They might be among the newest and youngest stars in Bollywood’s music industry but their talents reflect the decades of expertise they inherit from their musical family of two generations. Malik brothers – Amaal and Armaan – are quite a sought-after duo in the industry today after giving us some of the most popular songs in last three years.
Armaan Malik (left) and Amaal Malik (Photo: Indian Weekender)
Sons of music director Dabboo Malik, grandsons of noted music director Sardar Malik and nephews of famous music director Anu Malik, Armaan and Amaal have made their own mark in the music industry. While Armaan, unlike others in their family, has chosen a different path with playback singing, Amaal is continuing their family tradition and is now one of the most popular music composers of today in Bollywood.
And if you are still not sure about the bunch of talent they are, let us name some of their songs that you would surely have either listened to or even hummed at some time. Mai hoon hero tera (Hero), Naina (Khoobsurat), Bol do na zara (Azhar), Soch na sake (Airlift), Wajah tum ho (Hate Story 3), Besabriyaan (M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story), Sooraj dooba hain (Roy), Chaar Shanivaar (All Is Well), Kar gyi chull (Kapoor & Sons), and the list goes on…
The Malik brotherswere recently in Auckland, and we could not miss the opportunity to catch up with them and find out what thousands of their fans and followers were wondering –what were they doing in New Zealand?
Excerpts of our conversation with them:
IWK: What brought Amaal and Armaan to New Zealand?
Armaan: I have come here to take a break from the tiring schedule that I had after shows, concerts and recordings. I find New Zealand a very peaceful place, a place where I can leave all my worries and just enjoy nature. That was the purpose of coming here, but then I ended up doing a lot of activities to get over my fear of heights, and other adventurous activities, which I really enjoyed.
Amaal: I was not planning it, but then I saw his pictures, and I was like ‘I need to make this trip now’. I was busy doing the composer’s job—just completing the songs. It’s been three years since I got a break and we’ve got a family here. So, I decided to come and just unwind, and that’s what brought me here.
Amaal Malik (Photo: Indian Weekender)
IWK: You come from a family with great musical lineage — of great music composers/directors. Was there ever any pressure to pursue music as a career or did you have other plans for yourselves?
Amaal: There has never been a singer [in the family] who managed to stand out and establish themselves. Armaan is the first to do so and I am the next composer from the family. When I was around 16, I wanted to run away from studies and I knew the only outlet was music. I made a tune and my dad heard it. He was the first one to make me realise that I had that composer streak in me. I started out when I was 16 and till 23 I assisted big names in Bollywood like Salim-Sulaiman, Pritam, Sandeep Chawta, before we produced Armaan’s debut album, titled Armaan.
There were some songs from that album that Armaan presented to Salman Khan. He really liked two of the songs and they were later featured in his film Jai Ho. And that’s how from being an assistant I overnight became a music director. I would say both Salman and Armaan have been responsible for making me a composer. Because before that, I was not ready to take the plunge.
Armaan: I always wanted to be a singer. I had that composer in me because I think tune-making runs in the family. But I always knew I was a better singer than a composer. By the age of six, I started taking Hindustani classical lessons and by the age of 10, I participated in Sa Re Ga Ma Pa. That was the beginning of my career and I then sang for children’s movies.
After taking a break for my studies and finishing 12th grade, I was working on my debut album. We wanted to launch this album in a big way and so I met Salman at his shoots. After hearing it, he loved two songs the most and said that they should be in his movie. And those two songs became our debut songs in Bollywood. I was 18 and I got to be the voice for Salman Khan – that was a huge thing for us.
Armaan Malik (left) and Amaal Malik in conversation with Swati Sharma of Indian Weekender (Photo: Indian Weekender)
IWK: What’s your favourite genre when it comes to singing?
Armaan: Pop and RnB is something that I really, really like. But sadly, we don’t have genres in Bollywood. We only have film music. And there’s both advantage and disadvantage to that. The advantage is that you can mix many genres together in one song and the disadvantage is that you don’t know what to call it.
It sounds cheesy, but in Bollywood, I love singing love songs.
