Monday Playlist 25

It makes perfect sense that this is my 25th Monday playlist on this blog so ofcourse I had to make it about the songs that ruled my 2025. If you didn't already know, I'm a big believer in monthly playlists. I curate my playlists for each month, having one big month playlist for all the songs I listened to on, lets say previous Februaries into one, and then all the songs on all the months of the year into a huge year playlist. I know for a fact that every year my spotify personality would be about being a playlist maker and I love the predictability of that. 

Last year I discovered one new artist that I really ended up loving, Tsumoyki, whose entire vibe I really enjoyed, after first hearing his song pink blue from a crocs ad nonetheless. This playlist is in the order I added from Jan to Dec. 

I actually really loved Housefull 5 soundtrack, sometimes a shitty movie will give you such good songs. Choosing one was hard because laal pari was the soundtrack to so many of my pasta making but dil-e-naadaan just takes the cake. It's so poetic. (just ignore the video actually, oops)

Vilen has been a constant favourite, the original desi emo guy, there were a few favourites last year but I know I listened to parchaaiyan the most, Qaran's song featuring vilen. 

My partner and I watch a lot of shows and sometimes I'll hear a song from a show or movie that I just cannot get out of my head, that was the case for who by fire. It was the theme song of Bad Sisters, a fantastic show that we pretend don't have a second season and ended perfecly with just one season. Delusion runs strong in this household. 

Another movie soundtrack that I had a hard time choosing from was Saiyaara, a beautiful and touching movie we saw in the cinema so the sound makes it even more special. Humsafar will always have a special place for me because the word means so much in my little journey. 

I do love Darshan Raval but I think I didn't enjoy some of his songs the previous year so I had not really gone looking for his songs but this one, preet re, found me and played with my heartstrings like it was a guitar. Such a soft melodic song that builds rhythm, gorgeous poetic lyrics, a perfect concotion. 

Em Beihold really makes music for the now, I've somehow related to all her songs despite not having much in common with it, an oxymoron. Brutus, the eponymous title is no different. I loved the angst. 

I was really looking forward to Love Language after hearing rocket launcher, if anything it was a good sign but when the album came out, I was underwhelmed. Still, I return to this song and his old songs. 

Years will go by and I will find an old song for the first time, perhaps when I was meant to find it. Technically dil nahin bhara isn't even that old but it evokes feelings in me as if it's a ghazal from the 50's. The soundtrack for falling in love, perfectly encapsulated by this one song. Similar is the song Sahiba, I kept asking myself where was I when this song came out in 2023? I could have used it back then but I would not have perhaps been touched by it the same way two years ago. 

When I was in Perth, I tried looking for local artists and one of my first finds was Mariae, and then I stopped searching. She makes music that amkes me nostalgic for a time when I was a teenager. Million Billion Trillion is no different, a love ballad wrapped in ambient notes, soft as fur. 

Dua is a song that I'm pretty sure I've heard a Dhivehi version of, but how can that be? It confuses me to no end and maybe I will one day find it, if it even exists. Until then, I'll enjoy this pretty sound. 

Justh is just so cool, okay. He makes the kinda music I can listen to anytime of the day, a perfect pick me up. Unse Jaake kehdo is a love letter to love. He comes every two-ish years and gives us a melodic masterpiece and goes back? A true genius. 

I know wish gets the Indian k-pop treatment but wish reminds me of the old 2000's hindi-pop movement. I've been a fan of Panther since first seeing his season of MTV Hustle (you probably know I'm a huge fan of desi hip-hop) so this collab was extra special. I've loved every version of bolo bolo, a song that just makes me wanna dance every time I hear it. 

And last, is probably my faourite song of the year. Sometime during the last half of the year Farhan Khan released Ghar and the rest is history. While I love the entire album (both parts of Alif Laila equally), this song feels so personal, as if it was written by a pen I've held. There's magic is his verse. There's heartbreak, there's solace, there's despair, there's hope. How can he just make all of that into one song and leave it for us? I love this song with my entire being. 

I know this is a lot, but I've had to actually go through and choosing even this much was so hard. There's always a background music to almost every day of mine. 

Let me know your favourite listen of the previous year.