Here are the best songs released in India across languages and genres for the week ending 28th May 2023. If you are a musician submit your new music here.1. Guppedu Gundellona Singer : Spoorthi JithenderLyrics: Bhaskarabhatla Ravi KumarMusic Director: Vijay BulganinLanguage: TeluguGenre: Filmi Melody/PopVijay Bulganin is just unstoppable. The quality of his melodies is rich, with some breathtaking arrangements and production as well. So why won't he keep creating some of the best songs in the country time and time again? Joseph Vijay is terrific at making the aura of romance shine with his acoustic guitars and soon enough, Spoorthi Jithender starts singing. There is a shred of innocence in her vocals, and we slowly hear the Accordion and Joseph's bass guitars. The most heartwarming line of the song is the title and Spoorthi makes you tremble with love when you hear it. The guitar-led and dominated interlude ends and the song's stanza is only further proof of how a simple song can brighten our day as long as the melody is extraordinary like this.Balu does all the keyboard programming to bring in new and fresh sounds like that whistle-like sound in the stanza, and the woodwind and strings as well, and we have Sabin Josh as mixing and mastering engineering. Anand Guarana is the music supervisor and Yadav is the music-in-charge. @vijai_bulganin @spoorthi_jithenderofficial @supervijayoffl @poetbb 2. Ghoomey Music composed Arranged, and Produced by: Mark K RobinLyricist: Manoj JulooriSinger: Jubin NautiyalIntro Alaap: Prakash ChodimallaLanguage: Qawwali-pop fusionI did do a 1 Minute Music Review of this EP called "8 AM Metro" on my Instagram reels and recommended that music lovers stream this which is potentially one of the best Hindi EPs of 2023. Mark K Robin who is well-known in the Tollywood music space has composed, arranged and produced this belter of a song. The style is classic Qawwali and it invokes memories of some of AR Rahman's super hits. This is probably the best of Jubin Nautiyal that I have heard and he decorates the song with some lovable ghamakas. The harmonium riff and the Tabla combine with such grace taking us into oblivion and paradise. Anil Robin, Mohan and Nova play the Tabla and Dholak. Prakash Chodimalla sings the initial Aalap and after the first minor segment, we get a mildly western colouring on the song thanks to the Keys and Keith Peters' bass guitars. My favourite line is "Naye Naye pal bharne lage, abhi abhi dil hasne lage", and there is enough support for Jubin with additional vocals sung by Gary Misquitta, Rishikesh Kamerkar, Rahul Pandey, Sunayana Sarkar, Shazneen Arethna and Suzanne Dmello. Manonmani plays the Sarangi with some terrific timing and despite a short stanza, the interplay of all the live instruments and vocal harmonies soothe the heart. There are two more excellent numbers in this EP which will be featured subsequently on my website. Manoj Juloori pens the beautiful words. Shadab Rayeen is the mix/master engineer with assistants Pukhraj, Anup & Eshan.@iammarkkrobin @jubin_nautiyal @shadabrayeen @gboy.nwc @suzanne_dmello @shazneenarethna @manonmanisarangi @manojkumar.juloori @keithpeters_bassman 3. Mumma Singer, Composer & Lyricist: Samarth Swarup Backing Vocals: Hansika PareekMusic Production: Samarth Swarup Language: Hindi

Here are the best songs released in India across languages and genres for the week ending 21st May 2023. If you are a musician submit your new music here.1. AnywayPerformed, Written by Aarifah RebelloProduced by Aarifah Rebello, Zain CalcuttawallaLanguage: EnglishGenre: Alternative Folk/BalladAarifah Rebello has been featured a few times both for her solo projects like "Now she nows" and one with her band Long Distances for "Love Song for an Apocalypse". Here she goes solo again and very rarely do we hear a singer who stuns the listener with every note uttered. Thank you Aarifah for such a fine performance, the strength of the song also lies in the writing and composition which also are entirely done by her with Zain Calcuttawala and Aarifah doing the production.The Piano and vocals alone keep you hooked, and I can feel the heaviness of the heart when she sings "My heart was heavy, loaded drenched", at the same time, the mild acoustic guitars help bring about a little lightness in the mood also with the lyrics now saying "floating with love inside of me".The Piano by Arnob Bal, is no longer mild, as it gains traction and I can only stand up in ovation to Zain and Aarifah for the fantastic arrangements and production. Listen to the strings in the background, by Zain feeding hope now as Aarifah sings "Do I dare I begin to dream". Here are the vocal harmonies and drums by Karun Kannampilly for essential cogs of the wheel. The drums and the tempo pick up and raise the energy towards the end. Adil Kurwa is the bassist and the acoustic guitars are played by Jishnu Guha. The song is mixed by Zain, and mastered by Shawn Hatfield at AudibleOddities Studio. The recording engineers are Nitin M Krishna and Ajay Majethia @aarifahrebello @bullibainbridge @karunk @a_diilla @arnobbal @short___round @grasparkaudio @palindromamusic @guitars_n_chopsticks @audibleoddities 2. Tera