Top Tamil Songs of March 2023

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

If you are a musician submit your new music here.

1. Aga Naga 

Composed, Produced and Arranged by A.R.Rahman 

Singer: Shakthisree Gopalan 

Lyrics: Ilango Krishnan 

Music Supervisor: Nakul Abhyankar 

Genre: Filmi melody/Ballad

PS 2 album is out and I will be focussing on the EP later as most songs got released in April. However, this song was released in March and it has been marching on successfully and possibly also as the best song of the EP. AR Rahman has probably done better in PS-2 compared to PS-1 because the previous EP had too many styles going on and I couldn't quite understand the link with the Chola Period or regime. 

The song's soul lies in Shaktisree Gopalan's mystical vocals. ARR succeeds in using the Chennai Strings & Sunshine Orchestra brilliantly right through. All the Orchestra is conducted by Jerry Vincent with Score Transcription by Suprava Mukherjee. Even before a single word is uttered, we have the strings and the heart-melting flute solo by Nikhil Ram. Ilango writes these superlative lyrics and despite being a native Tamil speaker, I do not follow the words and that shows the research and work that has gone into the writing. 

The heart swells in joy when she sings "yaar athu , yaar athu, punnagai korpathu" and the magnetic voice combines with the strings in the background and the Tabla Tarang played by Sai Shravanam. There could be potentially some influence of Bilaval Thaat in the song. Nakul Bhyankar is the music supervisor and also does additional programming along with Srikant Krishna. 

Vignesh of Sunshine Orchestra plays the Solo Violin, and with Nikhil's flute solo the interlude ends and here I felt there were Raag Maand influences. The stanza is quite complex in the way the notes are progressively written, with almost 100% unpredictability in the trajectory. Maybe there is an intended shift of emotions from joy to sadness during the song's visuals and hence the drift in the notes. I did find the lack of a proper landing between the charanam and Pallavi to be a little awkward. Haritha Raj plays the Veena solo and Vignesh's solo on the violin in the outro is another clincher. 

The sound engineers are Suresh Permal, Karthik Sekaran, TR Krishna Chetan, Aravind Crescendo, Suryansh Jain, Pradeep Menon, Manoj Raman, Sathya Narayanan, Ainul and Sathish V Saravanan. The song is mixed by Pradeep Menon and mastered by Suresh Permal, with Apple Digital Master by Riyasdeen Riyan

2. Yaar Arindhadho

Singer: Pradeep Kumar 

Lyrics: Yugabharathi 

Music Director: Kannan Narayanan 

Genre: Ballad/Filmi Melody

I am featuring Kannan Narayanan for the very first time as a composer and I am incredibly impressed. The EP "Thalaikoothal" has a couple of good songs but this one stands out. Though Pradeep Kumar can carry a song's entire weight on his shoulders, and he does that a bit here too, Kannan has a fair share of influence on the outcome of the song. 

His arrangements and production deserve a massive round of applause as they remind us of the Maestro Ilaiyaraja's great songs like " Atho megha oorvalam" and "Kadhalin theepam ondru" and that is why probably this song has influences of Vaasanthi Ragam, but I also hear that there is a lot of Mohanam Ragam in the mix. Within the Pallavi and Anupallavi, Kannan explores areas to arrange the strings section beautifully. We have a fantastic set of live instrumentalists viz. Kalyanam on Solo violin, Selva, Gopi, Balu, Baskar on Viola, Murali, Girijan, Mohan and Cyril on Violins and finally Seenu on Cello. |

The interludes are so elaborate, and I haven't heard this in a long time in Tamil or any music industry for a while. Vikram is on rhythms and Ganapathy is playing the Tabla. The stanza is well composed also, and I love the line " uyara uyara, parandhu parthal, bhoomiyum pulliye". Kiran plays the flute solo, and in the second interlude, we have even more resemblances to Ilaiyaraja's genius. Mani plays the Mandolin and Siva on the Veena. 

Kannan has done all the guitar and keyboard programming and these elements stand out as well in the song. Enjoy this song for all its innate richness and mesmerising vocals and production. Yugabharathi writes the most touching and meaningful words. 

3. Mainaru Vetti Katti 

Lyrics: MUTHAMIL 

Singers: Anirudh Ravichander, Dhee 

Composed, Arranged and Programmed by Santhosh Narayanan 

Genre: Dance/Folk

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 Anirudh 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. 

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. Anirudh 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 and Joseph Vijay keeps up with his Mandolin. 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. Muthamil pens witty and interesting lyrics. 4. 

