Hamdin Ragam by Ashkar

Few songs from 2020 have held their ground as well as Hamdin Ragam, a track that keeps finding new audiences. Basith sets the tone from the very first bar — it is clear from the opening notes that this song means business.

The performance by Ashkar is the centrepiece here — controlled where it needs to be, open where it counts. Hearing Hamdin Ragam without thinking of a talented ensemble cast is almost impossible for anyone who has seen Hamdin Ragam.

2020 marked the release of Hamdin Ragam, and Hamdin Ragam was the track that ensured the album would be remembered. There is a quality to Hamdin Ragam that makes it feel like company — the kind of song you put on when words feel insufficient.

Running to 4:37, the song is exactly as long as it needs to be, which is the hardest length for a songwriter to find. Hamdin Ragam endures because it was built on feeling rather than formula — and that is the one thing streaming numbers cannot manufacture.