Telugu songs are some of the most popular in the world, with their Youtube videos regularly racking up tens of millions of views.
Looking for some of the most famous Telugu songs? Then check out our list below.
1. “Chamkeela Angeelesi” by Dhee, Ram Miriyala, and Santhosh Narayanan
Song Year: 2023
A key song from Telugu-language action-drama film “Dasara”, “Chamkeela Angeelesi,” is essentially a husband and wife making allegations against each other, each saying the other is no longer like they used to be. It’s a good reminder that people can change, and talking to each other before things go too far is vital for relationships.
Like most Telugu songs made for movies, you’ll get more from “Chamkeela Angeelesi” if you watch the movie it’s from. By watching “Dasara” you’ll be able to get the full context.
2. “Pilla Padesaave” by Haricharan and Yuvan Shankar Raja
Song Year: 2022
“Pilla Padesaave” is a love song, with the singer talking about his feelings for a girl. The main focus of the lyrics is how he feels that she’s a naughty girl who’s teasing him, and he feels like a puppet that she’s manipulating. At the same time, however, his feelings mean that he can’t be upset even knowing about what she’s doing to him.
Love songs in Telugu tend to be optimistic, and this entry among the best Telugu songs is no exception. While the singer doesn’t like the teasing, he ultimately accepts it, showing the idea of how dedicated love is necessary to overcome trials in a relationship.
3. “Darshana” by Chaitan Bharadwaj and Anurag Kulkarni
Song Year: 2023
Darshana is a vibrant, energetic song about falling in love. However, the lyrics contrast with the song’s energy, as the singer discusses his inability to express his feelings correctly. He is confused and upset about not knowing how to be together with his love and feeling stressed from feelings of separation.
“Darshana” is an excellent example of how troubled songs can sound like happy songs or the other way around. So how singers express things plays a significant role in the song’s final quality.
4. “Mastaaru Mastaaru” by G.V. Prekash Kumar and Shweta Mohan
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXSm49NGkg8
Song Year: 2022
Movies are the basis of many famous Telugu songs, and the recent “Mastaaru Mastaaru” is no exception. The lyrics focus on a lover who finally feels like she’s found her match. It’s an upbeat, peppy tune whose emotional depth is easy to understand even if you don’t speak Telugu.
Indian movies frequently feature music explaining what characters are doing and how they feel, so consider watching “Sir” for additional enjoyment.
5. “Malli Malli (from “Agent”)” by Hiphop Tamizha
Song Year: 2023
An upbeat song composed for an action film, “Malli Malli,” starts simply before adding techno beats to a much more energetic tune. The lyrics focus on the two main protagonists as they’re falling in love.
However, as this is a spy action movie, you know there’s far more to the male lead than is apparent from the start.
Techno is relatively rare in famous Telugu songs, so this song stands out as a rare example of music that defies genre conventions.
6. “Poonakaalu Loading” by Ram Miriyala, Devi Sri Prasad, and Roll Rida
Song Year: 2023
“Poonakaalu Loading” is an upbeat dance number, mixing a little English into the native Telugu that forms the backbone of its song. Mixed-language songs aren’t rare, though English is one of the preferred options because more people across India speak it.
Mixing languages here also makes “Poonakaalu Loading” more accessible to international audiences. If you want to enjoy some famous Telugu songs but aren’t fluent in the language, this song is a great place to begin.
7. “Oh Baby Jaaripomake” by Dhanunjay and Sai Kartheek
Song Year: 2023
Written for an action-comedy film, “Oh Baby Jaaripomake” is fundamentally a love song and one of the high points of the film’s rather average story.
However, India knows how to go all-in on music, and the lyrics focus on the protagonists as they confess their feelings for each other and say that even in age, they can have love together.
8. “O Dollar Pillagaa” by Deepak Blue, Leon James, and Mangli
Song Year: 2023
“O Dollar Pillaga” is an upbeat item song, ideal for dancing and partying. The lyrics emphasize a theme of materialism and the pursuit of money (especially in the form of a “dollar-thief”), and especially how that money can bring success to those who already have it.
