We want to release more non-film music this year: Amaal Mallik and Armaan Malik

There is a lot of banter at Amaal Mallik’s new pad in Versova as we sit down with the composer and his younger brother, singer Armaan Malik, for a tête-à-tête. While the younger one teasingly accuses his elder bro of getting too competitive as he’s singing more songs, the music director is quick to rattle off names like Vishal Dadlani, Sonu Nigam, Arijit Singh, and his own bhai who have lent their voices to his compositions.

Together, the duo has delivered hits like Naina (Khoobsurat), Buddhu Sa Mann (Kapoor & Sons), Sab Tera (Baaghi), and Hum Nahi Sudhrenge (Golmaal Again) among many others. The brothers, who have the lineage of music composers, grandfather Sardar Malik, father Daboo Malik and uncle Anu Malik, talk to After Hrs about making their own mark against all odds and sibling rivalry.

Which is the next song that we will hear from both of you?

Armaan: I have sung a track for Nikkhil Advani’s Bazaar, which has been picturised on Rohan Mehra. It’s a love song-cum-club number, which not many people associate with my voice. Tere Mere from Chef was the last composition we did together, so it was great singing for Amaal after so long.

Amaal: It will be a surprise for our fans because we have mostly done stuff like Bol Do Na Zara (Azhar) or Buddhu Sa Mann, which are more like car-drive and live-in-the-moment songs. This is the first time Armaan has rendered a tropical electronic dance number for me.

Do you have clashes while working together?

Armaan: Yes, we have a lot of fights (laughs). They are usually creative differences. When I’m singing for Amaal, it’s one of the toughest recordings for me. He sets the bar too high and if I don’t achieve what he wants, he goes berserk. But that’s great because he wants excellence and it prompts me to work harder.

Amaal: Armaan has a simple approach and understands what a composer wants. I tell him, ‘Give the song your own vibe but I will still come and fight with you and change it’ (laughs).

Have the fights ever turned ugly?

Armaan: I’ve walked off from the recording and said, ‘I’m not doing this anymore. I’m done with this...’

Amaal: Sometimes, I’ve shut the door and said, ‘You can’t leave.’

Armaan: And then he asks the driver not to get my car...

Amaal: But we fight to make a good song. He sees reason that the track has turned out much better. So, ladaai karna zaroori hai (smiles).

What has been your most gratifying song together?

Amaal: I was moved by the way he sang Tere Mere. There were notes that had to be rendered like an ustaad and some that needed a contemporary voice and he did both equally well. That has been my toughest composition till date.

Armaan: The track’s antara had to be sung in a single breath and he didn’t let me take a break even though we have the technology. He okayed it in one take and I slept really well that night (laughs) because usually after a recording with him, I need good, unhealthy food to comfort me. Our single Main Rahoon Ya Na Rahoon is the other composition that we are proud of.

Do you turn to each other when things get rough?

Armaan: All the time! And we do it over food, which is an integral part of our lives.

Amaal: No gaana without khana (laughs). Things in the industry get too competitive. In that pressure, you tend to lose yourself. So, it’s important to have someone to turn to and vent out. Thankfully, we have each other.

What about sibling rivalry?

Amaal: He’s a complete mama’s boy while I’ve always been closer to my father. So, the swords were always drawn.  

Armaan: He was the bully as a kid. But I was sly. I would pretend to be this seedha saada guy and always get him into trouble by complaining about something he hadn’t even done. On a serious note, as musicians there’s no rivalry.

Did you face a lot of pressure because of your lineage?

Armaan: Everyone wanted to know what we were going to do. If I was on the stage, I represented my dad, uncle, dada, and Amaal.

Amaal: For people, we were never Dabboo Malik’s kids, we were always Anu Malik’s nephews. Our dad didn’t see the limelight and success that our uncle enjoyed. So, we had the fire in us to do well and take his name to the same position. People think we just got a chance three years ago but no one looks at our 10 years of struggle. I assisted Sandeep Chowta, Salim-Suleiman, Pritam, etc. while Armaan went the reality show way (Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Li’l Champs). We sang jingles and did voiceovers. Even when we got Jai Ho (2014), it wasn’t like we had arrived. On the contrary, the industry was harsher. People started writing me off when I was 23 and said I wasn’t the chip off the old block as a composer.

How do you see your career now?

Armaan: We have our own repertoire and style of songs. I think we have made a name because we have striven for it.

Amaal: Due to the comparison with our dad and uncle, the expectations were humongous. From that to people saying that my music has my signature has been a long journey. The fight has been worth the while.

Armaan, is there a song Amaal has composed with another singer that you wish you had sung?

Armaan: Mostly, he ends up releasing a song in my voice even if other singers have rendered it. But, I wish I had sung the non-film version of Chal Wahan Jaate Hain. It’s a beautiful track and when he was releasing it with 
Arijit (Singh), I asked him to take my version because it was close to my heart. I think the song was lost in the midst of a lot of other releases but we may do a version of it again.

What are you both working on now?

Armaan: We are collaborating on a single. We will shoot the video mostly by this month-end.

Amaal: We want to release more non-film music this year. We will also be touring together more.