HonaSinger: Faheem Abdullah & Arslan NizamiLyricist: Faheem AbdullahComposer: Faheem AbdullahMusic Produced/Arranged/Programmed: Qassam HussainLanguage: HindiGenre: Indie PopThe deep voice immediately grabbed my attention and sounded like Aditya Rao, another fantastic indie singer-songwriter. Faheem Abdullah is the vocalist and he has also written the lyrics and composed the melody. The Keys are wonderfully soft and tender and they let Faheem do all the talking (singing in this case). There are a couple of layers of vocals and what is beautiful is the mild but very assured vibrato that Faheem sprinkles at every turn. It never feels overdone, but rather melts your heart at every such juncture. I do sense some influences of Raag Bilawal especially when Rohan Prasanna makes the killer move on his Sarod. We have some very skilful arrangements here as the Sarod is accompanied by Keys and harmonies with additional vocals by Arslan Nizami.  The song witnesses a welcome and wonderful shift in tone and tempo as Faheem sings "Teri hi wo ik dua hai" and you can feel the rhythms, drums and keyboards joining in. Qassam Hussain deserves praise for the worthy arrangements, programming and overall production. Faheem's singing is a huge merit for this song all Qassam's production ensures this feature is highlighted with other elements acting as supporting cast. Arslan must be applauded for his energetic vocals, which keep following the lead in the background, especially as he does some exciting aalap. Abhishek Ghatak is the mix/master engineer. Check out how cool Rohan sounds on the Sarod as he improvises and generates some savvy notes of his own towards the end. @theimaginarypoet @arslannizaami @qassam_hussain @rohanprasanna @theghatak @tmmusic 3. Musafir Dil

Here are the best songs released in India across languages and genres for the week ending 14th May 2023. If you are a musician submit your new music here.1. What Lies Beneath Lyrics, Vocals: Tanya ShankerComposed by: Tanya Shanker & Richard AndrewProduced, Arranged & Mixed by: Richard AndrewLanguage: EnglishGenre: Indie PopHaving featured Tanya Shanker a month ago for a terrific performance in a single called "Soft Boi", I must now confess that Tanya is a certified genius with incredible potential to rise to unfathomable heights if she stays the course and works hard. This is one of the best English singles by an Indian Artist I have heard in 2023 yet and vocally it is one of the clear-cut bests and it is so difficult as a feat to achieve as a 17-year-old. The Piano led opening is all designed by Richard Andrew and his production is a huge contributor to the success of the EP "What Lies Beneath". After a few seconds, the session is dominated by Tanya, well Can ya resist her brilliance? I am more interested in knowing what lies inside this girl's head, and her amazing grey cells. The guitars, bass, strings section and drums add such fantastic layers which are so necessary to embellish the track, and you will realise that during the bridge section. The solo on the electric guitar is brief but belligerent. But take away nothing from Tanya, as a writer, composer and vocalist. She is a gift to us and you better remember her name! The stalwart Pravin Mani has mastered the song with Richard mixing it.  @itstanyashanker @pravinmanimusic @richard.andrew.dudley @heenakriplani 2. Urime Kaalama Singer: Anurag Kulkarni Lyrics: Ananta Sriram Music: Suresh BobbiliLanguage: TeluguGenre: Blues/JazzIt has been a while since I heard a score by Suresh Bobbili, and I remember back in 2019 and 2020 I did feature his music quite a lot. I am extremely delighted to feature his work once again and especially for a song of this quality. Anurag Kulkarni is easily the best Tollywood singer and one of the 5 best vocalists in South India for me. Suresh takes us down the Jazz and Blues memory lane with some perfect choices of live instrumental apparatus and arrangements. Joy Solomon plays the keyboards and with Suresh's production, programming and arrangements things get wild and fun. The Keys and Guitars by Fredy add the required flavours but it is Anurag who is setting the song on fire. This is easily one of the best vocal performances of the year thus far and Anurag breaks away from any shackles. His falsetto, high-pitch delivery, improvisations, and even when shouts out every note look stylish and pitch-perfect. The electric guitar solo is nothing just of inspiring and with the heavy Pianos, Anurag just keeps getting better. The backing vocalists are Joy and Surya who give quite a lot of support, and this is an opportunity to play in full blast and observe the phenomenal skills of Anurag. The song is mixed and mastered by Joy with Kumar Kadari as the musicians' coordinator. @anuragkulkarni7 @suresh_bobbili @joysolomon.k  3. En Roja Neeye  Music Composed, Arranged & Programmed by Hesham Abdul WahabLyrics by Arun AlatSung by Hesham Abdul Wahab

