From Jimin to Kim Jong-kook, the K-pop wave is taking over India. Its popularity has also resulted in a number of Indian composers and artistes turning to collaborations as a means to cross-pollinate the genre. After Kerala-based musician Ashwin Bhaskar’s team-up with K-pop star, Alexa, Armaan Malik is the latest singer-composer to team up with Korean girl band, TRI.BE. The single, Memu aagamu, released in August and combines lyrics in Hindi, Korean and Telugu with actor Allu Arjun adding to the star quotient in the video.

Lyricist Kunaal Vermaa was part of the team that worked on the collaboration. Tasked with creating the Hindi lyrics for the song, Vermaa admits it was easier than he anticipated. “I have known Malik for several years, and it was easy to say yes to the project,” he shares. The lyricist is no stranger to international collaborations. He has previously joined forces with composer Pritam and electronic music producer and DJ Marshmello, in 2019. He followed it up with several international collaborations alongside Malik, including one with Grammy Award-winning singer Dua Lipa in 2021 on the song Levitating.