Why ‘Saiyaara’ Became India’s Most-Loved Song On YouTube In 2025

YouTube’s 2025 End-of-Year trends report has crowned “Saiyaara” as India’s #1 Top Song, but the real story lies in how it got there. The track didn’t just climb on the strength of its audio streams or music video views; it surged because millions of people used it.

According to YouTube, “Saiyaara” became a rare “dual-engine” hit this year, ranking as both the #1 Music Video in India and the #3 Top Song on YouTube Shorts. That cross-platform dominance signals a fundamental shift: participation has overtaken passive consumption as the new measure of success.

Instead of waiting for audiences to discover music, the audiences now propel it. They stitch it into vlogs, travel reels, comedy skits, transition edits, dance routines, transforming songs into templates for storytelling. Creators, not just listeners, are now the hit-makers.

Industry analysts say the Shorts feed has become the primary discovery funnel for YouTube’s main charts, overturning years of traditional trend patterns. When a track trends in Shorts, it feeds back into full-length consumption, fueling a self-reinforcing loop that can push a song to the top.

This is exactly what happened with “Saiyaara”.

As YouTube’s data shows, the line between “song” and “soundtrack” has blurred and in 2025, virality is no longer led by views but by usage.

YouTube has released the full list of the Top Songs on YouTube and YouTube Shorts, offering a deeper look at how India listened  and created, this year. A detailed breakdown is now available on the platform’s official blog.