Top Tamil Songs of July 2023

Here are the best Tamil songs released for the month of July 2023. 

If you are a musician submit your new music here.

1. Paththu Milligram

Performed by  Benny Dayal , Bryden & Parth

Composed & Produced by - Bryden Lewis

Lyrics by - Madhan Karky 

Genre: Indie Pop

I have been enamoured by the musical prowess of this duo called Bryden & Parth. They have taken the Indian music scene by storm, and I have already featured 3 of their singles from the album " Chameleon World". Now this Tamil song is at the top of the Tamil JUly charts. What can I say? Well, the album is destined to be the No.1 of the year in India for 2023. 

The duo of Bryden Lewis and Parth Chandiramani march along and they employ an ideal suspect to kill this song vocally, Benny Dayal. He has a trained voice, with immense skill to sing multiple styles and naturally carries a profound zest to perform a song. Bryden plays the electric guitars and Parth is scintillating on the Bansuri. The lyrics are interesting talking about Bhakti and worship. Osigo Mango is the bassist per usual and the gang is having a ball when you listen, it feels great to have such fantastic Rock styled music in Tamil. 

I love the line " Unaketha pola madha rulesa mathikko, adhu worl aalena madhatha mathikko". The concept is so refreshing talking about the triviality of religion and especially the rules which are forced upon us. Siddharth Kamat is the keyboardist and we have the drums played by Liben Tom and Kamal on percussions. We also have this Latin Jazz-styled percussions and guitars engaging together with the flute solo. Shruti Dhasmana and Benny are on backing vocal duties towards the Gospel-esque end. Benny is on fire reminding me of AR Rahman and Sid Sriram's "Adiye". 

The cover art looks fantastic and it is by Alicia Goveas, Vivek Thomas is the mixing engineer and mastering is done by Robin Schmidt. The recording engineers are Rahul Narayan and Vivek.

@brydenparth @madhankarky  @robin.schmidt.mastering @vivekthomasproductions @rahul.narayan.15 @aliciagoveas @bennydayalofficial @parth_chandiramani @brydenlewis @osigomango @libentom @siddhartkamath @kamaldrummer @shrutidhasmana

2. Manidha

Song conceived, composed and arranged by Manoj Krishna

Vocals: Manoj Krishna, Gana Balamurugan 

Lyrics: Dilip Kumar 

Music Producer: Manoj Krishna 

Vocal Harmonies Arranged by Kalyani Nair 

Genre: Gana/Blues

I have been featuring Manoj Krishna in my Tamil monthlies for more than a couple of years now, and he has had some fantastic semi-classical numbers released. But this time I am most elated because he has tried something new and fresh. The joy is multi-fold because Manoj shines in this composition 

Gana Balamurugan sings in this style known to Chennai Vaasis, called "gaana". Manoj then accompanies with a beautiful aalap and his vocals carry the classical Carnatic style. Kalyani Nair, Sushmitha Narasimhan, Manikandan Chembai and Manoj Krishna perform the Choir vocals and the arrangements for these are done by the supremely talented Kalyani. 

You have to take multiple attempts to understand all the amazing things that are transpiring in this song. The vocal arrangements need special attention, but you also need to focus on the vibrato by Manoj when he sings " vazhka unakku kadavul thandha parisu", especially the last word. Manoj had composed, conceptualised the song and also arranged the live instrumentals. We have Vijay Ganesan on electric guitars and all the additional programming is by Ashwin Raja and Sachin Bharathvaj. Dilip Kumar writes excellent lines and we have some fantastic keys and synths in the interludes, where I get a sense of Sindhubhairavi Ragam in Manoj's aalap. 

The highlight is the humming where they go " yea yea yea yea yea..... yea yea yea". A big round of applause to Dilip for relevant, deeply philosophical yet witty lyrics. " lifu oru mayajalam, kandapadi podun kolon, uyiruuku thaan velaya pesun kaalon". Enjoy the song a learn a little more about this guft called life. The tracks are mixed and mastered by Rupendar Venkatest and Anish Mohan is the recording engineer. 

