Sandhya Chari’s New Song ‘Nee Enge’ Takes a Dreamy, Bilingual Approach
The Tamil-American artist’s latest Tamil-Hindi single enlists lyricist Kaustubh Hile and producer MJ Melodies
Indo-American singer-songwriter Sandhya Chari. Photo: K2 Productions/Kishan Kumar
California-raised, Mumbai-based Sandhya Chari’s latest release “Nee Enge” weaves between Hindi and Tamil lyrics, asking her future soulmate when she’s going to be swept off her feet.
Featuring Tamil and Hindi lyrics (by writer Kaustubh Hile) and produced by MJ Melodies, there’s a cheery, tropical and dancefloor-friendly vibe to the song, imbued with a flute-like sample. The artist says in a press release, “‘Nee Enge’ is a bilingual song merging Tamil with Hindi. Kicking off with a poignant snippet from my grandmother and English vocals, the song delves into the dreamscape of love and longing.”
Her grandmother’s voice, in Tamil, stems from a conversation they had about how Chari needs to come back down to reality rather than expect a king to ride in on a golden chariot and take her away. The bottom line, which we could all do with listening to, is that one has to come back down to reality and “settle in life” to find happiness in matters of love.
Nevertheless, Chari says she’s penned the song “as an ode to her future soulmate, yearning for their arrival. Each note resonates with anticipation, echoing the universal question: Where are you? The song takes us on this emotive journey as we navigate the realm where dreams meet reality.”
Chari, who previously released her Tamil-English song “Manam” last year to several hundred thousand streams on Spotify, teased “Nee Enge” last month ahead of its release on April 19th, leaning into a self-deprecative delusional idea that love will find her soon. “Dedicated to all the hopeless romantics out there,” Chari said in a post.
To add to the humor, the artist likened herself (and anyone tuning in) to actor Aishwarya Rai’s character in the 2000 Tamil romance/drama movie Kandukondain Kandukondain (itself an adaptation of Jane Austen’s novel Sense and Sensibility). The artist floated a few more Indian film references – including Kuch Kuch Hota Hai – but this time, mentioned how “Nee Enge” does in fact lend itself to a Bollywood soundtrack. She described the project as one that was very close to her heart. “[It’s] dedicated to all the big dreamers who love to romanticize their life,” Chari said on Instagram.
Listen to “Nee Enge” below. Stream on more platforms here.
