‘My sense of music is more Western than Bollywood’

Singer Armaan Malik, who has some of the biggest Bollywood hits to his name and has worked with top production houses, speaks to Preeti Singh about his musical journey in the film industry.

you do it well, then it’s not a problem. But when you don’t do it well, people will criticise it. The originals were very successful, and if people do not connect with the original’s feel, then you are in a bad state. Because then, you have not only failed at recreating it, but also destroyed the original flavour of the song.

Q. What kind of music do you like listening to? A.

I like listening to pop music and a lot of English stuff. I rarely listen to my own songs or Bollywood numbers. I don’t listen to Bollywood songs because my musicality is much more Western. It is very important to listen to a variety of music as it helps in bringing new ideas to the song.

Q. Could you talk about your just-concluded world tour? A.

It was my debut world tour. Someone from the industry at the age of 21 has done this! It was amazing, because at this age to be able to pull the crowds for me was unimaginable. It was like a dream come true.

Q. Tell us about the experience of working together with your brother Amaal on projects. A.

Actually Amaal and I, whenever we do a song together, the best part is that the relationship that we share as brothers also comes out. For me, this is a very tough question because he is a very hard task- master and we believe in delivering the best. So, I have to work extra hard for his songs and we made together songs like “Main Hoon Hero Tera” and “Tumhe Apne Banane Ka”, which have been very successful. So, I am glad that whenever we have collaborated, the songs have come out very well.

Q. What kind of music would you like to give to your audiences this year?

A. I have lots of surprises for this year. I have my own non-film single this year with different types of music. It will be pop- dance singles.

Q. The ’90s was the time of independent musical albums. Do you think we’ll witness the return of indie music in this country in 2017? A.

I think it’s going to be great. The trend is coming back. I think it is bigger than Bollywood. After you get the recognition and popularity, and are featured in a music album of your own, then things get bigger. I am looking forward to creating a lot of songs.