@kalyaninair86 @sushmita_narasimhan @manikandanl @neeraj_msg @vjganesan @ashwin.raaja @aparnaharikumarh @gana_balamurugan_7358089418 @sachin.bharathvaj @vishwa_vak

3. Kaatre Vaa

Composition, Vocals Amrit Ramnath

Verse: Mahakavi Bharathi

Genre: Lullaby

Some people's music just makes you feel elated and their brand of music fills your heart with joy and hope for a bright future. Why do only a few work with commitment and desire to create something new, while most just take the easy way out and rehash old stuff? Thank you Amrit Ramnath for always making the greatest effort to be original and delivering the goods equally. 

He takes the verse written by Mahakavi Bharathi and makes them fit a wholesome lullaby here. Amrit's composition and vocals are matched by Rithu Vysakh on Strings. Two giants can only be better than just one. It is a gentle ride on the board on unruffled waters, with just the guitars and Amrit's tantalising vocals. Amrit sings "Kaatre Va" and obediently the wind comes forward making the sound of the strings. The Cello and the Upright bass take the lead at times and otherwise, it is the Violin and Viola. Rithu's one-man String Quartet is a thing of beauty and joy. Naveen Napier is the bassist and he just floats mildly beneath the surface but his presence is vital if you pay attention. 

The heart flutters with every note Amrit sings and every note on the strings accompanying. I try my best and write about a song, but some things are better left experienced and heard than read. In most songs the structure is that we hear the stanza and if a line needs to be repeated, it happens immediately. But Amrit does something unique. He sings the first line goes for repeating one line, then after singing 2 lines from the beginning repeats both the lines and finally once again begins with "Ilaigalin meethum, neer alaigalin meethum", with a slightly more upbeat tone, and more arrangements every time. Innovative and very poignant. Rupendar Venkatesh does mixing and mastering. 

@rithuvysakh @amritramnath @rupendar_venkatesh

4. Onnumilla Rasathi

Song Composed, Arranged & Produced by - Guru Prasath  

Lyrics: Maathevan T 

Singers: Prasanna Adhishesha, Sowmya 

Vocal Arrangements: Devan Ekambaram 

Genre: Folk/Pop

Guru Prasath messaged me one fine day saying that he has released a new song in Tamil. I am always ready and excited to listen to new compositions, especially from musicians who reach out to me and submit their songs on my website. So when I heard this, I was on cloud nine because this was a beautiful composition and more than anything else, the arrangements were just spectacular. Guru handles all these elements along with the composition and production. 

The song lands you in some nice village in TN thanks to the rooted folkish style. The singer Devan Ekambaram who has sung for many composers including AR Rahman does the most outstanding contribution to the song i.e. vocal arrangements. Maathevan T pens the lyrics and we have Sowmya on female lead vocals to begin the song. 

The live strings session is by Chennai Strings and the Violinists are Balaji, Sivakumar and Sasikumar. Baskar, Mohan and Selva play the Viola and Viji is the Cellist. The sound design and arrangements are so beautiful and we can hear the vocal harmonies singing in different vocal scales. The mild guitars help add to the romantic element with Chris Jason on acoustic guitars and Napier Peter Naveen on bass.  

Prasanna Adhishesha is the male lead vocalist and he gets the folkish tenor beautifully through his delivery. The beauty in the vocal arrangements is immense and you will keep hearing the purity of this all though, one of my favourite moments is just before the stanza begins and Prasanna sings "Un mugatha tholachen" when the male vocalists sing in A-capella style. The bass guitars are relentlessly adding style and substance and once again Guru scores brilliantly with the "Kanne en kanne, unna paarkka manasu thavichu ponathenna". Take a bow, Devan.

Thamizh Kumaran P has conducted and arranged the strings section, with Guru managing all the additional rhythm arrangements. The video has all the amazing paintings from the movies acted by protagonists Ammu Abhirami and GV Prakash and they capture their emotions beautifully. I do sense some Desh Ragam in the song's melody. Mambalam Sivakumar plays the Nadaswaram, Rajesh, Bablu, KS Manirathnam, Maries and Michael Augustine are the recording engineers.

