Kayilo Aakasam by G.V. Prakash Kumar, Saindhavi

Few songs from 2020 have held their ground as well as Kayilo Aakasam, a track that keeps finding new audiences. The arrangement here is the work of G.V. Prakash Kumar, and it shows genuine craft in how it builds and releases.

G.V. Prakash Kumar, Saindhavi's vocal here has a quality that is difficult to describe but impossible to miss — it simply feels true. The song is tied to Suriya, Aparna Balamurali, whose presence gives Kayilo Aakasam a visual dimension that fans of the film will always associate with it.

2020 was a strong year for Malayalam music, and Kayilo Aakasam was among the reasons why. Kayilo Aakasam is the song for the end of a long day when you want music that understands something without being asked to explain it.

Running to 3:18, the song is exactly as long as it needs to be, which is the hardest length for a songwriter to find. The song continues to find new listeners, which is the surest sign that it was made with something genuine at its core.