Almost a year after the song Butta Bomma video was released on social media (February 25, 2020), singer Armaan Malik, 25, recalls about the magical effect of the song on the entire country. Speaking to Express in an exclusive interview over phone, the singer says, “I know it’s such a big global hit. I am humbled. But frankly when Thaman sir chose me for the song, I gave it my 100 per cent, like the way I do for every other song. Incidentally, I wasn’t even sure the song in Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo would go viral because before Butta Bomma was released, already Ramulo Ramula and Samajavaragamana were blockbusters.
But I guess the lockdown that followed and people getting active on TikTok and Instagram etc seemed to have given it another spin altogether. The song has become a hit globally too with international celebs like cricketer David Warner also dancing to the tune. Butta Bomma put regional music on the global map and that makes me ecstatic. I recorded for about three hours in a studio in Mumbai and for one hour at a hotel room in Hyatt Gachibowli in December 2019,” he says.
Has Armaan danced to the song?
“Yes I have danced, but nobody has seen it. I recorded it right then but forgot to upload it. Haha, I must do it soon,” he says. Considering he has a huge fan base for being the most adorable-looking singer, any plans to debut on the silverscreen?
“Looking good should never be the only reason to be on the silver screen. It took me 14 years to be a singer of this level of competence. I would like to train for acting too, get some diction and acting lessons before I make a splash. Hopefully, I will be able to do it in the future. I act for videos of my songs so acting is not entirely new. But I would like to prepare and then make a debut,” he adds.
Interestingly, Armaan’s mom Jyoti is from Visakhapatnam and his mother tongue is Telugu, but he says he can speak only konchem konchem Telugu, but has a good grasp of the language. He is now learning it as he expects to sing more Telugu songs.
After literally owning 2020 and putting India on the global music map, this multilingual pop sensation now treats his fans with four new songs, Guche Gulabi (Telugu), Yaare Yaare (Kannada), Hey Manasendukila (Telugu), and Maamazhai Vaanam (Tamil) in four days. Released on February 13, Guche Gulabi is a euphoric single from the Telugu movie Most Eligible Bachelor starring Pooja Hegde and Akhil Akkineni.
It’s the first time that Armaan has collaborated with the illustrious music composer, Gopi Sundar. “I finally got to work with Gopi Sundar sir, I’ve been wanting to do a song with him for quite some time now! I am also really glad that I got to be a part of Pooja Hegde and Akhil Akkineni’s movies yet again.”
The second one is a Kannada song composed by adroit music composer, Arjun Janya, Yaare Yaare from Ek Love Ya directed by the legendary, Prem. On February 15, Armaan’s Tamil song, Maamazhai Vaanam from the movie Naanum Single Thaan and Hey Manasendukila’ from the Telugu movie Ichata Vahanamulu Niluparadu was unveiled, both of which have also become instant fan favorites.
While the 25-year-old has set out to break into the global music circuit with his English singles like MTV EMA winning, Control, Billboard chart-topping, How Many and Next 2 me’, Armaan hasn’t forgotten his roots and is consistently releasing regional music.
In 2020, he was credited to more than 20 musical projects across different Indian languages that enabled him to cement himself as one of the most versatile singer- songwriters in the world and successfully conquer multiple sonic landscapes.
“It’s a blessing to be able to cater to different markets in such a manner, it helps me connect with my fans in their mother tongue and nothing in the world feels better than that,” he adds.
Quick facts
He is the son of Bollywood composer Daboo Malik and hails from a renowned musical family, spanning three generations of Bollywood music.
In 2011, he received a full-tuition scholarship to attend the Summer Program at Berklee College of Music (Boston, Massachusetts) which he completed with honors. Soon after the programme, he realised that this is his calling —to write and sing his own songs in English.
He forayed into the global music circuit with Arista Records (Sony Music Global). Armaan’s first international single, titled ‘Control’, has been streamed more than 35 million times across platforms to date and was declared Platinum in India.
First Indian singer-songwriter to be featured on the coveted Spotify’s Time Square billboard in New York. Malik’s second English song, ‘next 2 me’ led Billboard's inaugural Top Triller U.S. and Global charts for three weeks.
Has written close to 50 English songs to date and eagerly waiting for the right opportunity to showcase them, he has been consistently putting out chartbuster music in multiple languages.
Short takes
Pooja Hegde is my lucky mascot. I composed three hit songs which featured her – Ananganaganaga in Aravainda Sametha, Butta Bomma in Ala Vaikuntapurramulo and Guche Gulabi in Most Eligible Bachelor.
Dream composer: DSP, He has promised me an opportunity. Waiting for that to happen.
Want to sing in languages such as Arabic and Spanish
The only thing that is constant in life is workout in the morning. No day is the same as the next. Change is constant and there is no routine to his day
Plans for 2021: Start my own independent music label and sing across many more languages
Meet the real Armaan Malik
Armaan Malik is one of the youngest and most successful artistes in the Indian music industry. He has garnered north of two billion streams, performed 200 + shows around the world, and sung more than 150 songs in almost a dozen different languages, all by the age of 25! With over 18 million followers across all social media platforms, he has second-to-none fans called Armaanians. Fondly referred to as the ‘Prince of Romance,’ his YouTube has two million subscribers and over 25 million monthly listeners across all music streaming platforms.
Advice to singers
Work hard to get competent. Practice and learn the craft well. Use social media to showcase your talent via video or audio clips. Music composers are always looking for new voices and they are always scouting social media to pick the right voice. Be seen and heard here. Work until your work go viral.
— Manju Latha Kalanidhi
kalanidhi@newindianexpress.com
@mkalanidhi