@sonymusic_south @gvprakash @prasanna_adhisesha @the_maathevan @iyal_artinsta @sukumar.sey @fabian_remo @devanekambarammusic @christhejason @napier_naveen @thamizhkeys @_v_vachu_u_ @varshanshree

5. Saaral Aagindra Mazhai

Music composed and produced by Sachin Warrier 

Lyrics -Thamarai 

Singer - Shweta Mohan 

Genre: Light Music

The EP 'Marakkuma Nenjam' has 3 good songs and I had featured two songs earlier in my monthly Tamil features. Sachin Warrier does a fine job in his Tamil movie debut as a composer. Shweta Mohan is ever-dependable and her vocals are stunning, to say the least. Thamarai writes beautiful words.

Akash S Menon plays the stringed instruments Saz and Banjo followed by a beautiful female humming that has singers like Aavani Malhar, Divya S Menon, Radhika Narayanan and Swetha Ashok. Sumesh Parameswar plays the bass guitars and in the anupallavi section, we have these guitars combined with the ethnic strings in great tandem. 

Enjoy the fantastic strings section by Arioso Quintet who played in the background score of the Malayalam movie '2018' The musicians involved are Subin Kumar, Sravan Krishnakumar, Albin Jose, Nibu Mathew and Anil Antony Alukkal. Shweta teases our emotions by singing the stanza with great playfulness and charm. Sachin Warrier deserves praise for the arrangements. Arjun B Nair, Nikhil Kakkochan and Sanjay Sukumaran are the recording engineers, The mixing is done by Balu Thankachan and mastered by Gethin John.

@warriersach @_shwetamohan_ @kavignarthamarai @yoagandran @kuviyammediaworks @parameswarsumesh @akashsmenon @ariosoquintet @divyamenon14 @aavani_malhar @swethaashokofficial @radhikanarayanan_musician @thebaluthankachan 

6. Kanatha Kanavukal

Composer, Vocalist, Arranger: Anju Brahmasmi 

Lyrics: Murugan Manthiram 

Genre: Folk-Ballad

When it rains it pours! True, until last week I wasn't aware of a musician called Anju Bhrahmasmi. Then she appeared in a fantastic Malayalam song called 'Pareedumo' singing some fantastic ethnic vocals, and now in Tamil, she has composed and arranged this stunning number. 

Paul Johnsons' ethnic wind, really blows you away and to intensify matters we have the fantastic guitars strumming by Sumesh Parameswar. Anju's low-pitched singing is musically sensual to hear and she pulls it off with amazing ease and style. Slowly but steadily Sarvesh Karthick starts playing the percussions, and you can feel the fantastic variety and depth. The ethnic wind continues along Sumesh's bass guitars. 

This is brilliant from Anju as an exhibition of live instrumental arrangement. The whole interlude feels like one is walking in a thick forest and the gift of nature. The stanza continues and Anju touches your heart with the sadness in her tone. Atakan Çalkan plays the strings in the background and we can hear a little traditional Indian percussion too. The arrangements and execution of bass guitars in the background remind me of Maestro Ilaiyaraja's works. Nithin Koottungal does the mixing and mastering of the song. 

The second interlude is even more elaborate with the strings, guitars, and woodwinds and I just cannot wait to hear more from Anju. 

@anjubrahmasmi @wonderwall_media @parameswarsumesh @muruganmantiram @paul @sarveshkarthick @nithin_koottungal @sumeshlal 

7. Yaar Nee

Composed, Arranged and Produced by Girishh Gopalakrishnan 

Lyrics: Girishh Gopalakrishnan 

Spoken Word: Kaber Vasuki 

Singers : M.S.Krsna, Anjana Rajagopalan 

Genre: Blues-Rock

If someone asked me to name a new-age young composer who has the potential to shine bright, Girishh Gopalakrishnan will be one of the few names that come to mind straight away. I have been a fan of his work over the last 3 years and he also has been featured multiple times. This EP called " Kolai" is one of his finest yet, and I urge you all to check it out. I will be doing a full EP review soon on my Instagram account called @extragavanza 

The slow strumming of the guitars begins and it feels like a wild Western movie score, thanks to the talented singer-songwriter M.S. Krsna, and Matt Bacon who are playing the acoustic and the classic guitars in the song. The spoken word we hear is by Kaber Vasuki and the tone of the song reminds me of "Locomotive Breath" by the English Rock band Jethro Tull. 

