What's up? It's Armaan, and we're going to talk about positivity.

One thing you got to remember is that… things will only look up in your life when you know how to look up first.

And think about what happens when you do look up. Like, to the sky I mean.

There's days when it's nice and sunny outside. There's days when it's really gloomy, or just pouring rain. Sometimes the weather

feels ice cold. The wind is like, super freezing, where your brain can't even think.

So yeah, it's not possible to have sunshine everyday.

And yet… life keeps going on, right?

The world is able to survive through all these different seasons and different changes.

What I'm trying to say is that, whenever you feel like the clouds in your life turn a little too dark, whenever you feel like there's nothing to be

happy about, or nothing to be thankful for — it's just a season.

One season. Of many.

To me, positivity isn't forcing yourself to be happy, or pretending that everything will be okay, when you have literally no idea if things will be okay. Positivity is just remembering that whatever bad things happen in your life, whatever negative experiences come? It's not gonna be there forever.

Things are never only bad. And good things always do come over time.

And sometimes, those good things can even come out of the bad things.

And you know what's amazing?

Whenever you look up at the dark, gloomy clouds in the sky… it still requires you to look up.

Listen to this when life feels a little gloomy.

Positivity

Hey, this is Armaan. We need to talk about patience.

There's a huge difference between patience and waiting.

Patience involves putting in the hard work first, and then watching the fruits of your labor bear gradually. Over a period of time.

But waiting? Waiting is just sitting in your room and expecting for miracles to happen. Out of nowhere. Or complaining when they don't,

and then feeling like life isn't treating you fairly.

But I really encourage you to appreciate every moment in your life, including the ones where it feels like nothing is going your way.

Because what you do in those moments is exactly what determines what your next outcome will be.

Don't just wait for life to happen to you, but make it happen. Even if that means you have to go through periods of feeling lost.

And, another thing — when you're living your life, and going through your specific journey? Don't change your goals just because you see someone else reaching their destination.

Your path is not their path. And you don't need to compare yourself to others.

Be patient, then you will see everything with value.

Listen to this to stay motivated in your goals.

Patience

Hi guys, Armaan here.

I'm going to talk about perseverance. And I think the easiest words for me to start with is this poem I wrote:

A lot of things didn't go my way, but I never lost hope.

I was broken on the inside, but giving up wasn't an option.

Nope.

Walls were built, obstacles were placed,

No matter where I went, it seemed like a maze.

But all I did was build my own ladder

Didn't use anyone else's rope.

I wrote this a few years back, during a really low moment of my life. A moment that I share in my

Mindset Collection, Episode Four.

I basically felt rejected by the whole world. Because nothing was working out for me. Every door was closing, and I felt so broken on the inside.

But one thing that was a constant for me was that I never lost hope.

So like, perseverance is such an important role in being able to sustain your mindset. In whatever it is you're trying to accomplish, whatever you're trying to get through, whatever you're trying to overcome.

You have to beat the obstacles.

You can't be like, "Oh, the road is blocked. How do I go?"

You have to make your own way.

It can be breaking through that roadblock. It can be hitting at it constantly

again and again. Or I don't know, do a U-turn and find another path. Just don't be dejected by obstacles.

Obstacles are put in your life for a reason.

Stay strong, persevere through them… and you will find your way.

Listen to this when you're confronted with obstacles.

Perseverance

I'm Armaan Malik, and this is a story about passion.

When I think about the word passion, I personally relate it to… the drive, and enthusiasm you have for something.

You know like, that fire for a thing you absolutely love?

And that fire pushes you to give 100 percent of yourself — 200 percent of yourself — to

something or someone you love.

That's how I would describe passion in short.

I think the key to finding a passion is definitely to try many, many different things and just see what you gravitate towards.

And, not getting discouraged in the process.

Because you never know what will click. It takes time.

Even for me, when I was growing up,

I was surrounded by music. But my parents still had me try everything. Tennis, football, cooking classes… I really do love food.

But music was the one thing that I gravitated towards.

I didn't choose music just because like, "Oh, I can sing," or, "Oh I have this musical family." 

I was actually drawn to it.

There was a certain magnetism of being on stage, of feeling like I was invincible, as if I was on top of the world.

I know it sounds cheesy, but that's how music made me feel.

And once I recognized that feeling, I was able to focus on music and cultivate my love for it.

And… you're allowed to have more than one passion, right? You're allowed to love different things.

That doesn't mean that you're going to love it all the time either. Sometimes you do need a break, or time away to reset.

