Best Indian Indie Songs of 2021: 20 Tracks, Checked

These are the Indian independent songs from 2021 that still sound great today. The year mixed lockdown love songs, hard-hitting Delhi rap, Hindi folk-pop and big festival dance tracks. We picked 20 songs across genres, one or two per artist, and checked every date at the song level, so a track that first came out in 2020 and was later put on a 2021 album does not count here.

How we checked. Dates come from Apple Music India (iTunes catalogue, country IN), checked on 28 October 2026, using each song's own release date. Only released songs are included. For the albums of the year, read our best Indian indie albums of 2021 guide.

Quick answer: 20 best Indian indie songs of 2021

• "Jungle Mantra" – DIVINE feat. Vince Staples & Pusha T (15 January)
• "Roz Roz" – The Yellow Diary feat. Shilpa Rao (4 February)
• "Break Free" – When Chai Met Toast (19 February)
• "Tabia" – Prabh Deep (4 March)
• "Saza-E-Maut" – KR$NA (18 March)
• "Taara" – The Lost Symbols (18 May)
• "Naamcheen" – Seedhe Maut (1 June)
• "Wahin Ka Wahin" – Lifafa (11 June)
• "Sante" – Siri (12 June)
• "Shehron Ke Raaz" – Prateek Kuhad (25 June)
• "Khamoshi" – Ritviz & Karan Kanchan (9 July)
• "Gul" – Anuv Jain (16 July)
• "Nanchaku" – Seedhe Maut & MC Stan (23 July)
• "Sathi" – Ritviz & Nucleya (13 August)
• "Ovotaar" – Aswekeepsearching feat. Shankuraj Konwar (20 August)
• "Yellow Paper Daisy" – When Chai Met Toast (17 September)
• "Humara Ho Gaya" – Osho Jain feat. Sanchi (20 October)
• "Dus Minute Aur" – Swarathma (25 October)
• "Inside Out" – Thermal and a Quarter (26 November)
• "Udaan" – The Yellow Diary (16 December)

The songs, in release order

"Jungle Mantra" – DIVINE feat. Vince Staples & Pusha T (15 January 2021). The Mumbai rapper opened the year with two big American guests. It showed how far Indian rap had travelled in a few years. More in our DIVINE songs guide.

"Roz Roz" – The Yellow Diary feat. Shilpa Rao (4 February 2021). A slow, aching duet, and one of the band's biggest songs. It was so popular that a "Trending Version" followed in 2023.

"Break Free" – When Chai Met Toast (19 February 2021). A bright, hopeful single that later went on the band's album When We Feel Young.

"Tabia" – Prabh Deep (4 March 2021). The title track of his Azadi Records album: quiet, heavy and very personal.

"Saza-E-Maut" – KR$NA (18 March 2021). From the album Still Here. Fast, precise rapping over a dark beat.

"Taara" – The Lost Symbols (18 May 2021). Released eleven days before their debut album The Diary. A soft Hindi love song from the Jaipur duo.

"Naamcheen" – Seedhe Maut (1 June 2021). The lead single of their mixtape न. Read the full run in our Seedhe Maut songs guide.

"Wahin Ka Wahin" – Lifafa (11 June 2021). From Superpower 2020. A dry, catchy song about being stuck in the same place. Our Lifafa songs and albums guide has more.

"Sante" – Siri (12 June 2021). A confident, punchy single from the Bengaluru rapper, and a good entry point to the south Indian rap wave.

"Shehron Ke Raaz" – Prateek Kuhad (25 June 2021). The title song of his 2021 EP, released two weeks before the EP itself. Gentle and cinematic. See our Prateek Kuhad songs guide.

"Khamoshi" – Ritviz & Karan Kanchan (9 July 2021). The closing track of the Dev EP: a warm, slow dance song.

"Gul" – Anuv Jain (16 July 2021). One guitar, one voice, a very simple love song. It became one of his most loved tracks. More in our Anuv Jain songs guide.

"Nanchaku" – Seedhe Maut & MC Stan (23 July 2021). A rare collaboration between Delhi and Pune rap, with a beat built for crowds.

"Sathi" – Ritviz & Nucleya (13 August 2021). The first song from their joint EP Baaraat. Festive and big.

"Ovotaar" – Aswekeepsearching feat. Shankuraj Konwar (20 August 2021). The Ahmedabad band's dreamy, slow-building single with guest singer Shankuraj Konwar.

"Yellow Paper Daisy" – When Chai Met Toast (17 September 2021). A sweet, sunny single that was later re-recorded for the Nature Tapes, Vol. 1 EP in 2024.

"Humara Ho Gaya" – Osho Jain feat. Sanchi (20 October 2021). The opener of his album Saar. A soft, honest Hindi duet.

"Dus Minute Aur" – Swarathma (25 October 2021). The Bengaluru folk-rock band in a playful mood, asking for ten more minutes.

"Inside Out" – Thermal and a Quarter (26 November 2021). A late-year single from the veteran Bengaluru rock band. See our Thermal and a Quarter albums guide.

"Udaan" – The Yellow Diary (16 December 2021). The band closed the year with a hopeful song about taking flight.

Songs we left out on purpose

Some popular 2021 albums are built from 2020 singles. For example, "When We Feel Young" and "Kahaani" by When Chai Met Toast, "Chhoti Si" and "Khuda" by The Lost Symbols, and most of Dhruv Visvanath's The Book of I first came out in 2020, so they belong in our 2020 list instead. The Lost Symbols' "Adhura Sa" (1 March 2021) and Emiway Bantai's "Machayenge 3" (14 May 2021) were close calls.

More year lists

Read best Indian indie songs of 2022 for the next year, and best Hindi indie songs or Indian indie love songs for lists across all years.

FAQ

What was the biggest Indian indie song of 2021? "Gul" by Anuv Jain and "Roz Roz" by The Yellow Diary feat. Shilpa Rao are two of the best-loved indie songs from that year.

When did "Gul" come out? Apple Music India lists "Gul" by Anuv Jain as a single released on 16 July 2021.

Is "Roz Roz" a 2021 song? Yes. The Yellow Diary released "Roz Roz" with Shilpa Rao on 4 February 2021.