Indian singer songwriter Armaan Malik has released a poignant and catchy new track entitled “Next 2 Me,” his second English language release. Malik has already earned an impressive following on the Indian music scene, earning more than one billion global streams and having 17 million followers on social media. 

His first foray into English songwriting was a collaboration with Wayne Wilkins for a fun poppy track called “Control.” The song went viral, seeing 35 million digital streams and near 27 million YouTube views. Malik has spoken of always wanting to break into the English language pop market and seems well on his way to achieving that aim.

This latest song was inspired by the current lockdown climate of COVID-19, and feelings of missing loved ones. Speaking about the track, Malik says:

“The global lockdown has been tough on all of us, especially for those who are quarantined away from their loved ones. I wanted to capture that feeling of missing someone and wishing that they were next to you. We may have all the devices in the world to keep us connected but having that person next to you is a different feeling altogether, something that no digital connection can ever compare to.”

Paired with a fun, animated lyric video, the track covers that feeling of longing without coming across as negative. The bouncy rhythm has you joining in with the song’s sentiment without bringing down your mood. Malik has achieved the perfect balance of conveying a sad message in a positive way, which keeps you coming back for another listen.

At just 24 years old, Malik may be new to the English pop scene, but he is a seasoned veteran of music in his own right. Coming from a musical family, with three generations of Bollywood performers behind him, he was clearly destined for artistic greatness. Inspired by Frank Sinatra, John Mayer, Bruno Mars and Michael Bublé, he has stepped outside his Bollywood roots with the aim of taking the English music word by storm. He is already well on his way to achieving this goal, and there’s no doubt we can expect more great things from this fantastic young artist in future.

 pop 

Author: Harley Houghton

Harley Houghton is a writer and blogger, based in Melbourne, Australia. Her passions include music, especially metal, gaming and comics. Check out her blog www.harleysmadhouse.com and follow her on Twitter.