‘Method singing is getting yourself into a different mindset’

Singer-songwriter Armaan Malik, who recently released a Bengali song, Alo Chhaya, for the film Crisscross, wants to go beyond people’s expectations as a singer. The 23-year-old admits that recording the song — a dark trippy number — was a completely new experience for him.

“With film songs, you can’t really plan ahead and select the genres you want to sing. I didn’t plan on singing a dark number; it just happened. I was least expecting it. When people hear you sing a certain kind of song well, they think that you can only sing those kind of songs, and you rarely get to showcase your versatility. I’m glad that with Alo Chhaya, I got to experiment and people can now see a new side to me,” he says.

Armaan, who has lent his voice to songs such as Hua Hai Aaj Pehli Baar (Sanam Re, 2016), Uff Yeh Noor (Noor, 2017) and Theher Ja (October), reveals that he employs actors’ method acting technique while recording songs, and calls it method singing.

He explains, “I don’t know if there’s a proper term called ‘method singing’, but yes, I do refer to my technique as that. Since we all are a little aware of method acting, it’s easier to start off by saying that it is pretty much similar to that. It’s a process of getting yourself into a different mindset from your usual self.”

Armaan adds, “Singing romantic or love songs comes very naturally to me, but singing a dark and trippy kind of song compels you to kind of bend your mind to deliver on microphone, the mood that the song requires.”