Here are the best songs released in India across languages and genres for the week ending 7th May 2023. If you are a musician submit your new music here.1. Mathado GombeSinger: Siddhartha BelmannuLyrics: Pramod MaravantheArranged; Composed by Judah SandhyLanguage: KannadaGenre: Ballad/Filmi MelodyIt was pre covid days 'Shivaji Surathkal' was released and it was one of my earlier encounters with the musical abilities of Judah Sandhy, right from then, I have always been keeping my eyes and ears ready for his next foray into brilliance. I have featured him a few times in this period, but once again Judah rises above everyone else this week with a phenomenally beautiful melody aided by some astounding vocals and accompaniments by live instrumentalists. Siddhartha Belmannu sings like a man on a mission and every time he utters a syllable or a note, the heart melts. Butto's amazing flute solo, aided by the heartwarming strings by the Bangalore Strings Ensemble just glorifies the song within seconds. It all reminds me of a tone that Anirudh adopts in his melodies like from movies "3", "VIP" and "Thiruchitrambalam". Siddhartha moves from one octave to another singing the title line and his vocals and all of Judah's arrangements work perfectly in unison. Eric Gerald plays the guitars, and when he sings " aararo aararo aarirao", I feel like the Gods like Ilaiyaraja have been invoked. The interlude is a symphony of the flute solo and the strings and when the stanza arrives, there is so much bewilderment left. I wish the music and the singing never stopped. The lyrics are by Pramod Maravanthe and the song is mixed and mastered by Judah. @judahsandhy @siddhartha_belmannu @pramodmaravanthe_lyricist @meghanagaonkar @bangalorestringensemble 2. Waiting For a RainbowVocals and Production: Sanskar VaidyaLanguage: EnglishGenre: Indie PopFor a while as the song begins and treads along we think, rightly so that song's hero is Hrishi Grirdhar with his standout electric guitar strumming. Jeet Pathak joins the part as the bassist and just then Sanskar Vaidya introduces himself as the vocalist, there is a noticeable shift and from then on it feels like a duel, a battle of wits between Sanskar and Hrishi.Don't forget to count the contributions of Sanket Pahurkar on drums and Rameses Fernandez on the Piano. I realised that the collective effort of this team of vocalists and instrumentalists far exceeds anyone's solo and there are traces of resemblance to the phenomenal global hit "Unwell" by Matchbox Twenty. The song gives hope and makes become perennial optimists like the lyrics "I'm a colour-blind man waiting for a rainbow". We have a brief interlude with the conjoined forces of Piano and guitars and bass and at every given instance Sanskar dominates with his string vocals and great tone. Aman Julme and Harsh Karmakar are reg recording engineers with Cico Raju doing the mix and master for the song. The second interlude with the electric guitar solo in the 'November Rain' mode and the drums and bass guitars aid perfectly. The mild end to the song on the Piano kind of brings us back to the ground after a long ride into musical tranquillity. @musicinsilences @hrishigiridhar @ramzferns @_aman_julme_ @sanket_pajurkar @bass_ki_aawaz_kesi_hoti_hai @harshkarmakar @hiculture_studios 3. JungleComposers: Amit Kilam, Asheem Chakravorty, George Brooks, Himanshu Joshi, Nikhil Rao, Rahul RamLyrics: Arjun RainaProduced by: Big Bad Wolf Studios & Indian OceanProducers: Dhruv Jagasia, Amit Kilam, Rahul Ram & Dev BhatiaLanguage: Hindi

Here are the best songs released in India across languages and genres for the week ending 30th April 2023. If you are a musician submit your new music here.1. Gau Nako KisnaMusic Composed, Arranged, Produced & Conducted by Ajay - AtulLyrics: Guru ThakurSingers: Jayesh Khare, Mayur SukaleAdditional Vocals: Ajay GogavaleLanguage: MarathiGenre: Folk/Retro Ajay-Atul are a Gold Standard in Indian music and despite my being in Mumbai for more than 18 years, it was only 7 years ago that I discovered their talents only when I sat in the theatre ready to watch 'Sairat'. I almost jumped out of my seat when I heard the opening music with strings and the horns section and finally that solo flute. They are one of the best in the country and that gets proven time and again like when I heard this album "Maharashtra Shaheer" and this song is nothing short of mindblowing. We get a retro production in this song thanks to all the instrumental sounds and the kids' chorus is a very strong factor that influenced me in placing this song right at the top of the charts. The list of fantastic singers includes Aaradhaya Singh, Rannvijay Singh, Vedaa Mahajan, Anushree Pasi, Aanya Jain, Yash More, Aniket Das, Tanishka Nandi and Diya Wadkar. Ajay and Atul have composed, arranged, produced and conducted all the strings section and other orchestral instruments.The highlight line has to be the title with all the kids singing it in full zest and the percussions coming thick and fast. The percussionists are Pratap Rath, Krishna Musale, Satyajit Jamsandekar, Prabhakar Mosamkar, Raju Kulkarni and Dipesh Varma. The strings section plays non-stop in the background and that becomes Ajay-Atul's signature move. The interlude has a wonderful folkish female chorus consisting of Pragati Joshi, Aarohi Mhatre, Mrunmayee Dadke, Madhura Paranjape, Seema Lele and Sonali Karnik. Jayesh Khare is a young boy who sings like a professional with years of experience