Musician siblings Amaal and Armaan discuss their new single, and making music together
Amaal and Armaan. Pic/Sneha Kharabe
From being frequent collaborators to being each other's sounding board and harshest critics, brothers Amaal and Armaan Malik play
different roles as they navigate the fickle world of music together. While they are tight-lipped about their upcoming project with father Dabboo Malik - "it will be a special offering as it will bring all the three Maliks together," is all that Amaal is ready to divulge — the duo is more than happy to talk about its upcoming single, a recreated version of the '90s hit, Ghar Se Nikalte Hi.
Edited excerpts from the interview.
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How did the idea of recreating Ghar Se Nikalte Hi come about?
Armaan: Bhushanji [Kumar] played the song in his office and he wanted me to record it. I had never heard the [original] song, but when I did, I fell in love with the melody and simplicity of its lyrics. Amaal also admired Rajesh Roshanji's original composition. When he learnt that I was also featuring in the video, he agreed to compose it.
How was the experience of working on the song?
Amaal: Recreating a song means adding something new to the track. I tried to do that without tampering with the original essence of the number. I've given it my style of production and also contributed melodically.
Armaan: We worked on the song for two months. Amaal rearranged the entire track. The dholak and tabla that were prominent in the original version have been given a new life. The way Amaal arranged the string parts, chorus, percussions and the guitars is phenomenal. Apart from the mukhda, everything else is fresh.
As brothers, who are mainstream musicians, is it difficult to draw a line between personal and professional life?
Amaal: Armaan and I have never faced any difficulty on that front. The credit for that goes to our parents. They made sure that we don't let our egos swell to the moon and back, no matter where we are in our professional lives. At home, everybody is taught to live like a family first and not a bunch of successful musicians/singers. We still get shouted at in front of our staff (laughs).
Armaan: Amaal and I give each other space. We don't interfere in each other's personal lives, but occasionally, we chat about girls and what's happening in our lives.
Is working with other composers/singers your way of giving space to each other?
Amaal: Both Armaan and I understand that all songs cannot be made for the same singer. Armaan will not always be my first choice. There have been times when he has been, but he has refused to sing a track because he felt another singer could bring a lot more to the table.
What role have you played in each other's musical journey?
Amaal: Armaan is honest, so he doesn't give his nod to a tune that he doesn't like. His musicality is rich and relevant to today's sounds. So, when he suggests an approach, it makes you think.
Armaan: Everything I know about music has come from Amaal. He introduced me to bands like Backstreet Boys, Coldplay, Linkin Park, Prodigy and Infected Mushroom, among others. When I was nine, I had a blue iPod and Amaal had transferred around 4,000 songs to it. That's how my musical journey began.
Are you aware of each other's strengths and weaknesses?
Amaal: Armaan is a great singer. He is well-trained. His weakness is his need to do much more than I want (laughs). When in the studio, I usually don't allow him to do many harkats or RnB chops unless my songs demand it.
Armaan: Amaal has a great sense of melody, and makes the best antaras. His weakness is that he is lazy and loves to sleep (laughs).
Also Read: Armaan Malik's dream to sing for Varun Dhawan comes true
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