Armaan Malik might not be a huge name on the global music scene just yet, but with over a billion global streams, 17 million followers across social media platforms and a musical resume that might put even the biggest stars to shame, there’s little doubt that he will be soon enough. After focussing on his home audience for a considerable while, he’s now ready to take on and win over the world with the release of his first English language single “Control”, which he was happy to chat to PopWrapped about.

You come from a very musical family, spanning three generations of Bollywood music, so would you say it was perhaps unsurprising or expected that you’d follow in their artistic footsteps?

Armaan Malik:Having grown up in a musical environment definitely had an impact on me and yeah, you could say that people did expect me to follow in my family’s footsteps. But I have always naturally gravitated towards music. When I was 3 or 4 years old, my parents recognised that I had some musical talent and immediately put me into music lessons. But they have never forced me to pursue music. I showed a natural flair for it and they simply encouraged me to hone my skills. It was when I turned 8, that I had made up my mind about making music my career. I was sure of pursuing this career very early on in my life which gave me a head start over my classmates and peers at the time.

Who were your artistic influences growing up and have they changed much at all over the years? Which band or artist might you say most inspire you these days and why?

While growing up I used to listen to John Mayer, Michael Bublé, Frank Sinatra, they were my initial artistic influences. When I hit my teens, I inclined more towards Bruno Mars and Chris Brown. This is when I also realised that Pop/Rnb was my calling and my personal choice of genre. Among the current lot of artists, my favourites are Charlie Puth, Ed Sheeran and Lauv. I think they all have their distinct sound and I love that they are musically very hands-on be it the writing or the production, you can hear them and feel their contribution to the song in every note they sing.

To what extent does your own culture and that of the world in general impact the music you make?

I have always been fascinated with singing in different languages. In India, each state has its own local language and I’ve sung in almost all of them. The flavour of creating music that is so culturally diverse is what makes me excited and drives me. As an artist I wouldn’t be surprised if I’d release an Arabic or Spanish record in the future! I love playing with diverse sounds and incorporating them in my music. Even in my subsequent singles, you will be hearing a few elements and inflections from my culture and where I come from.

You are perhaps one of the biggest artists to emerge from India in recent times. When you first decided to make music your career, did you ever consider the response and reaction you’d receive?

Well no artist can ever consider what response their music will garner but I was always very confident of my music. However having said that, I really didn’t expect I’d achieve so much at such an early age.

You attended the prestigious Berklee College of Music. What did your time and studies there teach you in terms of preparing for the career you’ve now established?

I attended the short programme at Berklee College in the summer of 2011, for which I had received a full-scholarship. Berklee is a legendary musical institution and just being in that atmosphere around so many talented people from around the world, helped me garner so much knowledge. After I identified that Pop/R’n’B was my thing, I pursued a Pop/R’n’B vocal course at Berklee and that in a way laid the foundation for my singing skills that I employ today in my career as a vocalist.

Is there a particular story behind your new single “Control” and what ultimately made you decide to make this your first English language release?

“Control” is a song that describes the push and pull feeling of being trapped in a controlling relationship and how confusing it can be to want in but also want out. It’s inspired by relationships I’ve seen around me.

I’ve made quite a few English songs in the past two years and when I sat down with my team, we all felt this was the best track to debut with. It has this up-tempo vibe and a style that is a nice departure from the usual ballad sound that I am known for. My fans are really digging this new sound!

The video for “Control” racked up 13 million views in just a week and you’ve earned over a billion streams across all your releases. With that in mind, what are your personal and professional views on technology and social media and the almost reliance the music industry and society in general tends to have on it?

I think we have come to a point where social media and digital streaming platforms aren’t an option, they’re a part of the industry and for those who don’t accept it, will unfortunately fail to grow.

Personally and professionally, I have always believed change is the only constant and we have to move and flow with the times in order to grow ourselves. Even though I do miss going and buying physical copies of my favourite artists’ albums – that feeling is priceless and cannot be compared to owning a digital copy – I still feel digital space is the only way forward. People who don’t accept it could be left behind.

You’ve played in excess of 200 shows since first making your mark on the music scene. Do you have any particular stand-outs that make you smile when you think about them?

 I have played a lot of shows in a lot of different countries, but the most memorable one is definitely the show I played at SSE Arena, Wembley,  London on 24^th September, 2016. That was my debut show in the UK, and to receive that amount of love and appreciation from the fans there was just unreal. The fact that I also reached the 4^th position on the top 10 acts of the SSE Live awards that year was unbelievable too.

What’s particularly special about that show is that I don’t remember anything from the show day. It all seems like a blur. I only remember performing to my best ability and wrapping up the show. The entire experience was so magical, that I felt transcended whilst singing. I don’t remember a thing but it was just so damn beautiful to experience those moments where I was just lost singing my songs.

Is there one particular venue you’d most like to play and if so, which is it and why?

My dream is to play a sold out show at the Madison Square Garden in New York. It’s such a prestigious venue and it’ll be a dream come true moment for me to be able to play there!

Do you pay much attention to what critics and the media say about you? What’s the nicest compliment or comment someone’s ever given you?

If it is constructive criticism I do pay heed to it, but if it’s to deliberately bring me down and I can sense that the critic is intending to do so I won’t bother.

You’re the youngest Indian artist to ever appear as a coach on the Indian version of The Voice. Shows like that can sometimes get a bad rep for failing to produce winners and talent that go onto have considerable careers. What do you say to and about that? What would you say to anyone thinking of auditioning for such a show?

I have been a contestant on one show and a coach/judge on another, so I have a good understanding of both the spectrums. I think these shows are great for recognition and popularity but winning it cannot guarantee a successful career. The real struggle doesn’t even happen on the show, it happens after it. It’s important that the contestants have that thought at the back of their minds before they audition. The show cannot make you a successful singer, but yes it’s a great platform to get discovered.

You were the voice of Aladdin and the singing voice of Simba in the Hindi dubbed releases of Disney’s remakes. Is film performance work like that something you’d like to do more of?

Just to give you a little backstory, I initially started out as a dubbing/voiceover artist and jingle singer, so I’ve had quite a lot of experience in that field. In the past I have dubbed for the Bollywood movie ‘My Name Is Khan’, the hindi dub for 10,000 B.C and also for the character of Salim in the radio version of the widely popular film ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ for BBC Radio. I love film-performance work and if interesting projects come my way, I will surely take ‘em up!

With much of the world shut down due to Corona Virus, have you had to change or reschedule any of your plans and how are you passing the time while society does all it can to help the world beat Corona and return to some semblance of normality?

Well, I am trying to regularise my daily routine. It’s been a crazy few years for me and I could really use this time to relax and spend more time with family. They say it takes 21 days to form a habit and right now we are amidst a 21 day lockdown in India, so yeah I am trying to form good habits by trying to sleep and wake up early, and also trying to make fitness and meditation a priority. I’m also doing a lot of Instagram Live sessions and interacting with fans, which is fun!

As someone who’s achieved so much already and is now set to make their mark on the global music scene, what’s the ultimate ambition? Whose career would you most like to emulate and what, ultimately, would and does ‘success’ look like to you?

My ultimate ambition is to make India proud on a global stage. With my first international release “Control”, I feel I am one step closer to realising this dream.

All these years I have tried to define success and make an image for it in my head but it’s next to impossible to define it. Having said that, I feel if you can manage and strike a balance between your personal and professional life, that’s success to me.

Check out “Control” below, and for more information on Armaan, give his page a like on Facebook or follow him on Twitter and Instagram.