and he has been a wonder with his singing videos going viral on YT. His vocal strength and ability to do these ghamakas put us in awe and shock. Kudos to Ajay and Atul for recognising such amazing talents and giving them opportunities like this. Mayur Sukale and Ajay Gogavale also join in on the vocals, and the second stanza is dominated by the great vocals of Mayur and Ajay-Atul excel by creating a different stanza altogether and this has influences of Raag Pilu. Jayesh continues to do things with his vocals that astound and it is like almost carries this song on his tender shoulders. Varad Kathapurkar plays the flute solo towards the end and this song is mixed brilliantly by Vijay Dalal, assisted by Chinmay Mestry and mastered by Gethin John. Guru Thakur is the lyricist for this song. @ajayatulofficial @jayesh_khare_official @guruthakurofficial @sanashinde @atul.ajayatul @mayursukale @mrunmayeedadke @paranjapemadhura @sonalikarnik @varadflute_official @chinmay.jpg2. Waari WaariComposer & Vocalist: Reeshabh PurohitLyrics: Nisha SatputeMusic Production: Atharv JoshiLanguage: HindiGenre: Semi-classicalI have been so fond of Reeshabh Purohit as a vocalist and even more as a composer, that whenever I see that he has a new song release, expectations reach sky-high. The fact that he never fails to impress every single time shows that he is one of the finest talents in the Indian Indie music space. Reeshabh composes and lends his voice to this semi-classical fusion with Atharv Joshi's production. Nisha Satpute writes beautiful words.The Keys are mild and you are struck by the beauty inherent in Reeshabh's voice. Here too we have influences of Raag Pilu and according to Reeshabh we also have another beautiful Raag Jaijawanti in play in the song. Atharv plays the harmonium in the background and also the guitars. Shadaj Godkhindi wows you with the touching flute solo in the interlude, and he impresses with those perfect interventions in the stanza. Reeshabh weaves magic in the stanza with an elaborate and melodious composition and Atharv is in top form arranging all these instruments and getting the sounds of Keys and guitars to perfectly complement the other elements of the song. The mix engineer is Nandini Samanta and Ronak Runwal does the mastering. Atharv and Shubham Shah are recording engineers. The amazing artwork is by Nikhil Kaul. @reeshabhp @nasatpute @infinite_diver @shadajgodkhindi @ronakrunwal @nandinisamanta_ @shbhmmm @framebyframer3. Karen KyaMusic and Singer: Rochak KohliLyrics / Poetry: Dr Akhtar ShumaarMusic Production, Mix and Master: Aditya DevLanguage: HindiGenre: Ghazal/PathosRochak Kohli has been around for many years now and it is only in the last 1 year or so that I have found some of his work to be excellent. He scored music for a song sung by Sonu Nigam for 'Mission Majnu', but this far exceeds the quality of anything I have ever heard from the composer. This is sung and composed by Rochak, with the fantastic poetry of Dr. Akhtar Shumaar. The story goes that Rochak came across this poem and when he reached out, he had discovered the sad demise of Dr. Akhtar. His family decided to hand over the rights of the poem to Rochak and Dr. Akhtar must be smiling in heaven listening to this wonderful song and its outcome thanks to all the brilliant musicians involved. This has a Ghazal-esque nature in the tone and tempo and when he repeats the lines "ajab dil kee" the solo violin by Manas Kumar struck my heart, no words can describe the sadness in my heart when I heard that and the immediate joy listening to the quality of music all at once. The stanza arrives and we continue to hear Rochak in fine form vocally and score-wise and we still hear the Violin interventions. The strumming on the acoustic guitars along with the Piano brings in some Western colour to the song but it is ultimately the Violin that thrills and creates the spills. This time when I heard the stanza I could feel the combined effect of the acoustic guitars, bass guitars, keys, violin and Tabla. When you hear music like this, Karen Kya? Mohit Dogra plays the guitars and Shobhit Banwait is on the Tabla. This song is produced with great flavours by Aditya Dev and he is the man responsible for getting all these arrangements done, he is also the mix/master engineer. @rochakkohli @akhtarshumaar @adityadevmusic @shobhitbanwait @iammohitdogra @manasviolin @sukriti_vk @ingroovesindia4. Khud Se MohabbatLyrics, Composition, Vocals - Navjot AhujaMusic production by: Waqt Ka KhelLanguage: HindiGenre: Indie popLive instrumentalists breathe life into a song and no matter how much important the vocalist and producer are, the instrumentalists can never be discounted. Take this song for example, even before anything is uttered by Navjot Ahuja the singer, we have Rajat Gupta's guitars and Kaustubh Gaurav's bass just acting like opening batsmen who have already seen off all the difficult overs and have set the stage for late order batsmen to come and consolidate. In simple terms, I am saying well begun is half done and Navjot starts with some low-key energy and a sense of gravity and that is intriguing. It makes you pay further attention to the lyrics like listening