The new avatar of Armaan Malik

The Bollywood singer released his first English single ‘Control’ last week

Known for lending his voice for films like ‘M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story’, ‘Hate Story’ and ‘De De Pyaar De’, among many others, and even the Hindi versions of ‘Aladdin’ and ‘The Lion King’, Armaan Malik is quickly becoming a popular Bollywood singer.

The latest notch in his belt was the release of his first English single ‘Control’ with Arista Records.

He talks to Metrolife about working in a new industry.

It has been a week since your new single released. How do you feel?

The kind of support and positive messages I have been receiving from everyone is surreal. The song is number one on iTunes in India and the traction is growing every day across all platforms.

What was it like working on a new style?

Well, that’s the thing. This is not a new style for me; it has been a part of my DNA as a singer. The reason why people might think this is new is because I haven’t had the right opportunity to do this before. I didn’t unlearn anything; I only absorbed more skills and added them to my existing musical knowledge. Over time, through practice, I have developed my own technique to easily switch between singing English and other languages.

Tell us about the music video of ‘Control’. It seems a little out of your comfort zone…

The video has a very magical feel to it. Visually, it is very cool and has a strong neon theme. Bobby Hanaford has done a fabulous job bringing my vision to life. I was pretty confident during the shoot and this is the new avatar of Armaan Malik. It will take some time for people to get used to it.

In the 90s, albums and independent artistes were a hit but it slowed down in between. That trend is picking up again. How do you feel about that?

I am absolutely delighted! This was the phase I was waiting for. We can finally say that the birth of the music industry is taking place in India.

For a long time, the industry was mostly centered around Bollywood to reach the masses. Not negating the fact that Bollywood is still and will always be a massive avenue for artistes. But with many digital platforms, independent artistes have been strengthened with the power to reach out and make their voices heard.

What are your upcoming projects?

I am working on quite a lot of new songs. The focus this year is going to be on non-film music. I also have a few exciting Bollywood projects coming up.