Kulir Thennal Vannu - Female by Abhirami Ajai

Few songs from 2020 have held their ground as well as Kulir Thennal Vannu - Female, a track that keeps finding new audiences. Girish Narayanan sets the tone from the very first bar — it is clear from the opening notes that this song means business.

The voice of Abhirami Ajai carries Kulir Thennal Vannu - Female effortlessly, which is the highest compliment a song can give its singer. The chemistry of Nandu, Gabi Antony, Jayan Cherthala, Shivaji Guruvayoor, Balaji, Padmanabhan Thampi, Baiju Kuttan is embedded in every moment of Kulir Thennal Vannu - Female, making it as much a performance as a song.

2020 marked the release of Kulir Thennal Vannu - Female, and Kulir Thennal Vannu - Female was the track that ensured the album would be remembered. Listeners have described the experience of Kulir Thennal Vannu - Female differently — romantic, melancholic, uplifting — which suggests the song is large enough to hold many truths.

The concision of Kulir Thennal Vannu - Female — just 5:20 — is part of what makes it work. There is nothing here that should not be. Kulir Thennal Vannu - Female endures because it was built on feeling rather than formula — and that is the one thing streaming numbers cannot manufacture.