'Kalyani Remix' With Shreya Ghoshal Becomes First Malayalam Song On YouTube's Global Chart
Shreya Ghoshal's 'Kalyani Remix' with ARJN, KDS, RONN and FIFTY4 is the first Malayalam song on YouTube's Global Charts, where it peaked at No. 2.
"Kalyani Remix", the Shreya Ghoshal version of a Malayalam independent hit by ARJN, KDS, RONN and FIFTY4, is the first Malayalam song to enter YouTube's Global Charts. It peaked at No. 2, according to Def Jam Recordings India, which released it.
The original "Kalyani" had passed 90 million Spotify streams before the remix came out. Ghoshal, one of the most familiar playback voices in the country, gave it a second run without changing its language.
The numbers
The remix reached No. 1 on YouTube's charts in India and the UAE and No. 3 on YouTube's Top 200 for India. It also topped Shazam's Top 200 in both countries and Shazam's Viral chart in India.
Streaming, video and song-recognition charts all moved in the same weeks. People were finding it in several places at once.
The video stars Malayalam actor Saniya Iyappan and has crossed 30 million YouTube views.
Daily game
Today's Guess
Four songs. Clues unlock as you guess.
Get Tracklist
Weekly playlists and our best stories. Free.
The count has kept climbing since. The official video is now close to 278 million views, and it was still at No. 11 on YouTube's weekly global chart this week, 15 weeks after it first entered. Its best single day brought in more than 4.2 million views. A separate lyric upload is in the same weekly top 40.
Who made it
ARJN, KDS, RONN and FIFTY4 have worked together for some time, on earlier releases including "Nera", "Sheriya" and "Chillara Flex". Their starting point is contemporary Kerala pop, with Afro-R&B, hip-hop and melodic pop folded in, and it has been finding listeners well outside the state.
Malayalam music has usually reached wide audiences through film soundtracks. "Kalyani" got onto the global chart as a non-film song, with the playback star coming in on the remix.
(Source: Def Jam Recordings India press release, YouTube charts)