MS Krsna is the male lead vocalist and he is one of the finest we have in TN today, and I just hope he gets to sing more. Thankfully these young composers are giving him whatever he deserves. The tone of his vocals feels exactly like the lyrics he sings " mei silurthu nindrene". I did ask Girishh if the song has any influences of Sumanesaranjani Ragam, and he did mention that maybe there is a bluesy Indian scale and a lot of North African blues use this scale, he replied. Interestingly Girishh has penned the lyrics too for this. 

Girishh has composed, arranged and programmed the song, with Ramshanker S working on the Keys and Sythn programming along with Girishh. The brilliant flowy Piano keeps playing in the background along with pumped-up rhythms which are programmed by Girishh. Anjana Rajagopalan begins the stanza, just after a mild Duduk in the interlude, she is another incredible vocalist and please do listen to "Nesam Maruma" in the EP, to be blown away by her Operatic performance. You will know her unimaginable vocal range and abilities if you listen to this song and that one after the other. Samarth Srinivasan deserves a huge round of applause for his orchestral arrangements. 

S Vijay Rathinam is in charge of sound design and the tracks are mixed and mastered by Sai Shravanam. The bridge section is beautifully positioned to slow things down and it is sung by Krsna with some terrific strings in the background by the FILMharmonic Orchestra, Prague and conducted by Adam Klemens. The recording engineers are Nitin Murlikrishna and AR Subbiah. Samson is the musicians' co-ordinator. 

@girishhgopal @kabervasuki @anjanarajagopalan_musician @mohanrajan_lyrici @mskrsnamusic @ramshankers @saishravanam @samarthsrinivasan

8. Hey Endhan Thozha

Vocals, Composition: Airaa Udupi

Lyrics: Bharath Madhusudhanan

Genre: Jazz

You might know this vocalist from 'KGF Chapter 1" in the Hindi album. Airaa Acharya Udupi is out her singing and composing an original indie song in Tamil. I was immediately struck by the vocals within seconds, and there was no way I was not going to feature it. 

The singing in Jazz style is phenomenal, she shows incredible vocal range, vibrato and that too in the high pitch. The instrumentals like the Piano, guitars, drums, and background strings section are all reminiscent of the James Bond movie songs like Tina Turner's "Golden Eye". The trumpets are doing their thing too, but it is Airaa's vocals that magnify the impact of the song more than anything. Bharath has penned the lyrics and he also is responsible for the wonderful production, mixing and mastering. 

@airaa_udupi 

9. Katraagi - Voice of a Sundscapist

Vocals: Abhilash Venkitachalam

Lyrics: Mani Kannan

Music: K.A.Surya Srihari 

Genre: Light Music

The song is meditative in many aspects, especially the ambient sounds of birds chirping and leaves ruffling. Amidst all this, things get even better with Akkarsh Kasyap's solo on the Violin, and the gentle but continuous Piano. I remember Abhilash from the Super Singer show and he was one of the string favourites to win the show on Vijay Tv. 

The vocal tone is similar to that of Unnikrishnan in this song at least. Suresh Jayachandran plays the bass guitar and my favourite segment is "aruviyin oliyo kuruvuyin olio mazhalaiyin oliyo" with the violing constantly playing in the background. I feel like this song has a Hamsadhwani Ragam influence. The vocal harmonies are well arranged and we have Vysakh on recording, mixing and mastering duties. 

The interludes are elaborate with the solo Violin and Piano combining well. Abhilash's vocals are strong and magnetic when he sings the line " agaoliyay kaeten migaioliyum kaeten", as reaches the higher end of his vocal range. The transcript is by Kavitha Kumarasamy 

· 

@abhilashvenkitachalam @dumbbell_devadhai @contrabass_music_studios @akkarshkasyap @k.a.surya_s.r.i.h.a.r.i @iammanikannan @vysakh_pk @suresh_harmony

10. Yele Yele

Music: Charan  

Singer: Vaikom Vijayalakshmi 

Lyricist: Snehan

Genre: Folk-Pop

Vaikom Vijayalakshmi has this unique vocal tone, but not every song suits her texture. Many composers have found that out and this one is certainly apt for her. The lyrics are beautifully written by Snehan and it is Charan Arjun's melody that brings all these together. 

