Onam Varavayi by Sithara Krishnakumar

Few songs from 2020 have held their ground as well as Onam Varavayi, a track that keeps finding new audiences. Behind the melody is the work of Sithara Krishnakumar, Samuel Aby, whose composition choices give Onam Varavayi its distinctive texture.

There are singers who perform songs and singers who live inside them. On Onam Varavayi, Sithara Krishnakumar clearly belongs in the second group. Hearing Onam Varavayi without thinking of a talented ensemble cast is almost impossible for anyone who has seen Onam Varavayi.

When it came out in 2020, Onam Varavayi felt timely. Years later, it feels timeless. It is the kind of track that works at full volume with friends and equally well in a quiet room alone — the mood adjusts without the song changing.

The concision of Onam Varavayi — just 4:00 — is part of what makes it work. There is nothing here that should not be. Songs like Onam Varavayi are the reason people fall in love with Malayalam music and never quite fall out of it.