to a story and the song is written, composed and sung by Navjot Ahuja with solid production by Wakt Ka Khel. The message is pretty important 'to love thy self'. As we move ahead Nihaal Sharma joins in on the fun of playing the drums, and when the line is sung "teri parwa tu khud hi karle, teri baatein tu khud hi sun le", it feels inspiring and musically backing vocals join in on the last words "khud hi karle" and " "Khud hi sun le" to add more impact.Later on, the song gains some traction and tempo and it now feels less morose. The drums get more energetic and the introduction of the strings section just makes this gold glitter better. Kudos to the band Wakt ka Khel for their brilliant production bringing in the electric guitar, solo violin and all other elements. Mukul Jain does the mixing of this song at Ferris Wheel Studios.@navjot_ahuja @kaustubh_gaurav @rajat.on.strings @nihaalsharma_ @waqt.ka.khel @ferriswheelstudios @mixbymukul 

Here are the best songs released in India across languages and genres for the week ending 23rd April 2023. If you are a musician submit your new music here.1. Yedha PongenaaMusic: Mejjo JossephLyrics: Harshavardhan ReddySinger: Yazin NizarLanguage: TeluguGenre: Carnatic Fusion This is undoubtedly one of the best male vocal performances of 2023 so far and I can safely bet that it will end up among the top 5 of the year when it ends. Yazin Nizar is a gifted singer with an amazing vocal range, and he uses every ounce of his skill to great effect in most songs. Here he smashes it like 6 sixes of an over speaking in Cricketing terms. Mejjo Joseph is the composer and I believe Yazin owes it to the composer for giving him this brilliant opportunity and vice versa as Yazin executes it as well as it is humanly possible. The ghamakas are just impossible to keep up with and this is exemplary for many established singers who think that shouting at the top of their voice is cool. Mejjo brings in some great elements in the Carnatic fusion number with the acoustic guitars by Sandeep Mohan and Thavil, and even a small rap segment in the beginning by Sharon Joseph. The rhythm programming along with electric guitars, bass also by Sandeep Mohan and timely vocal harmonies make for some brilliant production. The solo violin by Roopa Revathi enthrals you in the interlude and after that, it is a Yazin show and I never want it to stop. This sounds like a very tough song to execute vocally and kudos to Yazin for that. The landing segment when we get to the end of the stanza is mindblowing with a drop in tempo and re-introduction of the Thavil when he sings " Oohallo Oosullo", and watch out for the mild solo on the violin and the acoustic guitar. Harshavardhan Reddy is the lyricist. The mixing engineer is Shiju Ediyatheril@mejjojosseph @yazin_nizar @gibsandeep @rooparevathi @shiju_ediyatheril 2. FloatingMusic: ParishrutLyrics and Vocal: NitishProduced, Arranged, Mixed & Mastered by ParishrutLanguage: EnglishGenre: Alt-RockParishrut and Nitish combine to give us a lasting sense of joy and gratification instead of a floating memory of a good song. This is what fantastic music should sound like and we have the melody composed by Parishrut and words penned by Nitish Singhal. The initial synths are terrific and it is impossible to focus anywhere else when Parishrut's extravagant production and arrangements show up. Nitish excels in both his roles, possessing and exhibiting a great tonality in his vocals and writing these splendid lines like "Raining fragments of time, Bring moments that I've seen, Joy and regret it makes me..I don't wanna change it"The incoming intervention on the electric guitar by Krishanu Hazarika is ecstasy on strings and it elevates the song even when we already hear amazing lines like "bridges broken and made all along the long lost way, floating through my conscience yin and yang its the same, curved line between there's the game". I want to stop writing and stand give this guy an ovation for some glorious writing. The dreamy vocals and the production make this one unforgettable Alt-Rock single that deserves the rank this week. The keyboard solo is playful and takes me back to the great age of the 1990s pop and if that is not enough to strike you down the drums and electric guitar solo combine to create pure bliss just before the 4-minute mark. Harshil Singh handles all the exotic artwork and the lyrical video is created by Shyam Sundhar. @parishrut_k @nitish_singal_ @krishanu.hazarika @harshilsingh_ @aweshyam 3. Aya LadiyeSingers - Akriti Kakar & RomyComposer - Akriti KakarLyrics - I.P. Singh

