2023 seemed to end well for many music lovers. Guess why? After a year-long gap, on December 6, 2023, all music albums under Zee Music Company were again made available on the Spotify music application. For those unversed, at the beginning of 2023, Spotify removed the entire catalog of Hindi songs produced by Zee Music Company. It was reported that Zee Music had decided not to renew the licensing agreement with the music app. Hence, both of them were unable to reach a licensing agreement. It was estimated that over two dozen tracks in India’s Spotify Daily Top 200 were from Zee Music. Popular Bollywood music albums such as ‘Raees’, ‘Gully Boy‘ and ‘Bang Bang‘ were not available.
This was a major blow to my listening cycle. Zee Music has produced some of my favorite songs and suddenly, I was unable to access them on Spotify. Hence, I either had to listen to them on YouTube or download it from other websites. But now, the issue seems to be resolved and all the soul-southing albums are back on the app!
While there are several Hindi albums, I cannot wait to hear those by Zee on Spotify again! Thus, in the joy of this news, here are my top album choices from Zee Music:
- ‘PARINEETA‘: Listening to ‘Parineeta’ makes me feel like I am in heaven. Composed by Shantanu Moitra, every song of this album touches your heart in different ways. Whether it’s ”Piyu Bole”, ”Kasto Mazza”, ”Soona Man Ka Aangan”, ”Raat Hamari Toh” or ‘‘Kaisi Paheli Zindagani”, each track is a masterpiece and I can hardly choose a favorite amongst them. While I missed the album on Spotify, I am excited that it’s finally back on the app.
- ‘ABCD 2′: I believe that if there is one music album that has the most diverse genre of songs, then it has to be the movie ‘Any Body Can Dance 2’s’ album. Composed by my favorite duo Sachin and Jigar, it has the love songs ”Sun Saathiya” and ‘‘If You Hold My Hand’‘, the upbeat tracks ”Happy Hour” and ”Naach Meri Jaan” and, the soul-southing tunes ”Bezubaan Phir Se” and ”Chunar”. Lastly, it also has one of the most popular patriotic songs ”Vande Mataram”. While Sachin-Jigar’s work has always impressed me, with this album, they hit the ball out of the park.
- ‘KEDARNATH‘: For me, Kedarnath has always been a special and emotional movie. Particularly because it starred one of my favorite actors Late Sushant Singh Rajput. The movie is also special because of its melodious tracks. I missed listening to ”Qafirana”, ”Namo Namo” and ”Sweetheart” on Spotify. The album is composed by Amit Trivedi, one of the few music composers who has always amazed me with his brilliant skills. I am especially happy with the recent development as I can finally hear all the soundtracks on a loop!
- ‘LAILA MAJNU’: ‘‘O’meri Laila, Khwaab tu hai pehla, Kab se main tera hoon, kab se tu meri Laila” (Oh my Laila, you are the first dream, since long have I been yours, since long have you been my Laila), these lines from ”O’ Meri Laila” will forever be imprinted in my head. Other tracks like ”Sarphiri” and ”Ahista” from Laila Majnu make my heart sway every time I listen to them. Frankly speaking, the unavailability of this album disappointed me the most. Composed by the trio Niladri Kumar, Joi Barua, and Alif, it feels like a safe space.
- ‘KALANK’: In my Spotify wrapped 2023, the most-played female artist was Shreya Ghoshal, and the most-played composer was Pritam. Even though both Shreya Ghoshal and Pritam have collaborated on several occasions, there is something special about the movie Kalank. Every song, from ”Tabbah Ho Gaye” to ”Ghar More Pardeshiya”, makes you realize the power of Indian classical music. The title track called ”Kalank” was one of the best love songs of 2019. Other songs like ”First Class” and ”Aira Gira” surely hit the mark in uplifting your mood. Kalank is a diverse music album where every song has its league and popularity.
Apart from the aforesaid favorites, there were various other Zee albums that I missed listening to. I wish the news could have been released slightly before the annual Spotify Wrapped because in that case, my Wrapped might have looked different. Nevertheless, these albums surely helped me sail through the finals season!