That said, it also has a few comments about how the temptation of money can be limiting, often failing to bring genuine happiness to someone’s life.
9. “Thoduga Ma Thodundi” by Komaramma and Mogili
Song Year: 2023
“Thoduga Ma Thodundi” is a somewhat mournful song, although it retains many of the upbeat characteristics of Telugu music. Its lyrics showcase a father talking to his son, expressing his regret for the son’s apparent failure to remember everything he learned while younger.
Family is essential to most cultures, and losing family members can hurt people deeply. This song can resonate with many people, which may explain why it’s so popular despite being so new.
10. “Yedurangula Vaana” by Sid Sriram
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOLw-mkSnHs
Song Year: 2022
“Yedurangula Vaana” is a song about love and desire, including how someone can feel that their lover is the very reason for their life.
They also discuss how happiness can come in many forms through love and how the absence of a partner causes hurt. Weather is a repeating motif throughout the lyrics, including rainbows, clouds, and rain.
11. “Ra Ra Reddy I Am Ready” by Aditya Iyengar and Lipsika
Song Year: 2022
As you might expect from the name, “Ra Ra Reddy” is an upbeat and peppy song. The lyrics focus on a somewhat lazy man who would instead just switch on a heater or a cooler, depending on the season.
However, upon finding love, he starts feeling the desire to act more maturely and change himself a little.
12. “Saami Saami (Telugu)” by Mounika Yadav
Song Year: 2021
Saami Saami is a female-view love song full of yearning and overwhelming desire. In it, the singer focuses on her love for the one she calls her lord and how simply talking can make her feel the overwhelming passion.
However, it also includes a little fear, including a desire not to be left alone or looked at with anger. That’s a sentiment most people in love can share.
13. “Netho Cheppana” by S. P. Balasubrahmanyam and K. S. Chithra
Song Year: 2005
A little more classic than some of the songs on this list, “Netho Cheppana” is a thoughtful and reflective song. Its primary focus is understanding, especially how people hesitate and miss things in a relationship.
Communication is the most critical part of any experience people have with each other, so any lack of understanding can cause problems, especially in romance.
14. “Buttabomma” by Armaan Malik
Song Year: 2020
Although the name might look amusing to an English speaker, “Buttabomma” is one of the most popular Telugu songs ever, winning several significant accolades the year after it came out.
The romantic lyrics focus on an inability to restrain from love and how many things the singer has experienced drastically exceed what they expected.
15. “Eyy Bidda Idhi Naa Adda (Telugu)” by Nakash Aziz
Song Year: 2021
“Eyy Bidda Idhi Naa Adda” is similar to what English-focused audiences might call a “villain song,” as its primary character talks about how the land around is his territory. He’ll be doing what he wants within it.
In addition to being an excellent look at one of the characters in the film it’s from, this song stands alone as a deeper-tuned Telugu song that isn’t about love.
16. “Pataas Pilla” by Anirudh Ravichander
Song Year: 2022
“Pataas Pilla” is a surprisingly melodic song considering its lyrics, with the primary focus being the singer’s thoughts about someone he calls a “firecracker girl.”
As the translation implies, he’s referring to a romantic partner who’s explosive and attention-getting, and he doesn’t quite know how to respond to all of it, nor the feelings left behind when she’s gone.
17. “Poovullo Daagunna” by Unni Krishnan and Sujatha Mohan
Song Year: 1998
“Poovullo Daagunna” is a classical Telugu love song, where the singer uses comparison to try and explain the wonder he feels.
The lyrics include comparisons to flowers, birds, and flute music and a few thoughts on how departure and arrival can affect feelings. It’s a fundamentally straightforward and optimistic song, making it easy to listen to.
18. “Bhale Bhale Banjara” by Shankar Mahadevan and Rahul Sipligunj
Song Year: 2022
“Bhale Bhale Banjara” is an upbeat and energetic song about freedom and action. The lyrics focus on talking about a tiny spark igniting passion and the desire to impact parties and the people around with friendly mischief.
However, the song also takes a few lines to remind the listener that their neighbors and friends remain part of one’s life, which can be all too easy to forget.