4. Uyirin Osai

Composition - Bhavana Isvi 

Vocals - Haricharan Seshadri, Bhavana Isvi 

Lyrics - Mukundan Raman 

Music produced, arranged & programmed - Prateesh KP & Bearsnowls 

Genre: Semi-classical Fusion

This is pretty good stuff for a debut and that is why Bhavna Isvi deserves a lot of credit. She has composed and sung as the lead vocalist along with Haricharan performing in the male lead. Mukundan Raman has penned the lyrics. The song follows a very classical Carnatic base and one can easily understand that the Pallavi is set in Amrithavarshini Ragam. But as we approach the charanam we get a sense of Panthuvarali Ragam. 

Keith Peters is the bassist and we have Poornima Krishna Emani on the flute these two instrumentalists strike right at the very beginning. Kudos to Prateesh KP & Bearsnowls who have produced the song and they have infused classical Indian tones with Western too. The vocal strength of Haricharan comes to light especially when a song has such a classical core like this. The two combine and the vocals stand out like a punch in the face. Lakshmi Sravya plays the Veena Solo. 

The inherent pathos can be sensed as we move into the latter segments and that is because of the impact of the Panthuvarali Ragam. The arrangements are stunning and the producers leave no second to impress with multiple musical layers. The Keys, bass guitars, flute and Veena just elevate the track at every instance. The song is mixed by Midhun Manoj and mastered by Suresh Permal. The recording engineers are Divine Joseph, Aditya, Tummala Abhyuday.  

5. Kannum Kannum

Music: KS MANOJ  

Lyrics: MOHAN RAJAN – ARIVU

Vocals: Ken

Genre: Synth-pop

The Mild and gentle Pianos treat this song like some Western classical bit, however, within a few seconds we feel the pulsating tempo as Ken begins to sing. The song is composed and produced by KS Manoj and we have both Arivu and Mohan Rajan as the lyricists.

The guitars are a crucial element in this love song and they generate all the feelings of love and joyful tenderness with the fast-paced strumming. The Keyboards and synths keep the song relevant and stylish as well. We get a nice interlude in the strings section. Manoj doesn't stop there, as he innovates even more bringing the rhythms and the Tabla as well, but nothing is more delightful than the beautifully written stanza. 

It is both musically and lyrically one of my favourite sections of the song when Ken sings " thooral podum vanam thaana, mazha megham pola neeyum naana". The composition reminds me of Sean Roldans "Sendumalli" from the EP 'Jai Bhim'. The stanza ends after an elaborate set of notes, and Manoj introduces a flute solo segment as well to glorify things even more. Ken does a very fine job singing this with loaded emotions. Overall this song is one of the best I have heard in Tamil in 2023 so far.

6. Amudhae (Eternal Love)

Lyrics, Vocals, Composition: Manoj Krishna 

Producer: Manoj Krishna

Additional Music Production: Ashwinn Iyerr

Genre: Semi-classical Fusion

Manoj Krishna is a fine young composer and singer and he always comes up with the most heartening melodies. I like his compositions because they have the underlying Classical base upon which he builds his creation. This is the 3rd and final song in his EP 'Eternal Love' and I have featured one song already from this EP. 

His vocal strength is next to none in the list of new upcoming vocalists and he introduces such varied ghamakas into the mix of things. The keyboards and synths are just another way to present a classical-sounding tune, suiting modern taste and it works very effectively. This is creativity, after all, fusing two varied styles into one song and what is not to love about this? 

Along with the Keys, we also can hear the faint strings section in the background. The production reminds me of the Salim-Sulaiman duo who too are masters of such fusion and we have Ashwinn Iyerr coming with some of the additional music production. Franklin Daniel has mixed and mastered the song.

7. Kaattumalli 

Singers : Ilaiyaraaja, Ananya Bhat 

Lyricist : Ilaiyaraaja 

Music Composer :- ILAIYARAAJA 

Genre: Filmi Melody

When it comes to songs in movies, he is no longer the mammoth we know him as, but he still can produce something that touches your heart. I do have a feeling that the song could have been much better if the male vocals had been rendered by someone else, as we don't have a shortage of brilliant male vocalists.

Anany Bhat smashes it with that touch of love and teasing playfulness in his voice. The song reminds me "Elangathu Veesuthe" just based on the tonality, but they are very different for sure. The stanza is the highlight and where Ilaiyaraja's genius rests is the fact that he still composes the song with elaborate detail and not resorting to just a few lines being repeated often. The stanza has more than 3 variations and that is hard to find in any new composition. The rhythms and guitars are constantly driving the beauty of the song and it sets the tone of interior Tamil Nadu perfectly.

