American singer-songwriter Jim Morrison famously said, "A true artist never dies. He just stops giving live concerts." The statement perhaps wouldn't have felt truer than this year, as we all are bidding adieu to 2023 humming to the legend SP Balasubramaniam's viral cover version of Unakku Thaan from Chithha. This rendition isn't performed by an expert mimicry artist, singers or his son SP Charan, but by a machine! Fascinating isn't it? The thought that an AI can almost bring to life the voice of the legend we lost three years ago startled music lovers, especially the ones who belonged to the cassette era. The software-generated cover versions of recent famous songs and classics featuring voices of AR Rahman, Dhanush, Vijay, Sid Sriram and an amusing list of political leaders were widely consumed and shared by a significant portion of the crowd; to the point where AI covers have almost become a sub-genre of music now.
Leaving aside the fabricated versions, the original version of Unakku Thaan by Santhosh Narayanan, became the anthem of the year for every parental figure, celebrating the song with all their hearts. Interestingly, this year's hit love songs Naan Gaali (by Sean Roldan for Good Night) and Nenjame Nenjame (by AR Rahman for Maamannan) are more than what they look. Instead of taking the routine route of praising the beauty of the lady love or exalting the strength of their bond, these songs celebrated the leads' healing from chronic trauma. While Mohan Raja's lyrics (in Naan Gaali) highlight the little joys of life experienced by a person who has been accepted despite his flaws, Yugabharathi's lines (from Nenjame Nenjame) are a lullaby to a hurt soul, struggling to heal from childhood scars. While these songs became earworms, with great support from the lyrical end, two peppy numbers ruled the playlist of youngsters, with dominating gibberish lines: Naan Ready (from Leo) and Kaavala (from Jailer). Both the songs composed by Anirudh got the entire Tamil crowd going, "Tow toto tow" and "Aah aah" for months together thanks to the addictive hook music and steps.
The year also paved the way for the popularity of lesser-known films with chartbuster singles that have been waiting for a long time to reach the theatres. Though Nira from Takkar by Nivas Prasanna, Avalo Avlo from Vasantha Muallai by Rajesh Murugesan and Kaadhal En Kaviye from Salmon 3D by Sreejith Edavana have been living rent-free in the minds of the Tamil audience, the film's themselves failed to capitalise on the hype created by their hit songs.
While Sam CS went on a rampage delivering more than 15 albums in Tamil alone, excluding the bonafide hit RDX in Malayalam, Harris Jayaraj who teased a comeback with The Legend (2022), failed to open the account with a new album in the language this year. Though GV Prakash hit it out of the park with Vaa Vaathi from Vaathi, his other albums failed to recreate his magic. Yuvan Shankar Raja, who shined brighter as a singer this year with hit numbers composed by others like Theekuchi from Jigarthanda Double X and Ore Kanaa from Joe, missed delivering a memorable album like last year's Love Today.
Despite facing such heavy competition from the A-listers Govind Vasantha's Railyin Oligal from the yet-to-be-released Blue Star and Raavanamavan from Fight Club became instant favourites of music lovers. Meanwhile, the star power of Sivakarthikeyan fueled the mileage of the Vannarapettaiyila song from Maaveeran composed by Bharath Shankar and took it to the nook and corner of the state. Justin Prabhakaran with the breezy albums of Irugapattru, Adiyae and Farhana gave it all from his end to ensure that these small films got their due. The dependable Sean Roldan, on the other hand, mesmerised everyone with both his tracks Jingrudha Dhanga and Uravu from the web release Lalagunda Bommaigal for Modern Love Chennai, aside from his theatrical success Good Night.
Ilaiyaraaja with the entire album of Viduthalai Part-1 and the segments Margazhi, Ninaivo Oru Paravai and Paravai Kootil Vaazhum Maangal from Modern Love Chennai, showed that he is still on top of his game. The quirky Jigarthanda Double X album was the perfect arena for Santhosh Narayanan to channel his eccentricity and musical brilliance. The astounding blend of genres in the songs and the background scores ensured that the listeners were in for a major treat.
Rockstar Anirudh, who elevated the spirit of actioners Leo and Jailer with his thunderous background score, also ensured that the songs were hot sellers. Thanks to the familiarity we share with his musical palate, we celebrated the Tamil album of Jawan like a direct release and ensured that Vandha Edam and Hayyoda were played in loops across the state. Aside from Jawan, we also extended our inclusivity and love to the Tamil albums of Animal and Kushi. Aaradhya and En Roja Neeye from the Vijay Deverakonda-starrer composed by Hesham Abdul Wahab and Nee Vaadi from the Ranbir Kapoor film made sure they found a spot among the most played Tamil songs of the month. Interestingly, Jamal Kudu composed by Harshavardhan Rameshwar for Animal and Ranvijay's entry medley of AR Rahman from the film, became massively viral among Tamil content creators and it became close to impossible to find a social media video without these two tracks in the background in the recent months. The Mozart of Madras AR Rahman gave his direct contribution to the internet community in the form of Nee Singam Dhaan from Pathu Thala and Aga Naga from Ponniyin Selvan 2. While the former became a go-to elevation song for reels featuring the favourite icons of the youngsters and themselves, the latter became a mandatory wedding video song for the newlyweds this year.
The year 2023 proves that music is a universal language that possesses the unparalleled ability to bridge cultural divides, foster understanding, and evoke profound emotions. It reminds us that music that connects with the soul will be celebrated by the people regardless of the names and language attached to it. I really wish and hope that we become more inclusive in the new year, opening doors for cross-cultural collaborations and paving the way for more music the entire nation enjoys together.