And then, you can just fall in love with your passion — all over again.

Listen to this if you're searching for a passion.

Passion

Hi everyone, my name is Armaan Malik, and I'm so excited to be here. This Mindset collection is one of the most personal things I've ever worked on. So yeah, this is definitely going to be… a journey.

Most people know me as a Bollywood singer, or more recently, a pop singer from India.

I was born and raised in Mumbai, and I've been singing professionally for about… 13 years now? I think I've done close to like 250 songs in 10 different languages across India.

So it's really hard for me to imagine my life without music. I've been singing since the age of four, and I'm kind of a musical nerd I guess, like music is all I know.

But I always thought that if I wasn't a singer… maybe I'd be a chef? Or I might try to start my own restaurant? I'm a huge

foodie, I love to eat. So yeah, I can't help it.

But yeah, pretty much 90 percent of my day is spent on music, and it's still the thing that gets me excited and happy like a kid.

But that doesn't mean that singing has been an easy path for me.

For Indian music especially, or like Bollywood music — it's kind of hard to push that style of music to like, a global scale.

And another thing that's been really tough for me

personally is that… not a lot of Indian musicians have the opportunity to put out their own songs, or their own style. Like independent of the film industry.

But I want to help create more opportunities for artists in India. To move into new genres, and basically create a bigger genre of pop music.

And like… this is really, really, really hard to do. Doing something like this? On this kind of scale? is never going to be easy. Or comfortable. But someone has to do it. I

really want to help pave the way for musicians here to have a new future.

And I think that's what we all want, right? To feel like we have a place in the world. And that we matter.

For me personally, growing up, I really felt like it was so hard to find my place in the world. There were a lot of times when I wished I could like, get access into someone else's mindset, you know? To know how they function. How they get through life.

So I'm not here just to talk about me and give a textbook of who Armaan Malik is. I want this to be helpful to you.

Because if there are things that I've gone through in life, where it helps people? And especially younger musicians, to hear me talk about them? Then I feel like all of this is so worth it.

I really hope that through my Mindset, a lot of you get the courage and motivation to find your passion and chase your dreams.

But while you're at it, it's important to take care of yourself. And we can do that together.

This is Armaan Malik, and welcome to my Mindset.

Meet Armaan Malik

[This episode contains adult language.]

Okay so here it is, the very first episode: Finding My Voice.

I grew up in a very musical family. My father's a composer. My grandfather was a composer. My uncles, my brother — pretty much everyone in the family is a musician.

Except my mom… she's like the odd one out.

But

like at the dinner table, our conversations would always end up being about songs. We would play different rhythms on the table and stuff like that.

Music is just in my DNA.

And I know a lot of people maybe want to run away from what their family does? Like if everyone in your family is a doctor, you might be like, "Oh my God, do I have to be a doctor too?"

But for me, I knew that I wanted to choose my own path. I wanted to make my own name and find my own voice.

Because usually what happens when you have such an illustrious musical family, is that you kind of… get stuck under a shadow.

Like it's really hard to break out of the family name and make your own identity.

And for my family, they've always been composers. They've been doing this for years and years. Composing background scores, original soundtracks, making beats, making melodies.

But for me it was, singing.

That's something that attracted me. No one in the family was doing it at the time, and I kind of became the first vocalist.

I think I always wanted to be a singer-songwriter. My parents would tell me how like at the age of three or four, even before I could construct proper sentences, I would be humming or singing.

Like all the time.

It was just something I naturally gravitated toward, I guess. My parents never forced it upon me. But they did think like, "Hey you know what, why don't we try this? Let's put Armaan in a singing class and see what happens."

And I was kind of petrified in the first few classes, because at the age of four I was in a singing class and everyone was doing serious classical music. And… I was scared.

I told my mom, like after the first day of class like, "What have you put me into?"

So

basically that's how it was, initially. Then, you know everyone decided that it was too early to put me into like a classical kind of a setting? So we went with a more basic and standard version of like the music class.

I'm very blessed to have amazing parents. I can talk to them about anything under the sun pretty much.

And it's really because of them that I've learned how to become a

stronger person whenever I go out into the world.

I also have an elder brother, Amaal. He's five years older than me. We frequently collaborate on stuff together, and he's been a huge inspiration for me.

A lot of the music that I like to listen to and the taste that I've developed, is because of him.

I remember back in school he handed me this iPod Nano. You know, like those tiny music players back in the day? And he filled it with songs, saying like this is what he and his friends were listening to at that point of time.

