Milliblog Weeklies – India’s only multilingual, weekly new music playlist.
Week 246: YouTube | Spotify
Jimikky’s Ghazal – Star (Yuvan Shankar Raja) – Tamil/Hindi: Barring the fact that Sony Music/Yuvan choose not to credit Mehdi Hassan for the tune of ‘Mohabbat Karne Wale’ (though they have credited Hafeez Hoshiarpuri for the original ghazal verse), this is an outstanding song! Yuvan uses the original ghazal as the base to eventually build his Tamil ghazal written by Niranjan Bharathi. His music is very un-Ghazal’ish, and the modern touch elevates the original’s sweet melody (in Tilang raaga). Neha Girish is absolutely stunning with her vocals, handling both the original ghazal and the Tamil version beautifully.
Rebirth of Mystical Abheri – Agam (Indipop/Tamil): Whoa, that was a surprise – a new single from Agam! And they choose an Aberi exposition in delightful Tamil verse written by band member Swamy! The rhythmic detour for ‘NaaNangaLo’ was a truly wonderful idea. Harish’s singing, as always, is nuanced and full of life, enunciating the words so beautifully.
Kallara – Satyabhama (Sricharan Pakala) – Telugu: A fairly straightforward ReetigowLai raaga composition by Sricharan Pakala. The raaga’s innate beauty keeps the song engaging, thanks also to Shreya Ghoshal’s outstanding singing.
Hammammo – Aa Okkati Adakku (Gopi Sundar) – Telugu: Good to see Gopi in full form after The Family Star. Not only is the tune instantly catchy, but it is also superbly sung by Yasaswi Kondepudi. The ‘Hammammo’ hook is instantly addictive!
Kanulenduko – Harom Hara (Chaitan Bharadwaj) – Telugu: Chaitan has an effortless winner here! After a short prelude, he launches into the guitar-laden (Arun Chiluveru) energetic sound that stays on all through the song, with the guitar playing a really solid role as the song progresses. The song truly belongs to Nikhita Srivalli, who sings in 2 different pitches – the higher pitched opening stretch and the lower pitched anupallavi – and does a terrific job.
Malang Sajna, Kho Jaana – Achha Lag Raha Hai (Sachet-Parampara) – Punjabi/Indipop: Sachet-Parampara seem to be on a tear, releasing new singles with such ferocity almost month after month. Now, they have an entire Indipop album! The overall sound is very similar to what one expects from the duo, but 2 songs did stand out for me – Kho Jaana has a charming energy that keeps it in great stead, while Malang Sajna (which was released as a single back in 2022) has a harmonious sound and gains from Parampara’s singing.
Jiya Laage Na – Rochak Kohli, ft. Shilpa Rao and Mohit Chauhan (Hindi/Indipop): Rochak’s melody has a warm, enveloping effect and the singers, Mohit and Shilpa own the rendition as they always do. The build-up to the ‘Jiya Lage Na’ hook at the 1-minute mark feels very organic and well-earned. Not just that, it is also followed by a captivating ‘Saiyyan Saiyyan’ couplet.
Jaane Kaise – Somanshu, Rutvxk (Hindi/Indipop): I haven’t heard anything from Somanshu before, and hence the song came as a surprise given how competent it is, as a tune and the overall package. The rhythm base reminded me of Mithoon’s musical style, and on second thoughts even the vocals felt a bit Mithoon’ish.
Dholna – Atif Ali, ft. Maria Raza Sohni & Sahir Ali Bagga (Pakistani pop): There is a distinct Lajjavadhiye vibe to the entire song and that is probably why I liked it immediately. The rhythm is catchy, and the singing is great too.
Hulaare – Kaptaan, NVee, Ft. Shahat Gill (Pakistani pop): Kaptaan’s composition does a pretty cool fusion of 80s funk (particularly in the ‘Ho Mere Mere Mere’ hook) and typical Punjabi pop. It all comes together in swishy style thanks to Shahat’s punchy vocals.
