My style is still old school as I work very hard on melody and lyrics: Amaal Mallik

In his 9-year journey as a composer, Amaal Mallik has collaborated with the likes of Dua Lipa and U2. Son of music director Daboo Malik, he started his career at the age of 15. Mallik has composed songs for Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety, Kabir Singh and MS Dhoni: The Untold Story. He says both Armaan Malik and he are different in their music sensibilities as Armaan is more connected to the Gen Z and what they listen to, while he has listeners ranging from GenZ, millennials and over and above. Excerpts from the interview: You’ve had a successful career and started at an early age, how have you seen the music scene in the country transform over the years and how would you define the current status? This year marks my 9th year as a film composer and it’s truly nostalgic that you have asked about my journey. It began with me assisting my father & several other composers at the age of 15. Today I’m 32, so I have literally worked in the industry for 17 years, counting my assisting days. Up till the age of 15 I was fortunate to have seen the music industry and its workings via the music sittings my father, my uncle, my grandfather would partake in. It was around 2004 or 2005 when the music production aspect and the orchestration (soundscape, beats, musical elements) started making their presence felt. Good Melodies, beautiful poetry along with heartfelt singing were always the 3 pillars of good music in our country but now in the year 2023 the soundscape matters equally if not more. There are very few well written songs today but if the melody is loopy or catchy enough and the beats are modern and resonate with the youth, the songs work. Personally my style is still old school as I work very hard on melody and lyrics and choose the apt singer for the songs, soundscape too is something me and my team of musicians, producers and engineers pay a lot OF attention to. What new collaborations with Indian/International artists are on the cards? I was one of the first from my generation to make a global collaboration with the female global pop icon Dua Lipa, U2. Recently Edward Maya the legendary Romanian DJ just did a tribute remix of Sooraj Dooba Hai and mashed it up with one of his biggest songs Stereo Love. A very beautiful ballad which is a collaboration of Hindi lyrics, English and Italian lyrics, something that has never happened before. This one is coming up with Matteo Bocelli, the son of the legendary Andrew Bocelli. How is your music and Armaan’s music sensibilities different, are you working on any project currently/anytime soon?

We just worked on our brand-new single Sun Maahi that features Armaan. The song has been getting so much love from around the world and it’s something very new, almost unheard in the Indian pop space. It’s breaking into the global charts, managing to win hearts from a worldwide audience. We both listen to a varied amount of music, Indian and global but what is common is our love for strong melodies and good writing. Good sound comes naturally to us as we are musicians born into the digital age, but we both love to gravitate towards the use of live instruments too. He is more connected to the Gen Z and what they listen to, I’ve got listeners ranging from GenZ, Millennials and over and above. As a composer I have to keep evolving and create music in several genres and vibes and it’s not an easy task and as a singer Armaan too keeps working on his craft and keeps evolving. I have a film composer in me and that is something that is different from him, he is a pure independent artist. I love writing music for films, ad films, documentaries and web series. He likes making music for himself and his audience. Where do you usually find inspiration for creating music? In this industry, who would you say is your inspiration?

I listen to a lot of instrumental music and that keeps my mind refreshed. I love Hans Zimmer, Coldplay, AR Rahman, Pritam, Salim-Sulaiman, Rd Burman, SD Burman, Kalyanji Anandji, Shankar Jaikishan, Madan Mohan. The list is varied and long. K-pop has become popular globally, do you think it is time that music bands in India can make a comeback as well? Certain bands in India are still doing some exceptional music namely; Skyharbour, Avial, Tetseo Sisters, Agnee all are incredible, but they are mainly rock based bands. K-Pop bands are not just regular bands, they fuse electro and rock elements; that is the reason they are relevant. Electronic music fused with Live Instruments is the order of the day and that’s what the future of live bands look like. Given the large number of subpar song remakes, do you believe they should be avoided? Do you think we need more original and quality songs as we had in the past?

