Exclusive: 'Music made me a better person,' says Armaan Malik

From an emotional perspective, not at the moment, since I am super happy. But as an artiste, sometimes you have to think about stories that may not be a part of your life. And therein lies the beauty of being an artiste — telling stories about moments and feelings that someone else might be going through.

I think it’s different for every person. Everyone has their own way of creating music. With my brother, I think it’s very seamless. We have grown up together. Most of the time, we are jamming together, creating new melodies, and ideas. We complete each other.

With other composers, I get a chance to do something out of the box, because working with different people also gets you working differently. They have their way of recording singers, and varied collaborations make you a better performer. But collaborating with Amaal always feels like home.

Lots! We have a lot of friction and differences but I think it’s all in the interest of the songs. We aren’t on the same page on a lot of occasions, but thankfully, in the last few releases, Amaal has completely trusted the songs with my vision and approach. I feel it is also because, after doing almost 30 songs, I know exactly what he requires from me as a singer. By now, I was 90 per cent right on track. The rest of the 10 per cent, I incorporate after getting his feedback.

But earlier it had always been that I was singing in a kind of way, and he wanted me to sing in another way. The communication is much stronger today, and we have been able to reach a synergy.

I was very intrigued with Sonu Nigam. I used to watch his clips and listen to him perform live. I always wanted to sing like him. He’s so melodious, he never shifts away from the pitch, and he is such a great performer. In the Western world, I have looked up to people like Michael Bublé, Frank Sinatra, Michael Jackson, and John Mayer. They are the ones who inspired me to become a musician.

I think it’s the other way around. My personality shaped my music. Music made me a better person for sure. It has made me disciplined. I make sure I never use certain explicit words, or expressions in my song, even if it’s a dance number or even if the mood of the song is sexy. I think being aware of the person I am has shaped my music.

More than that. I had set out with a set of goals, but the journey has been incredible for me. Since I started very young, it has already been a 17-year-long journey, and there is so much left to do. I still have a lot of personal goals to achieve, which will happen in the coming years, but I am blessed that I have gotten such opportunities and success in such an early stage of my life.

I guess anything that is related to any emotions is going to be relatable — be it leave, heartbreak, joy, or euphoria. Whenever you are writing a song that touches upon human emotions, it will be relatable. Sometimes a piece of music is more relatable to a certain section, for example, Main Rahoon Ya Na Rahoon is relatable to those who have lost their loved one. I believe every song has an audience, the listeners will just need to find that song.

In general, I choose to write songs about things that are prevalent in society. Even if I am writing about love, I will write it the way today’s youngsters are perceiving or describing it. When you are writing songs, it is so important to hang out with people of your age, and also younger than you, to understand what’s happening around you.

No. However, since I have been a young musician, a lot of youngsters relate to me. It feels amazing when a lot of young musicians come up to me and say that I have been an inspiration for them. I would say that a lot of my audience is from the younger generations, but also a lot of older people love my romantic songs, which transcend age. I have met a lot of parents, and grandparents who come up to me saying that they love my songs. I think, through music, I have been able to touch a lot of humans, across ages, but yes, youngsters are more attuned to my songs, or my kind of music.

Firstly, there’s a lack of proper knowledge about auto-tune. Auto-tune is used or spoken about with a very negative connotation. Auto-tune is nothing but a pitch corrector. Just as photo or video editors use editing apps, singers and musicians use auto-tune. I don’t think it should be looked at differently. Suppose a singer has the right throw, amazing feel and emotions, and is 70 per cent in pitch, auto-tune can be used to make it a better song to listen to. But when artistes become dependent on auto-tune, because they don’t sing well in pitch, that is where it becomes concerning. Auto-tune just helps the performance get better.

See, no one is perfect. Even the most pitch-perfect musician too will miss it at times. We have become used to listening to pitch-perfect songs on streaming platforms, so anything normal will sound out of tune. At times, it becomes too perfect an audio to lose that human touch. What I feel is that musicians should sound their best during live performances. That is where most people miss the mark. There are a lot of pop musicians who use auto-tune live, but I don’t have any autotuning at the backend. I just have backup vocals to support me.

It’s the best time to be an independent musician today. There are so many avenues that have opened up. Today you can make your songs, create your music videos and yet become very popular and successful. Anyone from anywhere can become big if they are true to their art.

It’s the best time to be an independent musician today. There are so many avenues that have opened up. Today you can make your songs, create your music videos and yet become very popular and successful. Anyone from anywhere can become big if they are true to their art.

Inspiration can strike you anywhere… even when you are on a flight. If a melody comes to my mind, I immediately hum it and record it on my phone, without paying any heed to what people around me may think about me. Melodies come like fleeting moments, so I make sure not to lose them at all. After I reach home, I listen to these voice notes, and then transcribe them on my guitar and do a rough recording at my workstation. Then we find a lyricist to put words to the melody. This is exactly what my process is all about.

It is very tough for an artiste to navigate during those days. It’s very tricky. Even when everything is not going right in their lives, they can’t show that. We are superhumans. The way we navigate emotions in such a balanced, intricate, and unique way, is a lesson that needs to be learned. We may not always be perfect, but we manage well. It’s hard to always look right, behave right, and talk right, in this hypervigilant world, when everything is scrutinised.

I am working on a bunch of songs that I am developing as a shorter album. I have recorded 10-15 English songs in London, early this year, which I hope to release by the end of this year or early next year.

I am focused on my independent music right now, because, as I said, this is the best time, and the freedom I am getting to make my creative vision come to life that’s just incredible.

As an artiste in front of the public eye, and if you care about looking good, maybe you should pay attention to what you are wearing before you step out. But some artistes don’t care.

I am the one who cares. I care a lot about how I look, and how I am presented. I’m not a carefree guy. I like fashion, I like to look good and try out newer fashions.

I love wearing jackets. I have loved hoodies as well. I love sweatshirts. Lately, I have been wearing a lot of comfy shirts and knits. When I am not on stage, performing or anything, I like to keep it earthier (in terms of tones).