Lagi Hawa Dil Ko - Nawabzaade by Mika Singh, Gurinder Seagal, Altamas, Nettle

The Nawabzaade album has several strong tracks, but Lagi Hawa Dil Ko - Nawabzaade is the one most listeners come back to first. Gurinder Seagal has a history of strong work, and the music on Lagi Hawa Dil Ko - Nawabzaade is among the most memorable of it.

There are singers who perform songs and singers who live inside them. On Lagi Hawa Dil Ko - Nawabzaade, Mika Singh, Gurinder Seagal, Altamas, Nettle clearly belongs in the second group. Hearing Lagi Hawa Dil Ko - Nawabzaade without thinking of Dharmesh Yelande, Raghav Juyal, Punit Pathak, Varun Dhawan, Shraddha Kapoor is almost impossible for anyone who has seen Nawabzaade.

The song dates from 2018, but nothing about it sounds dated — the emotions it captures are not tied to a moment. The emotional register of Lagi Hawa Dil Ko - Nawabzaade is wide enough to fit celebration and solitude equally well.

Running to 5:10, the song is exactly as long as it needs to be, which is the hardest length for a songwriter to find. It is, at the end of it, a very good song — and sometimes that is the only explanation that matters.