Most songs that rule the Indian charts arrive with a big film behind them, a star-studded video and a marketing budget to match. Aditya Rikhari’s “Sahiba” had none of that. Released as an independent single in December 2023, it kept climbing on word of mouth, and by November 2025 it had become the longest-running non-film song trending on the Spotify India charts.
Here is how a quiet love song from a young singer-songwriter outlasted some of the biggest Bollywood soundtracks of the year.
The Spotify India record
On November 6, 2025, FilmiBeat and Filmfare Middle East reported that “Sahiba” had stayed unbeaten on Spotify India’s charts for more than 11 weeks in 2025 alone, the longest run of any non-film track that year. Neither report gave an exact total week count, so the safest way to put it is “over 11 weeks” during 2025.
What makes the run stand out is the company it kept. Film music usually owns the top of Indian streaming charts, and 2025 was no exception, with hits like “Saiyaara” pulling in huge numbers. “Sahiba” held its ground anyway, with no film tie-in and no expensive campaign pushing it along. Reports at the time credited listener love and word of mouth for its staying power.
A top-five song of 2025
The year-end numbers backed up the chart story. When Spotify released its Wrapped 2025 lists for India in December, “Sahiba” by Aditya Rikhari landed at No. 4 on the country’s most-streamed songs of the year, according to Rolling Stone India.
That put it ahead of tracks by Anuv Jain and Arijit Singh on the same list. Only “Raanjhan,” “Finding Her” and the title track of “Saiyaara” ranked higher. A different song also called “Sahiba,” by Jasleen Royal and Stebin Ben, came in at No. 9, which caused some confusion among fans searching for the right track.
The run did not stop with Wrapped, either. On December 23, 2025, Filmfare Middle East reported that Rikhari’s song was still holding the top spot on music charts even as soundtracks from big releases such as Dhurandhar gained ground.
Who made “Sahiba”
“Sahiba” is very much a one-person effort at its core. Rikhari sings it and is credited as its composer and lyricist, and he is also listed among the producers. The track is presented by T-Series.
The visuals came as a lyrical visualizer featuring Rikhari alongside Ankita Chhetri. It is a simple, intimate video, which suits a song built on soft vocals and a straightforward story of longing.
Who is Aditya Rikhari?
Rikhari was born on July 30, 2001, in Uttarakhand and is based in New Delhi. He started out in 2020, during the pandemic, posting covers and recording original music from his home studio. Early songs such as “Kya Karein,” “Tu Rehti Hai” and “Faasle” built him a loyal online following long before “Sahiba” broke through.
His profile grew quickly after that. In 2024, his song “Jaana Samjho Na” was picked up for Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3, starring Kartik Aaryan and Triptii Dimri, marking his film debut. The same year he released his album Jaana and took it on a 10-city India tour in early 2025. Speaking to Rolling Stone India about the record, he said, “It’s a mirror to the emotions we all feel but don’t always express.”
His work on the Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3 soundtrack later earned a nomination at the 70th Filmfare Awards. In 2025 he also joined Amazon MX Player’s talent show IPOPSTAR as its youngest mentor. For more on the artists shaping this scene, head to our music section.
Why the record matters for Indian pop
For years, the path to a hit in India ran almost entirely through Bollywood. Independent artists could build fan bases on YouTube and Instagram, but the top of the charts usually belonged to film songs. “Sahiba” is one of the clearest signs that this is changing.
A song released with no film attached spent months near the top of Spotify India and finished the year among the four most-streamed tracks in the country. That is a big deal for a growing wave of indie and I-pop artists who make music on their own terms. It also shows how much power listeners now have. Playlists, shares and repeat plays carried this song, not a release-week publicity push.
Film music is not going anywhere, of course. Rikhari himself has crossed over, and you can follow the latest film soundtracks in our Bollywood coverage. But “Sahiba” proved that a non-film love song can hold its own against the biggest names in the business.
Quick facts
- Song: “Sahiba”
- Artist: Aditya Rikhari (singer, composer, lyricist)
- Label: T-Series
- Released: December 19, 2023
- Visualizer features: Aditya Rikhari and Ankita Chhetri
- Record: Longest-running non-film song trending on Spotify India charts in 2025 (over 11 weeks, reported November 6, 2025)
- Spotify Wrapped 2025 (India): No. 4 most-streamed song of the year
About the author
Neha Nikharge is Assistant Editor at Awesome TV and a writer for AWSM Times. Neha covers Bollywood, OTT releases, celebrity interviews and pop culture for South Asian audiences in the US and around the world, and has written more than 4,500 stories for Awesome TV. Story tips and corrections: hello@awesometv.com.
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