Pularaadha (Dear Comrade) - This love child of Justin Prabhakaran and Karthik Netha, beautifully rendered by Sid Sriram, effortlessly transports you to the love soaked evenings from your life.
If Dear Comrade is Justin’s card, ENPT's Maruvaarthai is Darbuka’s Siva. A lottery album which just keeps giving more. A song about separation structured like a lullaby, now that's a sixer!
Mehendi Circus' Velattu Kannazhaghi is another song-of-the-year contender from Sean Roldan. The composer chisels a vibrant love letter to Ilaiyaraaja that manages to be retro, but also contemporary.
Kannamma from Ispade Rajavum shows the colours Sam CS can paint. Dark yet groovy, the song captures the initial flush of attraction with a lot of eccentric flavour. Just brilliant!
Hip Hop Tamizha's Paisa Note from Comali does the unthinkable. It cleverly merges the sensibilities of our own gaana with a groovy western dance number. An instant earworm.
Ghibran has quite an interesting year with a diverse mix of singles and film music. But Neeyagave from House Owner is too charming to miss. And it also deserved much more love.
Gaanda Kannazhagi (Namma Veettu Pillai) - Any song that makes kids dance on first-listen is sure to rule the charts. This spunky, yet rusty, folk number from Imman is a winner all the way.
Alanguruvigala from Bakrid speaks to the soul. A song for the environment and happy co-existence, the existence of this one amid our usual love ballad diet is worth celebrating for.
Anbe Peranbe from NGK is one of those signature Yuvan mood-pieces that deserved better visuals and placement. Even in its present form, Sid Sriram and Shreya Ghoshal ace the dynamics of forbidden love
Tenma, who made a name for himself with The Casteless Collective, made a blistering debut with Gundu. And Maavuliyo is an example of the experimental sounds he brought to the industry.
KS Sundaramoorthy’s breakout song, Meghadhootam from Airaa is an evocative listen. Padmapriya’s powerful voice and Thamarai’s poetic words steer this minimalist song to the very top of our playlist.
There’s always a mainstream melody that rises above hordes of songs. This year, it’s Arun Raja’s Inaye for Thadam. Might not be avant-garde, but there’s something about comfortable music, done right.
Marakavillaye from Jersey is a song where the best of both worlds meet. Anirudh’s baritone adds a lot of punch to this number, making it one of the most memorable songs of this year.
Composed and sung by Pradeep Kumar, Agam Thaanai from Sillu Karupetti is as sweet as the film’s name. A good song to end the year with.
What joy in listening to Andhi Maalai Neram, a full-fledged Tamil lyrical in a contemporary, lilting melody! Sid Sriram's groovy vocals and the backing acapella chorus add a delightful dimension.
Why should serious songs get all the love? If not for anything, the lyrics of Takkunu Takkunu's total fun. What can beat “Whitea than brighta than irukum paal, adhuku expiry date just orey oru naal!'
Vaa Vaa Penne from Govind Vasantha's Uriyadi 2 is one such haunting melody that quite deserves more love. It might seem straightforward but the soulful production adds a lot of heft to this melody.
Nenje Unakaga - This cheerful melody by Yuvan from Sindhubaadh quite lingers in the mind. It takes us right back to his Sandakozhi days, of good simple and happy music.
Thaarame Thaarame from Kadaaram Kondaan is a very hummable melody that stayed in playlists and FM stations for a while. Another refreshing twist to the melody genre by Ghibran.
What better song to end this playlist than Verithanam? Vijay's jesty vocals quite ups the fun factor and it’s a good song to groove to at the end of a long day. Just chime in and say Verithanam!
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