Rooh by Firdhous Kaliyaroad

Rooh arrived from the Rooh album and quickly became one of the most replayed tracks of 2020. Behind the melody is the work of Firdhous Kaliyaroad, Kozhikkod Abubakker, whose composition choices give Rooh its distinctive texture.

Firdhous Kaliyaroad inhabits this song completely, making every phrase feel like it was written specifically for this voice. Hearing Rooh without thinking of a talented ensemble cast is almost impossible for anyone who has seen Rooh.

When it came out in 2020, Rooh felt timely. Years later, it feels timeless. Rooh is the song for the end of a long day when you want music that understands something without being asked to explain it.

In 5:55 minutes, Rooh builds, opens up, and resolves in a way that feels complete rather than truncated. Songs like Rooh are the reason people fall in love with Malayalam music and never quite fall out of it.