Amaal: That’s what gets you into the hearts of the girls (laughs).
Armaan: Yeah. It’s my forte but that doesn’t mean I can’t sing other types of songs. Another of my songs is coming out soon and people will realise how versatile I am. It is something very different from the ones I have already sung.
Amaal: I am getting him and his idol Sonu Nigam together for a song in the upcoming movie Mubarkan. It’s a fun dance track.
IWK: And who’s your inspiration, Amaal?
Amaal: I have two different kinds of inspirations. On a human level, my father and grandfather have a major influence on my life. Unlike Armaan, I never had formal training in Hindustani classical music. I got a lot of that knowledge from my grandfather because he was a legendary classically trained musician and from my dad, I have got the spirit of not giving up.
My uncle has been the most successful composer of the family, rather most successful in the industry, I think. He’s been around for 40 years and he’s still got that fire. My dad never managed to get the superstardom that my uncle and grandfather got.
Armaan: Even though we came from a film family, we were the lesser known Maliks.
Amaal: We were never the successful Maliks, we were more of the underdog Maliks, which was Dabboo Malik. And he made me learn one thing – that you really need to master your craft before you get into this. Both Anu uncle and dad were naturally gifted composers and had never got into the depth of music production, learning to read music and know how to play the piano. But my father wanted me to come prepared. So that inspiration of learning, going on and never giving up comes from my dad.
Musically, I have a lot of influence. I listen to and admire many international composers. Within Bollywood, music composers like Pritam who’s been the most constant hit machine of Bollywood, for the track record and simplicity of music and because while being around him at studios I got a chance to learn a lot from him, and A.R. Rahman are my inspirations.
Armaan Malik (left) and Amaal Malik (Photo: Indian Weekender)
IWK: Which experiences have been the best for you—working together or with other singers/composers?
Armaan: I have sung different songs for many composers other than Amaal. But it happens to be that my biggest hits are with my brother. Whenever we come together, it becomes magic.
IWK: And why do you think would that be so?
Amaal: I think it is some cosmic power and some blessings, may be. It is surprising. Whenever we come together, there is a lot of love for this pairing. Our fans also wait for the songs that we do together. So, we try to keep it special.
But I am a very hard task-master. I never choose him or Arijit [Singh] or any other singer if they can’t deliver my song. I am really mean on that and if a singer cannot sing my song right, whoever it is, I really fight for the right voice for my song and I even get [the singer] changed.
So, even he is on test, everyone is on test with me. And there are times when we have our share of fights about it.
But I feel that sometimes, because he has seen the whole process—where I start from zero and the emotions I put into a song, which is tougher for others to understand—he understands my song better and puts it out really well.
Amaal Malik (Photo: Indian Weekender)
IWK: Apart from singing, do you guys have any plans for acting?
Amaal: Maybe once I get as fit as [Armaan]. Because I have been busy composing songs, sitting on a couch and producing music. I would want to be featured in music videos and be the face to my voice and put my music out there. That is the only acting capacity I have, that also I am very unsure of. Might happen if someone can really convince me (laughs).
Armaan: I am also not a big fan of acting. Singing is my first love and I never wanted to deviate from that. And since I am already doing well in singing, I don’t want to hinder that in any way. I think, on screen at this age, I would still look like a kid. I feel I need to mature a little more.
That being said, I am still not sure if I’ll take up acting in future. It depends on the project. I feel that I can do justice to a role closer to a singer, something like Ashiqui or Rockstar, where I am playing the role of a singer. But that also I am not sure about. The only thing I am sure about is my music, which I will never leave for anything.
Armaan Malik (Photo: Indian Weekender)
IWK: Are there plans for a live show in New Zealand?
Armaan: Yes, we are planning something. But we are not sure of the date yet. Last year was very good in terms of live shows and touring. I completed almost 50 shows. And hence I have come to New Zealand (laughs).
Amaal: We came here for a break. There are quite a few people who have shown interest but we just want to put out a very good act and not come and do a show just for the sake of it. It would be an experience for people once they see us.
Armaan Malik (left) and Amaal Malik (Photo: Indian Weekender)