Switch to any music channel, there’s a pretty good chance that the first video you encounter will be of a Bollywood song. But, move past Hindi cinema because it has been a curious year for music.

With no videos from the likes of Ali Azmat and Strings, the playing field was wide open and independent musicians delivered the goods.

More than a few artists released music videos this year such as Uzair Jaswal, Bilal Khan, Shehzad Roy, Jal, Jarar Malik, Farhan Saeed, Zoe Viccaji and Symt. However, the music videos that had us amused, animated and inspired came from the new wave of artists across the board.

Leading the top spot is Bumbu Sauce’s action-packed My Punjabi Love. Directed by Adnan Malik, the video is as wacky as it is endearing with Aamina Sheikh at the heart of the story, lending the role credibility and star power.

The video shows the story of a rural housewife played by Aamina, and her struggles in an increasingly male-dominated society. The lewd looks that fall on her and harass her will ring true for many, many women.

Against the backdrop of an earthy, Punjabi grunge tune, one sees the transformation of Aamina from a woman desperately in need to a woman who indulges in some serious revenge-style action after getting training from a gentleman who brings to mind Master Shifu from Kung Fu Panda.

And so, Aamina takes on the bad guys gangster-style, flying kicks and everything. With exceptional cinematography, the My Punjabi Love video is perhaps the first of its kind in substance and style. It’s edgy and provocative, but it’s also a lot of fun and keeps one guessing.

Taimoor Salahuddin aka Mooroo’s Music makes an appearance on this list for his own music video of Tere Bina, also featuring Faris Shafi and Fazeelat Aslam.

The trio first caught attention last year when Faris Shafi, Fazeelat and Mooroo starred in the music video of Awaam.

In Tere Bina, Mooroo and Fazeelat star as a husband and wife while the music video serves as a commentary on drug addiction. The video is not dark and depressing because the focus is not on over the top dramatic visuals or a brooding storyline. The tripped-out side effects get some attention and drug abuse comes through. Though the subject is serious, Mooroo handles it with a lot of care. The sequence underwater is particularly delightful.

Talal Qureshi’s Clubbing in Multan, which stars Adil Omar as the anti-hero and Talal Qureshi on the run with a punk girl, is the third winner on this list.

Directed by Taimoor Salahuddin, the music video has a dark sense of humour and it blends with this instrumental electro track perfectly. In the video, Talal and his punk girl run away with a briefcase while Adil Omar’s villain chases them after losing his cool. Omar’s exaggerated dance moves once he captures Talal and his knife-wielding madman behaviour will leave you completely amused and entertained before punk girl comes and goes all ninja on him.

The most prolific band to appear on this list is Overload. Celebrating a decade together, the group released the music video of Jeet earlier this year and had us singing along.

Jeet is probably one of the better Overload music videos to date. It is memorable because it takes us back through the decade of Overload. Images from some of their most iconic videos (Ankahi, Dhamaal, Cursed) are tied up together neatly while all the band members seem genuinely happy to be in each other’s company.

Bilal Khan’s Dou Gharhee starring Annie Ali Khan also makes the cut for its sharp direction. Shot in New York by Sofian Khan and ace director Mehreen Jabbar, the video tells the story of Bilal as a street musician who falls in love.

It maybe a little cheesy but its clean as Bilal takes us from subway station to Times Square and Central Park. There’s nothing groundbreaking about it, but it does feel fresh because of its location, good acting and superb cinematography.