The landing notes "kaththirupen naan thirumbi vara" and how they connect the charanam and Pallavi is another mark of the greatest Indian composer yet. Ilaiyaraja doesn't succumb to the pressures of the modern listener and his taste and impatience, and he brings about his standard second interlude and second stanza. The heart just melts when we hear the notes sung by Ananya " ulagathil engo moolayile". As we come towards the end, we hear so many strokes and strings getting plucked in the background. I did sense some influence of Suddha Dhanyasi Ragam in this. 

8. Aalaanen naan paaviye 

Composed, arranged and programmed by Revaa

Lyrics - Ku Karthik 

Singer - Pavithra Chari 

Genre: Ballad

I have huge respect for these two artists Revaa and Pavithra Chari, while the former is now slowly becoming an established composer in the Tamil movie space, the latter is a terrific singer/composer in the indie space along with Anindo Bose and they go by the name 'Shadow and Light'. I just wrote a piece last month appreciating the kind of hope Revaa is instilling as a female composer and I am so glad these two amazing women artists have created some fabulous music in the EP 'Ayali' on Zee5.

I immediately felt something new and fresh from Pavithra Chari as she began singing. Her vocals are technically sound and so a lot of the songs she sings, only allow her to portray her solid Hindustani classical training and expertise. Now thanks to Revaa, Pavithra gets a meaty folkish song and she goes berserk with her delivery testing her vocal strength and pliability like never before. These folk songs are never easy to deliver, but Pavithra goes one up and shows mastery. 

Vijay Ganesan plays the electric, acoustic and bass guitars and each element comes and paints the song with a nice stroke in the background. Pavithra rips your heart into two with her emotive delivery that conveys every ounce of pain felt by the protagonist. Ku Karthik writes these fantastic words, and a line like this " thala ezhutha , eluthumunna saami keppathilla" works well thanks to the lyrics, notes and singing. 

V Ashish plays the woodwinds and when we hear the lines " ponne ponne ponmaniye" we hear the instrument along with some impressive rhythms. KJ Vishnu does the mastering and the recording engineer is Naveen Kannan B

9. Panakaari 

Composed, Arranged and Programmed by Ajmal Tahseen Singers: Durai, Ajmal Tahseen 

Keyboards, Synth and Rythm Programmed by Ajmal Tahseen Lyrics: Durai 

Genre: Dance-Pop

I love the start of the song which has dialogues from the Goundamani and Senthil comedy sequence where the former wins a lottery. Ajmal Tahseen has composed, arranged and programmed this extremely funky song. He has sung it along with Durai, and the highlights are the fantastic guitars, bass and brass section instruments like the trumpet. 

The synths, keyboards and rhythms programming is par-excellence and it is all done by Ajmal himself. The bassist is Naveen Napier and all additional keyboards and synths are programmed by Dan Kristen and Kailash Shanmuga. Durai has penned the witty lyrics and the song scores very highly on the glam quotient I can sense that it would be a hit among the youth. The recording engineers are Dan Kristen, Praveen Kailash, Avinash and Jarvis. The song is mixed by MT Aditya and mastered by Nitin, with Ritika Sreekumar as the Manager. 

10. Nee Venda

Singer, Lyricist, Composer - Sanjana Devarajan 

Music Producer - Himonshu Parikh 

Genre: Indie pop

Sanjana Devarajan from Mumbai has been on my radar and has even been featured on my website. She has always comfortably sung in Hindi, despite being a native Tamil speaker. She crosses that barricade now singing this bilingual. I being a Tamil speaker myself, can understand that Sanjana has tried her best to be comfortable, but maybe this is just the start. I hope to hear this artist coming out with even more Tamil content.

One thing I can assure is that she can feel proud of her diction and delivery considering that over the last 20 years or so many Tamil songs have been butchered by singers from Bollywood. Her vocal strength and likability come out more when the lines are uttered in Hindi and that too is understandable. 

Sanjana has written, composed and sung this single and I must also appreciate the message she is delivering here saying, "nee poda nee poda, nee venda nee venda, Ini naane yenakku porum da". It is a simple but substantial message of self-reliance and detachment. Once Himonshu Parikh comes into the picture as a producer, you know the song is going to get a superb makeover and that is what he does with his arrangements and keyboard programming. The ride is very pleasant and Sanjana stands and delivers with her saccharine voice. The keys aid her right through and we have Hanish Taneja mixing and mastering the song, with Samir Dharap as the sound engineer. A good team always comes up with great work.