Here are the best songs released in India across languages and genres for the week ending 16th April 2023. If you are a musician submit your new music here.1. Oh GloriaPerformed by O DaapunWritten by O DaapunProduction: Bhargav Hazarika and Siddhartha Hazarika Language: EnglishGenre: Indie PopO Daapun has been featured by me before for a wonderful single and here they are once again and that too topping the Indian charts of the week. This duo has been in glorious form and they give us 'Oh Gloria' for our listening pleasure. Bhargav Hazarika and Siddhartha Hazarika spew magic here as they release their 4th single as part of their debut album "HIT-Hang In There". The duo of Guwahati is just one more feather on the cap of great Indian music emerging from the North East corner of India. Bhargav is the lead guitarist and Siddhartha is the lead vocalist. It shows how fantastic they are when I have already featured them twice, one for 'Skye' and one for 'Don't you drop'. Siddhartha serenades you to a zone of tranquillity with his vocals, and the combination of Keys, bass, guitars and drums paints a wholesome picture. The composition is beautiful with such deeply touching and hummable lines. I specifically love the line "I can't find you anyway, The way it burnt my heart. When it took your breath away, I have nothing else to say". It reminds me of this terrific hit song from the 1990s 'Nothing's gonna change my love for you" by Glenn Medeiros, and there are moments when I also felt some resemblance to Elton John's 'Circle of Life'. O Daapun should feel terrifically proud of these comparisons because they have been revolutionary songs globally.Siddhartha has penned the lyrics and sung the song with all his heart as the duo writes this about a devastating apocalypse and the protagonist being unable to save the whole City and his Love Gloria. I was blown away by the singing especially when Siddhartha improvises in the line " And save you from this end, Its time to leave and go". He does a fantastic vibrato here at the end and this is where the song also comes to an inflexion point and has a shift. The guitars lead the way and the tempo builds up, Bhargav does fabulously on guitars, bass and Keys, and the solo on the electric guitar is to die for. Bhargav also mixes and masters the song. @odaapunofficial @nobinaryrecords @siddharth_daapun @bhargav_daapun 2. Bhare Bhare Se NainaComposition & Lyrics by GAYA Co-produced by REINER ERLINGS & GAYALanguage: HindiGenre: Semi-classical Fusion 'Qisse' was a beautiful semi-classical single that Gayathri Krishnan a.k.a. Gaya released in 2022 and it was featured among the top 5 songs back then for a particular week. She is back again and with a similar genre, she trikes with a heartwarming tune. I did sense some Raag Bihag with the sensational vocals and delivery of Gaya we only float away with our feet off the ground and all the worldly pressure and disdain swept away, Gaya has penned the lyrics, composed the tune and sung it and she has co-produced the song with Reiner Erlings. The mild strumming of Guitars along with her vocals are enough to take this song forward. We also hear the Keys in the background, and the strings as well. Nothing quite overpowers the ghamakas and their beauty coming out of Gaya's vocal cords. Shaan Ramprasad plays the solo violin in the interlude giving it that classical touch further. The fast strumming of guitars is scintillating as we come to the end of the antara. Kudos to the producers for their arrangements. The humming is a nice way to end things. The song's beautiful video is edited, conceptualised and directed by Gaya, while Priya Mishra is the DOP and Nishika D'Silva is the Art Director. @gayamusic @pri.mi @nishika.dsilva @reinererlings @shaan.ramprasad @linformation3. Meri Banogi KyaSinger & Lyricist: Rito RibaMusic: Rajat Nagpal

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 reasonsSingers: Jhansi, Vedika Agarwal, Trishita Recs, Rushikesh NeneSom Prem, Paritosh Pande, Suchita Shirke, Nikita BrittoSahil Dhandhia, Zachary RayCreated, Conceptualised, Composed and Produced by: JhansiLanguage: EnglishGenre: Musical TheatreI 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. HeerSingers - Akriti Kakar & Shankar MahadevanComposer - Traditional.Additional Composition by Akriti KakarMusic Arrangement and Production – Rishabh RaviLanguage: HindiGenre: Semi-classical Folk FusionThis 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 DeSinger: Vishal MishraMusic: Vishal Mishra

Here are the best songs released in India across languages and genres for the week ending 2nd April 2023. If you are a musician submit your new music here.1. Amalina AsuraSinger: Sowmya MahadevanLyrics: VanamaliMusic: Balamurali BaluLanguage: TeluguGenre: Filmi MelodyAre we getting to relive a Maestro Ilaiyaraja's greatness through such amazing music? I guess so. Balamurali Balu has composed, produced and arranged this brilliant song that just took me back in time to the 1980s of Tamil and South Indian music in general. Sowmya Mahadevan has sung the song and she makes not a single misstep in delivering this beauty. The song very vividly reminds me of a phenomenal number called "ennulle ennulle" sung by Swarnalatha and composed by Ilaiyaraja, although the mood in that was more of pathos. The prominent presence of acoustic guitars and the bass guitar is just noteworthy as we can hear them playing in the background with notes written for them separately.The interlude is a continuation of the guitars with a very soothing female humming as well. Sowmya sings in the lower pitch with amazing grace and efficacy and she brings about these mild ghamakas as well, overall it is a very impressive vocal performance by her. The stanza has even more melodious notes and Balamurali brings a lot of variation in the stanza making the whole song a very heartwarming experience. The acoustic guitar is just phenomenal as we get to the outro portion. The lyricist is Vanamali. 