19. “Apudo Ipudo” by Siddharth
Song Year: 2006
“Apudo Ipudo” is one of the main songs of the 2006 film Bommarillu, which focuses on the tale of a father’s excessive concern for his son, causing a rift between them. Although Bommarillu has been surpassed in recent years by India’s rapidly-growing movie market, it was one of the most popular Telugu movies ever made at the time of its release.
The lyrics of “Apudo Ipudo” focus on thoughts drifting toward love, especially in the middle of work. People who are deeply in love often feel a sense of connection regardless of physical distance, and this love song brings that idea to the forefront.
20. “Nee Tholisariga” by Usha
Song Year: 2002
Usha’s “Nee Tholisariga” is a song about first encounters. In it, she sings about trying to figure out if someone is a dream or reality and of the confusion about whether the encounter is a blessing or a curse. Relationships can be complex, especially if the other person isn’t interested in reciprocating, and that emotion is on full display in this song.
21. “Preminche Premava” by Shreya Ghoshal and Naresh Iyer
Song Year: 2006
“Preminche Premava” is a song about trying to understand what love is. In it, the singer discusses many of his thoughts and feelings, including whether the love is real or just something he’s imagining. Color is also a significant motif in the song, especially in the mention of rangoli (a kind of temporary, brightly-colored patterned art) that represents love and family.
22. “Priya Priyathama” by K. S. Chithra and Mano
Song Year: 1992
“Priya Priyathama” is the main song from the 1992 Telugu-language film Killer, which tells the story of a boy taken from his family as he turns to crime out of desperation for money but falls in love along the way.
The lyrics focus on the feelings of a fresh new love, offering comparisons to birdsong and moonlight as a metaphor for the singer’s feelings.
23. “O Rendu Prema Meghaalila” by Vijai Bulganin and Sreerama Chandra
Song Year: 2022
“O Rendu Prema Meghaalila” is a song about the ephemeral nature of love. In it, the lyrics compare love to clouds in the sky, asking where the water vapor will ultimately end up. At the same time, the lyrics ask if the world itself is an illusion and if love is what’s real.
24. “Ooru Palletooru” by Bheems Ceciroleo, Mangli, and Ram Miriyala
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXeuECKDFcI
Song Year: 2023
“Ooru Palletooru” is a gentle, refreshing Telugu song that mixes excellent cello work with a brighter aria. The lyrics focus on explaining the charms of the countryside as part of the setup for the film Balagam, which features it as one of the primary songs.
25. “Potti Pilla” by Ram Miriyala
Song Year: 2023
“Potti Pilla” is one of the main songs from the film Balagam, a family drama revolving around the sudden troubles caused by the loss of the elderly Gajula. Ram Miriyala sings the song but doesn’t appear as one of the film’s actors.
The lyrics here discuss the idea of a naughty child, which in this context refers to a grown man who isn’t yet acting responsibly towards his family.
As with most Telugu movie songs, it’s intimately tied to the movie’s plot and best enjoyed with subtitles in context. Balagam’s excellent ratings are a further reason to enjoy watching, not just listening.
26. “Urike Urike” by Ramya Behara, M.M. Sreelekha, and Sid Sriram
Song Year: 2022
“Urike Urike” featuring Sid Sriram is about longing and yearning, with temperature as a major motif in its lyrics. It starts with a discussion about a cool breeze making the singer feel alive, which is easily understood in a warm nation like India, before switching to discussions of passion and emotion as burning sensations.
27. “Maaraajayya” by Kaala Bhairava and G.V. Prakash Kumar
Song Year: 2023
Another song from the movie Sir, “Maaraajayya” is a song about loss and separation. In it, the singer accuses another character of being responsible for how they feel at the moment, and how they are likely to perish because of their actions.
However, it’s somewhat mournful, as the song acknowledges the loss in other relationships that this causes.
Best Telugu Songs, Final Thoughts
Famous Telugu songs are rapidly becoming a mainstay of India’s musical culture. Many songs from recent movies easily surpass tens of millions of views, and it remains a cultural powerhouse in India’s southeastern areas.