwithabin 

7. Kya Meri Galti Thi

Singer, Composer, Lyrics – Osho Jain

Music Producer – Osho Jain & Varun Agnihotri

Language: Hindi

Genre: Indie Pop

I rate Osho Jain quite highly, thanks to his unmistakable voice, his texture and not to gorget his composition. This is the 3rd time I have featured him and it is not going to be the last. Osho always keeps his focus on the underlying melody and according to me there is a tendency for his tunes to sound a bit retro. Maybe that is the reason they all have a very hummable melody

Here he combines with another very talented musician Varun Agnihotri and the duo produce this song. The melody gets enhanced with some rock-styled drums and electric guitars, played by Bharat Chandore and Varun respectively. Jivitesh Kharbanda amps up the style quotient with his bass guitars. The solo on the electric guitar is damn impressive as Varun invokes the Rock and Heavy Metal Gods with this sizzling bit. 

If all these dazzling elements were not enough, listen to the bass guitars leading the way to a savvy bridge section that goes " jo kuch bhi tu ne kaha tha". Pulkit Jain plays the Keys and this ticks every box possible in being a gentle giant of a song. Hersh Desai is the recording engineer along with Ninad Lad, with Hersh also being the mixing and mastering engineer. Aayushi Bansal handles the artwork. 

@oshojain_ @varun_agnihotri @baajewala @jiviofficial @pulkitxjain @hersh.desai9 @ninad.lad @aayushi_bansal_

8. Serenity

Orchestral Parts composed by Harshit Verma & Rohan Solomon 

Vocals, Lyrics, Production: Rohan Solomon

Original Score composition: Harshit Verma

Language: English

Genre: Indie pop

A composer with a keen sense of production and an understanding of what good music must sound like is how I would describe Rohan Solomon. The vocals and the tantalising guitars take up the lead in this song with all of the lyrics, vocals and production by Rohan.

The faint sound of the strings section can be heard even when the opening lines are being sung and this orchestral composition is done by both Rohan and Harshit. Rohan plays the guitars and he is supported by another musician Soham Mallick. Pay attention to the consistent jostle of the drums by Abhijeet Sood and bass guitars by Harshit Mishra. The song is brilliantly produced with all the orchestral arrangements pleasing my ears the most. I love the vocal harmonies that form an integral part of the song. The song is mixed by Rohan and mastered by Dan Millice with all the artwork handled by Anushree. 

@rohansolomon @harshit_music04 @synergyaudiopro @thedistantechoes @soothermusic @ferriswheelstudios @hashbass @soham.mallick.music @doctormillice @engineroomaudio @ms.chatterjee

9. 2006

Music by Sidharth Bendi

Produced by Sidharth Bendi

Additional Production: Vavae

Sidharth Bendi is one of the finest producers we have today in the indie space and I recommend that music lovers go check out his work immediately. The last time I featured him had the title of the month 'June', now we have another nice song with the title of the year '2006'. 

I have featured his other songs like 'It's Over' and his production for other artists like 'Run' and 'Madeline'. It is Sidharth's consistency that really impresses me and this song is proof that you don't have to always create a magical number every time. In '2006' most of the song was good but not something fresh or out-of-the-blue. But when it mattered the most Sidharth creates some fantastic strings-led production towards the end and the song's quality just gets a nitro-booster-like push. 

When he was a 7-year-old kid, there is a home video featuring Sidharth and he uses that as inspiration for this song. His singing is very effective almost perfectly emoting every feeling that he would have gone through. The sense of vulnerability is apparent in his tone but when he gets the tempo up blurting out the words almost like a rap segment in " I'll die trying to say the words to you that you can never hear me say", his mild outrage and desperation come out as well. 

This is when the violin programming kicks in and then it feels like the dam just broke and the waters are gushing in. Kudos to KASYAP for all the additional violin programming here and Rohit too contributes well as the additional producer. The mild Tabla along with rhythms is a wonderful addition, but Sidharth doesn't forget to steal the show with his engaging alaap in the background. The song is mixed and mastered by Sudan. 

@vavae.music @sidharthbendi @kasyapmusic @notsudan

10. Fight

Performed by Kiss Nuka

Written by Kiss Nuka

Produced by Kiss Nuka

Language: English

Genre: Ballad/Pop

The song is about standing up against adversaries and Kiss Nuka does a fabulous job writing, composing, producing and performing this moving single. Something that is quite unique about this single is that the proceeds of the streaming revenues will go to @thegreatoven an NGO that builds large community kitchens. Interestingly instead of ad makers taking away revenues and streaming apps receiving revenues @songbits.fans allows fans of music to invest in the song, and so fans get to receive shares of revenues from a song's success.

All these innovative things aside this is a fantastic song, with opening Keys setting the tone. It is played by the composer/producer Utkarsh Dhotekar and the song's intensity keeps rising with some fabulous production, arrangements and programming by Kiss Nuka. Abhinav Borah can be heard playing the bass guitars in the background, and Kiss Nuka serenades you through her tone and intense humming. 

Just past the 3rd minute, the song gets a push in terms of the tempo and as she sings "You gotta fight, to fight...". The delivery and arrangements kind of egg you on and want you to stand up and take on everything and everybody who tries to pull you down. 