2. Manasilum PookkalamMusic Composed and Produced by Sachin WarrierLyrics: KaithapramSinger: Sachin WarrierLanguage: MalayalamGenre: Filmi PopThis is glorious mainly from the production and arrangement perspective as Sachin Warrier excels in all these elements as the composer and producer. Sachin also is the lead vocalist but a huge reason for the song's positive impact comes from the group vocals performed by the famous El Fé Choir. Roe Vincent is the soul of this performing group of vocalists. The song's lyrics are penned by Kaithapram. The song begins with a lot of keyboards and then a trumpet and once the vocals begin, you will have a tough time trying to focus because the song is as much about the backing vocals as it is about the lead vocals. The humming leads the way in the interlude but a brilliant solo by Punya Srinivas on the Veena just magnifies the quality of the interlude and the song multifold. Akash S accompanies on bass guitars and the two instruments just combine like cake and cheery on top. The stanza is relatively short, but Punya continues to play her Veena right through and she becomes a hugely important cog in the song's wheel. The line that gets repeated in the outro " nyanum neeyum cherave" is beautifully done with the backing vocals and Keys. Vishnu Raj, Sanjay Sukumaran, Akshay Kakkoth and Sachin are the recording engineers, and the song is mixed by Harishankar V, assisted by Akshay, and Emin Babu and it is mastered by Gethin John. 3. Bairiya 

Here are the best songs released in India across languages and genres for the week ending 26th March 2023. If you are a musician submit your new music here.1. Glow Performed by Eden Kesang, Samantha Noella, TubbyLyrics by Indrajit Sharma, Samantha NoellaComposed & Produced by Indrajit SharmaLanguage: EnglishGenre: Dance-Pop, Jazz-PopSamantha Noella is one of the finest vocalists in India and when it comes to Blues and Jazz she probably will end up being in a very small coterie or performers along with say Vivienne Pocha. This is not just a fine vocal performance but also a brilliant single and that is why it is at the top of the charts. Lion's share of the credit must also go to composer/producer Indrajit Sharma a.k.a. Tubby, for having produced and composed this emphatic song.Samantha and Eden Kesang are the vocalists and the singing deserves huge praise because without such vocals the true quality and impact of the song would have been much less. Indrajit and Samatha also write up these beautiful words. This is is a dance-pop with a lot of keyboard programming, but it also transforms into a Jazz-pop song. Sheldon D'Silva is the bassist and he is having a total blast out in the middle. Eden starts things off and I was super impressed having heard her for the first time. The use of the trumpets and the Brass section elements along with the bass guitar, and rhythms evokes memories of "Sususdio" by Phil Collins. This is where the genius of Tubby comes in as every instrument and its application is the brainchild of the composer. Now when Samantha gets on board, she brings the house down with her unmistakable voice and her delivery is a singing masterclass. "You will be much stronger than ever before", and when she does her thing with this line, you just end up surrendering to the power of her vocals. Indrajit weaves beautiful lines and his production is top-notch getting all the arrangements to elevate each segment. Samantha cooks up one of the best vocal performances of 2023 and I am quite certain that with 9 more months to go, this will remain among the top 5 when the year ends. When she sings "wings to fly" and "believe in yourself" these phrases mean so much coming out of her vocals because of the impact she generates while delivering. The bridge section gets the collective skill of both Eden and Samantha, with vocals being arranged in different layers. The outro is pure genius and a chance for Samantha to exhibit her Himalayan potential. Jeremey Hagry does the mastering. @samantha_noella @@tubbys_music @livelove_eden @bassinova @thakurrupak @jeremy.duneaudio @inkkaudio 2. You'll Leave Me Behind  Singer, Composer and Lyricist - Harry AroraProducer - Swarup ChattopadhyayLanguage: EnglishGenre: BalladHarry Arora reached out to me and submitted his song on my website. I consider it a blessing that I have made this option available to musicians, or else I would well miss out on some splendid songs and artists like Harry. I am yet to listen to his EP as he is releasing singles one after the other. If this song is the benchmark and standard then I cannot wait for the rest of the EP called "Girta Toot'ta Dil"Manan Mehta plays the Piano and he gives a kicker right at the start. The tone and the notes on the Piano already reminded me of the uber-famous "Tears in Heaven" by Eric Clapton. Harry's voice is loaded with innocence and honesty and he tears me up with the emotionally apt delivery. If this was not enough to touch a nerve, Protyay Chakraborty piles it on with his scintillating on the strings we hear mildly in the background. The power of vocals can only be truly understood when someone like this comes along and delivers it like a knockout punch. When Harry sings " I feel so hollow" I can relate to and feel every syllable of that pain so well done Harry on the lyrics and the singing. He has composed this gut-wrenching melody and it must be said here that Swarup Chattopadhyay is the producer and the man behind all the programming and arrangements. 