I think it’s simple: I have maintained this throughout the last few years. ‘Recreations’ done in the form of tributes are fine and as long as they are of lesser quantity in comparison to the originals being churned out every year, it’s all good. It’s a trend: Yes, is it working : Yes (Go to a Bollywood club on a Saturday night and see people go crazy on even badly produced subpar recreations) . But you also got to keep Your Originality ALIVE. You can’t make yourself a musician after you have made a career only out of making beats and riffs to someone else’s song, the intent is to only make money. If you have done 100 songs: 90 originals & 10 remakes, well then congratulations you are truly a music composer. But if one is just a beat maker who has made a career out of remixing and vandalising other people’s songs and then shamelessly making posts about its views and celebrating the success, and claiming it as your song then you aren’t making a legacy. So it’s every composer’s methodology and how they want to be remembered. I wouldn’t support ripping someone else’s work. Just get in touch with the owner of that piece of music (Label Or Artist). License it from them, credit the original makers and recreate it in your way. I’ve done a few recreations as well, but only after checking if the rights are in place. I have done hardly 3-4 recreations out of my 106 compositions. What’s really necessary is that the person recreating a yesteryear song shouldn’t destroy the original song’s essence and credit the makers respectfully. It’s very easy to blame the music composers of our generation that there is no talent left and we are resorting to remixes. It’s the labels, actors and producers all have created this easy way out of taking old catalogue songs and remixing them, usually it’s the same few composers who are doing it, and what’s more surprising is that they are all capable of making good original music but they are doing music for a quick buck. This generation of music composers who want to do original work are going through a tough time & I say it with utmost belief that I and many like me have a lot of original music within us that we wish to put out, but it is only because of the producers and labels demands that it isn’t happening. It is a business call, and it’s a trend they consider a safe bet. If a remake is done well and credit is duly given and the audience likes it, it’s OKAY ! Audience is the decision maker, if they like it we can’t say anything. Just to let people and my fans know that we (as musicians) can end up losing the film too if we refuse to recreate the songs. Hence in many films I might recreate a song only if I’m doing another original in it as well.

Don’t blame a particular artist especially the ones making original music by saying we have no talent or can’t make originals. Don’t blame the talented Musician/Singer/Rapper/Lyricist for a recreation, because none of you guys know the politics and undercutting they deal with. I truly support original music, and I understand it’s a weird phase that the music industry is going through. But we gotta go with it, jab khatam ho jayega koi naya trend aayega. My career has been a respectable balance and I want to maintain that even if I sit at home for 20 years. The person selecting the music is very important, actually as important as the creators of the song. If they believe they want a recreation in every album, it won’t change, they will do it. More power to the audience that asks for original music and I’m proud my generation is part of an awakening that is very necessary. The best way to make a reprise/recreation/tribute, (however you’d like to see it) is to attach your style to if. I always ask myself, “What can I add to this Song in my style?”. If I can’t do something new or add to it musically, I prefer not doing remakes. The seniors have done remixes too but very tastefully, and they have been part of our industry for a good 20+ years now. The only difference then, was that recreations co-existed back then along with originals. So yes, as long as recreations co-exist with originals , I think it is a healthy proposition since the youth get to listen to an old classic dished out to them in their age’s sound (if done correctly, honestly and respectfully). Like when I reprised Ghar Se Nikalte Hi, Tumhe Apna Banane, Neend Churai and now this No.1 Yaari song I maintained the sanctity of the original and made my own verses around it. So everyone who has grown up on the original and is nostalgic about them, they won’t accept the remix if it doesn’t sit well with their emotions. It has to be seamless and heartfelt. I’ve been getting so much love for the Yaari song from old listeners and new ones alike. You recently headlined a multi city tour with leading artists of the country for No.1 Yaari Jam in association with Believe. How was the experience? You have also recreated the famous friendship anthem of No.1 Yaari Jam with Yaari Duniya pe Bhaari? Can you tell us more? It’s been a great association and even though I’m quite averse to redoing a song but when Vaibhav & Subu (from Team Believe Live) came to me with the idea of making a 2023 version of the No.1 Yaari Anthem, I decided to go for it because I personally loved the original song that Mohit Chauhan had done. I got Kunaal Vermaa to come in to write the new verses and he has done a splendid job. It is the first time that Armaan & I have featured in a video together, and it was a lot of fun collaborating with Nikhita on the track. Performing for the fans is the best feeling ever and the best way to give back to them for the love they have been showering on us for years. I am happy to have collaborated with Team Believe for the Yaari Anthem and glad that in spite of there being several versions to this song in the last few years, my version is turning out to be the most loved new version and people are saying it’s the best tribute to the original. It’s bringing the fans closer to their families and friends and they are all telling their own yaari stories with this song, making some great videos and sharing some amazing stories with me. Glad to be on the No.1 wagon with Team Believe and McDowell’s. Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News ,  India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and Instagram.