There’s a calm intensity about Armaan Malik, the kind that doesn’t scream for attention but commands it the moment he steps on stage. Whether he’s performing chartbusters or collaborating across continents, Armaan brings equal parts discipline, devotion and dreamer energy to his craft.
When The Free Press Journal caught up with the singer-songwriter, he opened up about everything from his sacred pre-show rituals and the unseen grind behind live concerts to possible collaborations and his much-awaited new music project.
The stage comes first
Before the lights flash and the crowd roars, there's a part of Armaan that most of us don't see. So, when asked about his pre-show rituals, the singer reveals that for him, performing isn’t just a job – it’s deeply spiritual.
“I try to meditate as much as I can. Just before going on stage, I do a small prayer, and I also touch the steps, the feet of the stage, because I feel it is a very sacred place for me. It’s given me my livelihood, given me my everything. So I pay my respect to the stage and then step on it. And then obviously my show begins.”
What fans don’t see
Concerts may look effortless from the front row, but Armaan insists the real battle happens long before he grabs the mic.
“The fans don't see the preparation,” he says, adding, “They don't see that a lot of it is actually even more mental than it is physical, because there are times when I may not be at my best physically, but my mind pushes me through. So for me, my mind needs to be extremely strong.”
Of course, the physical grind is no joke either. So, to prepare himself physically, he does a lot of overall opening-up exercises and stretches that, according to him, "help him move very fluidly and in a more mobile manner on stage.” The singer adds, “Lasting for two hours on stage, singing and dancing, is, anyway, a very big demand on the body. So preparing for that is something that I do in my workout sessions in the gym.”
During his fitness training, Armaan also takes part in a lot of cardio so that he can last two hours jumping, dancing and singing at the same time. But for him, “mental strength is more important as an artist than physical strength.”
And, when Armaan isn't hitting the gym or high notes, he's listening to electronics. “I’m always listening to new music. I’m a big fan of electronic music, so I keep listening to a lot of electronic songs on the go. That’s my favourite type of music to listen to.”
Indo-Korean collabs & a BTS dream
Armaan has already blurred borders with global projects. His 2021 English pop-EDM track “Echo” with singer Eric Nam and producer KSHMR found love across audiences. Then came “Memu Aagamu,” a trilingual collaboration with Allu Arjun, K-pop girl group TRI.BE, and Lost Stories.
So, could BTS be next? “I hope so, and I hope that I get to do something with the boys from BTS,” he says. “I’ve loved their music; they’re amazing artists, and I hope that we can get to do something together.”
Reminiscing about his time with Eric, Arman expresses, “Working with Eric was a beautiful experience. People really loved that song that we did together, ‘Echo,’ and in the next two to three years, you’ll probably see a lot more Indo-Asian collaborations like that happening.”
Reflecting on “Memu Aagamu', he adds, 'I also did a trilingual collaboration where I infused Hindi, English, Telugu and Korean in one song, which was a song called "Memu Aagamu" with Allu Arjun and a K-pop girl group called TRI.BE.' That was a very successful collaboration. It was a beautiful experience getting all those cultures together.”
India’s concert boom
With global superstars like Coldplay, Linkin Park, Tyla and others increasingly touring India, Armaan sees opportunity – but also responsibility.
“I think it’s great for the country when such big global artists come and perform and, overall, raise the economy – that’s important. A lot of people get jobs because of these concerts. Secondly, it also boosts cultural tourism for our country. Overall, it’s beautiful to see all these artists picking India as their touring destination.”
But he’s clear about one thing: “I would really like to see more and more Indian artists coming to the forefront and getting a lot more limelight. It’s great that global artists are getting recognition and coming to India, but I really want Indian homegrown artists to get the same kind of love and appreciation on their home ground.”
Music with a mission
On February 7, 2026, Armaan performed at the Signature Packaged Drinking Water “Root for Mangroves” concert at Leisure Valley Ground in Gurugram. The show blended his biggest hits with an environmental message, with ₹50 from every ticket supporting mangrove regeneration in Odisha.
Why say yes? “I think it’s something that I strongly stand for. I’ve always been very vocal in terms of my support for the environment. I’ve been actively talking about plastic pollution, air pollution and, in general, the conservation and betterment of our environment. So it was a no-brainer for me to be part of this concert. Since we’re talking about mangroves, which are a very important part of the ecosystem, it was definitely a no-brainer for me to align with them and do this concert.”
New sounds on the horizon
Musically, Armaan is ready to surprise fans. “I would love to dabble a little bit more into the R&B, urban and hip-hop space because those are something that people haven’t heard me do before. So I would love to try something in that space just as an experiment to see how it works.”
Additionally, fans eager for a full-fledged album won’t have to wait too long. The singer says, “I’m preparing a lot more songs for my new project in English, so I’m working on that, and a couple of singles are in the works. Apart from that, I have a bunch of Bollywood songs also coming. I hope that I’m able to put a project together maybe by the end of this year."
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