@kissnuka @utkarshdhotekar @manchandashikhar @abhinavborah

11. Love Will Come to You (EP Edit) 

Music, Lyrics: Alvin Presley

Producer: Alvin Presley 

Language: English

Genre: Folk/Pop

This is a fantastic EP 'Pain Geography' and I would recommend that you STREAM IT. I have my favourites from the EP and this is definitely one of them. The Keys are slow and aid in driving the song along. It did feel like a woodwind but apparently what comes on in the interlude is a Mellotron and the use of the strings section in the background adds a very English Western flavour 

Alvin has programmed, arranged and produced everything we hear and kudos on this. The backing vocal is well-introduced and makes you feel the intensity. The surprise package is the humming that sounds stunning and it feels like the protagonist is letting it all out just as the words in the song suggest. Alvin's modulations and shifts in tone and texture are perfectly punctuated throughout the song. An interesting bit is also the programmed sound of the saxophone towards the end. The song is mixed and mastered by Alvin with Lijesh Kumar as the sound engineer, and Bharani Kumar handles the cover art. 

@alvinpresley @lijeshkumartk @bharanikumar_ @amarantaentertainment

12. Paralyzed

Performed by Nemophilis

Written by Kshitij Kumar Choudhary

Language: English

Genre: Rock/Heavy Metal

This Pune-based rock band has been doing quite well and it is representative of the city's solid rock culture. The song is written and composed by Kshitij Kumar Choudhary, but the band collectively dominates here thanks to some energetic vocals, thumping drums and some fantastic notes written and execute don the lead guitars. 

Kshitij is the lead vocalist and lead guitarist and the mercurial Saurabh Lodha is the bassist who also provides backing vocals, and finally, we have Akarsh Singh as the drummer and also involved in backing vocals. The song has the texture, and tone of "The final countdown" by Europe. I loved the bridge section which was a considerable shift in tempo and tone. Kshitij impresses with some solid lead guitar solo interventions.  

@theofficialnemophilis @365daysofdrama @ankur_s @akarshsinghofficial @__riff_life__ @kshitij.is.here 

13. Olikannal 

Music & lyrics - Sathyajith

Creative music composition and programming - Ghijo gt

Vocals - Sathyajith & Sradha Prasannan

We have a few first-timers here both in composition and vocals and that freshness of talent is what I love as a music journalist. Shaji Surya plays the Flute solo and it comes in multiple layers. 

Sathyajith has written, composed and sung the lead vocals for this one with Sradha Prasannan being the female lead vocalist. 

Ghijo gt who is a music producer and specialises in the EDM and techno-music styles has done all additional composition and programming, and this gives the song some very relatable and likeable colours. The rhythm programming too is very profound and impactful. The song's overall tone reminds me of Ilaiyaraja's "Chempoove Poove" from the album 'Siraichalai'. 

My favourite part is when the line goes "Iravaniyum neram", and the Tabla along with other percussion and the mild flute in the background make for some wonderful listening. Sradha opens her account in the stanza and she does a fine job delivering many notes in the lower pitch quite effectively. The influences of Raagam Abheri are possibly heard in many instances. 

The song has an AR Rahman tone too thanks to that male backing vocal singing the lines with a lag and in a high pitch. The song is mixed by Abin S Vincent and there are some contributions by Belsson Thomas, Thiricharivukal & DJ Agnivesh

@ghijo_gt @sradhaprasannan @sathyajithzbull 

14. Simpler Times

Performed by Black Letters

Written by Akash Chacko, Harikiran Menon, Sarang Menon, Sharath Narayan

Language: English

Genre: Alt-Rock

This originally Kochi-based quarter piece called 'Black Letters' now hails from Bengaluru and they specialise as an Alt-Rock band, a style that should straight away remind us of Global superstars like 'Coldplay'. The band comprises Sharath Narayan as lead vocalist and guitarist, Akash Chacko as the drummer, Sarang Menon on guitar and Harikiran Menon as the bassist. 

The strong start on the guitars and bass and the riff feels like that hit "Every breath you take" by 'The Police'. Sharath's dreamy vocals guide the song and the good concoction of guitars, bass, drums and Keys do take us to Simpler Times when great music made our days. This song is one for our long drives on the road and the overall mood and tone of the song just elevate our spirits. It is simple in structure but none of the band members takes a breather, and that is why the constant presence of all these live instruments has a very soothing effect on us. 

I would love to keep track of this band and hopefully, they will bring in more variations and creative elements infused into their songs in the future

@blackletters @spacemanstripes @unrealpi @sharathnarayan @akashchacko @sarangmenon @superpolite @mr.arjunradhakrishnan

15. When You’re Around

Vocals, lyrics, composition: Jaden Maskie

Language: English

Genre: Indie Pop

Jaden Maskie has written, composed and sung this pleasant romantic single, and his vocals and the guitars alone carry this track forward. Jaden modifies his texture and delivery through the song and the portions where he goes into the falsetto mode sound quite good too. 

The guitars come in and create those mild interludes but it is the vocals that keep the energy and likability on a high. The humming in the outro is well executed and lets Jaden end the song on a fantastic note. 

@jadenmaskie @farmhouse.music