Every once in a while, there comes an Indian song that takes the whole world by storm. In 1998, that song was Tunak Tunak Tun by Daler Mehndi, 2011, it was Why This Kolaveri Di. Then in 2021, there came a song that has now taken over the world, and you will find every person in the country and even outside, bobbing their head to it. On 7th March 2021, a Tamil speaking Sri Lankan singer Dhee, along with Arivu and Santhosh Narayan, both from India, released a single called Enjoy Enjaami. Followed by the release of the single, they also released the music video of the song on 10th March 2021. The release of this music video, led to the rising popularity and national accreditation of Enjoy Enjaami. Not only did the Tamil speaking audience indulge in it, but over the span of the next few weeks, people in the western part of India, along with people from the central, eastern and northern parts of India also started vibing and singing along with this song.

Don’t know the song yet?

Enjoy Enjaami (translated as “Enjoy, My Dear”) is a Tamil song written by Sri Lankan artist Dhee and produced by Santhosh Narayanan. It is Dhee’s debut single, produced and orchestrated by Narayanan, with lyrics by Arivu, released by Maajja, an independent platform founded by Indian composer A. R. Rahman. It is a pop and hip hop song with elements of R&B and oppari – a Tamil Nadu traditional music form.

The basic meaning of the song –

If you watch the video of this song as a non-Tamil speaker, you will still very clearly understand what it is that the artist is trying to say through the song. It is a very incorporative, and a cinematographically as well as aesthetically rich and beautiful music video. The song in its own is very passionate and energetic. Enjoy Enjaami is written by Arivu. The song, according to Arivu, was created as a celebration of his heritage, harkening back to a period when mankind was a nascent civilisation, living in peace with the turns of the earth and the myriad lives that shared it. He says that his inspiration came from a variety of sources.
The song tells the narrative of Arivu’s grandmother, Valliammal, who used to nickname him ‘Enjaami’ (My Lord). It was his grandmother’s narrative of the Tamil exodus to Ceylon during the Colonial era. With a poverty-stricken populace, it was a market for cheap labour throughout the time of Colonial India. In the nineteenth century, hordes of Tamils were brought to Ceylon to work on the tea, coffee, and rubber plantations, and his grandmother was one of them. This influenced Arivu’s lyrics, which alluded to humanity’s bond with the Earth through references to land, soil, and ancestors. Valliammal appears towards the end of the music video, seated on a throne-like seat, flanked to the left and right by Arivu and Dhee. Arivu intended to express the lost roots of the Earth as well as the origins of self as a people via this song.

One of the most beautifully made music videos –

The treatment of Tamilian culture, as well as the ideal colours of the costumes worn by Dhee and Arivu, as well as the background dancers, in contrast to their surroundings, has been done flawlessly. Especially, with respect to the meaning of the song and the significance of the scenario taking place. Amith Krishnan, who has previously directed several indie songs, directed the music video. The graphics were shot at Arivu’s hometown in Tiruvannamalai district by Balaji Subramanyan. It was Dhee’s first time appearing in a music video for a performance.
The music video begins with Parai drummers drumming and ululating ladies, causing the Earth to tremble. The video concludes with Valliammal seated on a throne, referring to Arivu’s lyrics about enjoying a matriarchal society.

What a chartbuster –

Within two weeks, the song had over 2 million streams on the music streaming service Spotify. Within a week of its publication on March 10, 2021, the video had received over 20 million views. It became the first non-film Tamil song to get more than 100 million views (as of April 2021), and it received 4 million likes, making it the second Tamil song to do so. It also surpassed 200 million views by the end of May 2021, 270 million views by the end of June 2021, and 306 million views by the end of July 2021. Just take a look at the chart below – 

Chart (2021)

Peak
position

United Kingdom (Asian Music Chart Top 40) 

5

iTunes India Charts

1

Spotify Top 200 (India

3

Spotify Viral 50 (India) 

5

On World Music Day (21 June 2021), global music streaming platform Spotify, collaborated with French DJ & Producer DJ Snake to recreate this single for the platform’s Spotify Singles; an initiative to provide a platform for artists to record and re-record their originals, which was welcomed as an opportunity for musicians to explore global music cultures and work with their couturiers. DJ Snake remixed the song with the original vocalist Dhee to start the project in India, combining “electronic dance music” with “distinctive styles influenced by the sounds local to Tamil Nadu.” Dhee expressed her delight at being the first Indian artist to be a part of the Spotify Singles programme for her maiden independent single, as did the song’s producer, Santhosh Narayanan. This song has made a huge mark on the music industry in the 21st century. Watching people from our country and a song that depicts our southern culture – so beautifully, too – really gives one a sense of pride on a whole new level. If you haven’t heard the song yet, you should definitely go and check it out. This isn’t one that you should miss, at all!