Kerala-based artist Omar Zakhariah teams up with Anohnymouss for his debut single ‘Pongumoodu’, a bouncy funk-rap track named after his hometown. The song combines groovy basslines, funky guitar riffs and Malayalam-English rap verses, while its playful music video follows Omar and his friends around Pongumoodu. The track also marks the beginning of an album-length run of music from Omar, who is also part of punk-rap/rap-rock band Omar And The Wrong Meds.
From the land of green green kaadu, comes Kerala-based artist Omar Zakhariah's debut single ‘Pongumoodu’, with Anohnymouss — a bouncy funk-rap track named after a suburb in his hometown. As we join the boys around town in the music video, English and Malayalam verses fly by over a groovy bassline, and see Omar rigorously train for and succeed in picking up the guitar like Thor's hammer. “Pongumoodu could be any junction in Kerala - tea shops, bakeries, and a bank,” says Omar. “It’s a very regular place. I doubt anyone other than the residents of Pongumoodu finds it special.”
Except for the music that the boys are cooking up. Besides his own practice, Omar is also part of punk-rap/ rap-rock band called Omar And The Wrong Meds with Aakash Vijayan and Joseph P John, who just performed as the opening act at the Linear Festival 2026 in Bengaluru last month. Omar met Aakash at a bar gig, where he and Rahul, the fellow in the striped outfit from the 'Pongumoodu' video, were performing Omar’s music as a filler act. Aakash would not let him leave the stage until he played him another one of his songs. They got to know each other after the set, although it was seven months before they met again and jammed for the first time.
“And as for Joseph, well, he's my nephew, and I've known him since forever. He's been a musical boy since a very young age,” shares Omar. “About two years ago, I'd told him that I might need his help performing some of the music I'd written. Fast forward to now, these two cats are my rock.”
Omar grew up with a father who was very enthusiastic about music, blasting Fateh Ali Khan, John Denver, and O.S. Thiagarajan in the living room. His parents thought it best that Omar and his sister learn to play an instrument when they were in secondary school. “So for a couple of months I learnt to play some guitar. I hated it, he recalls. “I didn't naturally pick up the guitar until 11th grade, when I saw an older brother of mine play something really simple on the guitar that sounded incredible. That perhaps was the point I started pursuing music.”
"My writing usually starts on the guitar, so most of the songs I've written so far have lots of guitar parts."Omar Zakhariah
‘Pongumoodu’ has the pep that reminds me of Vulfpeck, which is also the primary reference for Omar for the kind of energy he wants to bring on stage. Meeting Anohnymouss, his collaborator on the track, has been a pivotal point in Omar’s music-making life. “Apart from being the freak talent that he is, Anoh and I connected instantly. I've been and continue to be in awe of the talent around me,” he notes.
Omar already has had the opportunity to compose music for a few short films. Writing music for the big screen would be something he’d be really interested in. “I have about an album’s length of music, and I'm glad it's finally started rolling out,” he shares. “I really do think that artists that I'm collaborating with right now (Aakash Vijayan, Joseph, Rahul RB, Anohnymouss, MOØSE) have just gotten started.”
Follow Omar here and watch the music video below:
If you enjoyed reading this, here's more from Homegrown:
With The Help Of Some Anime Baddies, Rae Mulla's 'Girls' Questions The Pipe Dream Of Stardom
Paal Dabba & Killa K's Latest Single Reimagines A Piece Of Classic Tamil Cinema
Yung Raja & Killa K Reunite For 'JALSA,' A High-Voltage Tamil Hip-Hop Throwdown