2022 was a brilliant year for vocalists but the top 4 according to me were all women singers. I was elated with that, realising the power of the female voice, but also pondering as to why male vocalists in the indie space at least never experiment enough. I am delighted to listen to this and we might have one more candidate for "best vocal performances of 2023". When the title line is sung, the strings come thick and fast in layers and the Piano is too reverberates the emotions. Harry is also the mixing and mastering engineer and in this sensational performance, Harry and Swarup are sure to leave many other songs and performances behind in the race for the best. Harry gives a special mention to Darshan Merchant for helping out in the lyrics. @harrythisside @manan_potato @protyaych @swarupchattopadhyay @mixedbyharry @darshanmerchant3. O Bedardeya Music: PritamLyrics: Amitabh BhattacharyaSinger: Arijit SinghMusic Arranger and Programmer - Himonshu ParikhLanguage: HindiGenre: Ballad/Seim-classical fusionWhen you just think that he is down and out, he rises like a Phoenix from the ashes, this Pritam. The whole EP "Tu Jhoothi Main Makkar" has music of moderate quality and I would listen to any of the 5 other songs. Pritam however redeems himself with this song that strikes you like a hammer on a hot anvil. Arijit Singh finds fresh energy and his performance will go down as one of his best. If two people hold the song on their shoulders other than Pritam of course, they are Arijit as the vocalist and Himonshu Parikh as the programmer and arranger. The song according to me is set in Raag CHarukeshi which is the epitome of pathos, but I later did realize that this could be based on Raag Sarasangi which is quite close to Charukeshi. Either way the song's tune by itself wouldn't have created this sort of buzz and impact, but the production that goes on thanks to Himonshu is mindblowing. He elevates it into something fresh and fantastic and you can hear the Keys straightaway. I was shaking my head in complete awe thanks to the arrangements and programming genius of Himonshu. DJ Phukan works as the additional music arranger.It starts in a normal fashion with Arijit's heartfelt rendition, but you have to just wait for the title line to begin. Here the song just zooms from 0 to 100 in 2 seconds with the keyboard and rhythm programming excelling. This is a song that has the main segment and a mild bridge section but the vocals and production rip it apart into something extraordinary. I love the dreamy male humming and after that Arijit floats away with his improvised singing and here the supremo Warren Mendonsa plays the guitars. There are fragments here that remind us of 'Kalank' the title song when Arijit sings in a high pitch. A lot of credit must go to DJ Phukan and Ashwin Kulkarni who handle the sound design, and we have Pritam's well-trained musicians like Brianna Supriyo as production manager, Aniruddh Anantha and Pranav Gupta as sound engineers and Antara Mitra, Aniruddh Anantha & Dev Arijit as vocal conductors. The introduction of the Sarangi by Dilshad Khan and the Tabla by Akshay Jadhav is a master stroke that stays in the head as something brilliantly creative. The last 1-minute outro is all about Arijit and how he takes you on this meditative journey. Eric Pillai does the mixing and mastering with Michael Edwin Pillai as the mixing assistant. Pritam, Himonshu and Arijit take a bow.  @himonshu @ipritamofficial @amitabhbhattacharyaofficial @ericpillai @aniruddhanantha @briannasupriyo @dev_arijit9 @arijitsingh @iamdjphukan @blackstratblues @dilshadkhansarangi @akshaymusic @pranavgupta_27 @antaramitraofficial 4. Dancing with Demons Produced by Ritwik Bhattacharya & Karthik ChennojiraoSongwriter, Composer, and vocalist: Saroj KashyapLanguage: EnglishGenre: Alt-RockI was floored by this amazing song that Saroj Kashyap sent me this song, and it helps I always begin hearing a song with a clean slate and hence no biases creep in. The song is composed and written by Saroj Kashyap and she gets a stupendous team on board. Karthik Chennojirao of Pineapple Express produces this along with Ritwik Bhattacharya. The gang of guitarists is immense with Ritwik on lead guitars and Prashanth Gnanamuthu on bass guitars. The Keys and lead guitars get the ball rolling and Saroj is stunning right from the get-go with her mind-bending vocal performance. The powerful delivery by Saroj gives the chills as we hear her sing " I'm gonna keep on slow dancing with the demons in my head".Ritwik and Karthik know what they are doing with solid production and their experience in the world of rock clearly shows up with every segment of electric guitar and arrangements. One can trust Prashanth to perform exactly as