The Score Magazine - Archive October 2016 issue! | Page 17

PRAMITA BOSE
The current year (2016) took off to a flying start
as awards fetched you wide appreciation for your
hardwork. You picked up the Filmfare statuette
as the winner of prestigious R.D. Burman Award
in the new music talent category. How important
was this recognition for you in the early stages of
your career? What was your parents’ reaction?
Getting this appreciation, love and acceptance from
the industry fraternity feels simply surreal! Actually
I think my experience proves that age is no bar to
success. I believe this recognition would inspire
more youngster musicians to take up music as a
serious profession. Hence, we need to tap raw talent
persistently to enable the youth of India shine and
progress all the way!
Our parents are super ecstatic! My dad Daboo Malik
has been a part of this music industry since a very
long time but he never received any sort of big
acclaim that was due to him throughout his career.
Therefore, these awards and victories are meant to
be more of his than ours!
Born and brought up in a family of great musical
lineage (starting with grandfather Late Sardar
Malik, who was a noted music composer, the
legacy followed with his famous composer-
singer uncle Anu Malik and father Daboo Malik,
also a talented scorer), were you destined to
embrace the craft as your career-path in life?
How was the musical ambience at home since
childhood?
Ever since I was a little kid of four, I knew I wanted
to be a singer. And not just any regular singer, the
world’s best singer (smiles)! Sounds too ambitious,
right? But that’s how children behave in their
formative years. And I’ve always had these lofty
dreams you know. Thankfully, I never looked back,
once I decided that ‘music is my life’.
Honestly speaking, the atmosphere at our home is
truly musical. We used to wake up in the mornings
only to find my dad and dada doing riyaaz,
composing new songs and writing lyrics. I have
received all my training from my grandfather Shri
Sardar Malik and my mind-training happens with
my dad. It was this highly cultural milieu that we so
fondly loved and this is what we grew up in. So it was
only a natural progress for us to follow music further
in the future.
Tell us something about your formal education
in music. Did you graduate from leading western
music schools as well as acquire training in
Indian classical genres? How has that taalim
helped brace your basics?
I’m a trained student of Hindustani classical music
and have also received a full-tuition scholarship in
the summer of 2011 to learn pop/R&B music at the
prestigious Berklee College of Music, Boston (USA).
By the grace of God, I could wrap up the course with
Honours and I’m immensely glad that I pursued the
curriculum because it’s left me completely changed!
See as a singer, being versatile is very crucial. So the
giant spectrum of Indian classical has undoubtedly
provided me with that strong base to hone my
singing skills. While Western music has added a
much-needed edge to my style. Fact is, in order to
be a long-race horse, you must continuously explore
and extend your repertoire. Fortunately, I could pick
up other world genres like EDM and the ‘big band’
phenomenon (a musical rage during the swing era
of 1930s till 1940s in the US, associated with playing
jazz. It has evolved over time and still continues
today.) to name a few and am equally comfortable in
crooning English numbers. Besides, I have a great
affinity for pop and R&B genres. To tell you frankly, I
am gonna sing a lot in English ahead.
Amaal Malik (talented Bollywood composer and
hitmaker) being your elder brother, is he more of
a buddy to you and a great support-system in this
strange big entertainment industry, where fate
alters every Friday?
Definitely yes! Since both of us are brothers and
belong to the same line of work, we both confide
in each other regarding our personal as well
as professional struggles. It’s undeniably very
comforting having Amaal by my side!
Having initiated your journey as a vocalist from
a talent hunt show to singing jingles, singles and
now managing a full-fledged playback career,
was the struggle tough or worth it?
It was surely worth it. If I hadn’t put in all that effort
and hard labour when I was barely nine or ten, I
wouldn’t be here where I am today. My mom (Jyoti
Malik) has equally shared this struggle and journey
with me. She was a constant pillar of backing, who
pushed my limits and made me understand the
importance of hardwork earlier in life. I was taught
that nothing falls easy on the platter and there’s no
shortcut to success.
Is hailing from a reputed musical background
like yours a blessing in disguise or an
undue pressure as expectations mount up
and comparisons keep soaring with every
performance?
I think it’s challenging because a) people have huge
expectations already imposed on your shoulders
like a heavy burden and b) you also need to make an
individual mark of your own in the industry. I mean
you can’t go on living into someone’s shadow.
Coming to the vantage point that you quite correctly
mentioned, I do agree that one gets to go through
several doors of opportunities without much fuss
than rank outsiders who doggedly slog for a chance
from nowhere. But despite getting a key access to the
right kind of people who matter most, you got to have
that genuine talent and burning passion inside you
to take things forward and make something valuable
out of it!
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