This is Billboard India’s weekly editorial series No Skip. Every Monday, we tell you exactly what to listen to – songs handpicked by the Billboard India team from last week’s crop of music releases. Tracks from Indian artists across film, indie, regional and the diaspora community are eligible.
Below are this week’s No Skip selections to kick your week off right.
- “forever” by Yung Raja, Mali
The Singaporean-Tamil rapper collaborates with singer-songwriter Mali for a pop-rap breakup song soundtracked by a tropical house beat – think Drake’s “Passionfruit” but with a dreamy update for 2026. A smooth listen with a collaboration we didn’t expect!
- “Prashna” by Akash Ravuru
The Telugu singer dropped his first original single. Melody-led with some heavy electric guitar fusion, Ravuru’s voice carries the wavering tempo with modulations that go from sweet to soaring. Ravuru’s Carnatic training shines through in this composition.
- “Fineapple” by Pineapple Express
This one’s for the head bangers. Progressive metal and Carnatic music come together over English growls and classical scat singing in Kannada. A multilingual melange, the song travels to an almost-5-minute mark, taking you from groovy beginnings to a roaring, climactic bridge and culminating with trippy solos.
- “Bazaar” by Bharat Chauhan, Seedhe Maut
The Hindi song, from Chauhan’s upcoming album UNS, goes from jazz lounge singing to zesty rap real soon. The saxophones and swing guitar riffs stay. Chauhan’s simple lyricism, delivered in monotone, offers a complementing contrast to Seedhe Maut’s hip-hop gusto.
