Armaan Malik: I need a departure from my good boy image

Singer Armaan Malik is feeling "rebellious". “I've always believed you must be on your best behavior because you're a public figure. I am 90% a good boy, but I think that I've tapped into that little edgy vibey side of mine for my latest song.

That's also a side of mine, but people don't get to see it. I need a departure from my good boy image. I have matured so much in the last few years. I just want to dabble into something different and show a different side of mine,” says the singer.His latest track,

Baari Baari

, marks that shift—one he describes as “a very fresh Armaan Malik.” He adds, “We were done with this song in just two hours.”For the 28-year-old singer, the track isn't just about sonic experimentation.

It's also a statement. “I've always done things which are off the beaten path. I've never been in this one box that people like to put me in. Everyone loves to put you in a box. I just want to break open that box,” he says.Known primarily for his romantic ballads, Armaan acknowledges how his success has also boxed him in creatively.“I haven't offered much of my artistic side to my fans and my listeners at large. I feel what happened to me is that because of the whole playback singing situation and because I sang so many romantic songs, everyone thought he sang only romantic songs.

But that's unfortunately not in our control, because if one song becomes a hit, everyone comes to you for that vibe again,” he reflects.“But for us as an artist, it's our responsibility to show that different side to the listeners or the public at large. If an artist doesn't push himself beyond his own capacity, he won't break new ground. You become very monotonous and redundant as an artist if you are just in that one space.

And unfortunately, in India, for the longest time, playback singers have always been this. Now since the last five to eight years, you've seen this emergence of indie pop," he explains.

As for what drives him now, the singer is clear: “It's that time or that era in my life where I'm like, to hell with everyone and what they think. I just want to try something cool for myself because I have already done all those things. I've done the romantic hits. I have all those songs and those are songs for posterity. Now it's about writing a new chapter, writing a new independent music legacy which I think is a challenge and exciting at the same time.

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