Words like "Irukkum edame swargamena, ninaikkum maname pothumada", are gems, but the tune here is beautiful and makes you hum and sing along. The message is so relevant and important saying " naanga kaanugira kanavu ellam, niyayam thanada". The introduction of the folk percussions like the Thavil is exciting and they all combine well with the guitars and ethnic strings. 

@charanarjun_official @vaikomvijayalakshmi

11. Thedi Thedi

Lyrics, Composition, Vocals, Drums, Guitars: Rahul Sridhar 

Genre: Semi-classical Rock fusion

Please do check out this new EP by Rahul Sridhar called "I,Sai". I have and I love the EP and will be doing a full EP review soon. Rahul's voice here does feel like the playback singer Unnikrishnan. He plays the electric guitars and drums as well. 

The song has a very strong influence from Sindhubhairavi Ragam and Rahul does a splendid job of composing the melody and writing the lyrics as well. Since Rahul is inspired by AR Rahman's years and works, the perfect song that I feel a resemblance to is "Margazhi thingal allava" from the album 'Sangamam'. 

The interlude has this amazing combined symphony of live instruments with Rahul on the electric guitars and drums, Rex David playing the bass guitars and the funky Keys by Vishal Venkatraaman. The Carnatic rock fusion in the interlude is a treat to the ears. The tone of the song is built up on tension and some element of desperation and that is communicated well in the lyrics and arrangements. The tracks are mixed by MT Aditya Srinivasan with Vivek Thomas being the mastering engineer. 

The Prelude vocals are sung by Lekshmi Satheesh, Rishank. The Prelude mix and master were done by Rahul Raj. 

@raaahul.sriiidhar @vishal266 @mountaditya @vivekthomasproductions @rexdavid.7 @lekshmi_music @virtualvivs @swethavenkata @vasudhahegde @maanishadhafilms 

12. Poongaatrudhaan

Music Composed Arranged Produced & Performed by SAISHARAN 

Lyrics by MAGUVI 

Genre: Light Music

Sai Sharan is a musician who I have never featured before, and here comes up with a nice folkish-pop Indie song. He has composed, arranged, produced and sung this with lyrics by Maguvi. The song has a beautiful Bhageshree Ragam influence and that comes out in the lyrical melody as well as the instrumentals led by the flute. 

Ashish plays the flute solo with grace and because of the folkish-pop style, the song reminds me of "Athangara Marame" by AR Rahman. The interlude oozes with melody with rhythms and flute solo combined. There are multiple layers of the flute as well and so that shows some fantastic arrangements. As we progress into the stanza, the strings section in the background and bass guitars are great decorative elements. The Thavil in the end is a welcome addition and kudos to the vocals of Sai Sharan, especially for livening up with his high-pitched singing. 

@saisharanofficial @maguvi_lyricist 

13. Neruda

Vocals: Shakthisree Gopalan

Music: Nichalean Mario

Lyrics: Akshayaa

Genre: Indie Pop

Shakthisree Gopalan is riding a high, after that amazing song for AR Rahman in the album 'PS-2', called "Aga Naga". This is a song that is composed by Nichalean Mario, and he aptly makes SHakthisree have a go at it vocally. Led by the gentle flute solo and the flowy acoustic guitars, it starts with a Hamsadhwani Ragam influence. 

Sri Lankan musicians like Nick have been composing too Tamil melodies and I have featured many of them. I love Akshayaa's lyrics because interestingly it is a woman praising a guy and not the usual. "Rumiyin kadhal kavi nee, Shelleyin sneha vari nee" is great to hear. Shakthisree just sings this like a woman who is deeply in love and that is why she excels at playback singing. The closing stages of the stanza sound a lot like Maand Ragam in the mix. The flute interventions are the highlight. 

@lyricist_akshayaa @shakthisreegopalan @nickgraphy @rubberstampstudios