And that I might like it.

That iPod Nano… became my Bible. It had all the best songs that I grew up with.

And we were '90s kids. So obviously we grew up with like, Backstreet Boys, NSYNC, Jesse McCartney and stuff like that.

But I also listened to music across all genres. So… Metallica, Iron Maiden, just everything. That huge collection of

songs really broadened my love for music, and my love for singing.

[🎵 Young Armaan singing in school]

When I was around nine years old, I appeared in the singing reality TV show, called Sa Re Ga Ma Pa. This show is like, legendary in India. Some of the biggest singers have come out of that show.

So obviously, being a contestant got me a lot of fame in school. Kids would be like, "Wow, Armaan, he was on TV."

And you

would think that this would make me more popular, and like admired and stuff. But what a lot of people don't know is that I ended up being bullied quite a bit as a result of that show.

I've mentioned it slightly here and there in different interviews but, never in detail. Basically, I was really alienated. And kids in school just made me feel so shitty about being a singer.

Just because I was on TV and I was famous, I was obviously getting a lot of

girl attention. And in high school that matters a lot. But a lot of the guys kind of started alienating me, started grouping against me.

And… it came to a point where, they started doing things. They started putting stuff in my water bottle. All kinds of gross stuff in it. So whenever we came back from a sports class, and I was like super thirsty so I would go to my bottle. It would… I can't even explain what all was there.

And thinking back, I

really wish I stuck up for myself more. Because this wasn't once or twice.

It happened a lot.

But I just didn't have… the guts to do it.

I was really scared. And eventually, I did go to my parents about it. They went to the teachers and they called those students into the room and said that, "This is what you're doing to Armaan and it's not going down well with him. His mental health is going for a toss."

And those kids, just whatever, just heard of the teachers and that small little meeting that we had. And

then after that it just continued.

And after that, they completely ignored me. Everyone in school, just ignored me and I was pretty alone.

I was really sad at that point of time. I was, I was thinking, "Wait, why am I here, what am I doing? Is it worth like, doing music? Should I continue singing?

Because, maybe this is all because of my music and my singing, and because I’ve become famous. And it's caused all these problems in my life.

So maybe I should just leave my music. I should leave my

singing."

And that's the kind of thought that came to my head. It took a lot of like, back and forth and, I did a little bit of counseling sessions at school. But… I was literally going to throw away my music and my singing.

And I know so many of you listening have also gone through bullying. Like it's not just me. And we shouldn't be ashamed to talk about this.

But my one advice to you would be: to

trust the people you love, and to share what you're going through. I really wish I had gone to my parents earlier because it took a toll on me. And they were there to help me.

And if you feel like you don't have anyone around you to talk to? Then I'm here for you. I care about you and I want you to feel understood, and that you're not alone.

So yeah, that whole experience,

being on that show while still in school, was definitely one of the hardest things I went through.

I think that there are some people out there who feel like I've had this big advantage in my career. And sure, being steeped in this musical legacy has helped a lot.

But as I've said before, I've always wanted to make my own identity.

Like even for that TV show I sang in, when I submitted my name, I just put "Armaan". I

left out my surname. I left out "Malik".

Because I didn't want people to know that I came from a family of musicians. I wanted people to judge me on the basis of my own singing, and my own performance.

And don't get me wrong. I'm like, super proud to be part of this family's legacy. But I've always worked hard to figure out who I could be outside of that. That's always been a conscious effort of mine ever since I was young. And I'm very grateful to my parents for being so supportive of this.

Someone who has really been a rock for me in my career, is my mom. My mother's definitely more of the business head of the family. She's the one who kind of like, makes all the big decisions, so that the rest of us can focus on being creative.

And she basically managed me for almost half my life. I can't even imagine being where I would be today without my mom.

Like, obviously she gave birth to me,

but also just in terms of my career.

So I think some people might be curious what it's like having my mom as a manager? But it's worked so well. And I think it's because moms are just naturally really amazing multitaskers.

Moms do so much. And like there were so many incidents where, we would be on our way to a recording session and she'd be helping me with my homework.

But then as soon as we'd park, she instantly switched into the manager mode.

Or times where at home she would really push me to practice singing, but I'd be

like, "No mom, I want to go outside and play."

And she'd be like, "No, you need to practice."

So yeah just seeing her shuffle between all those roles has been amazing.

But I definitely want to say, she's my mom first, and manager second.

So there was this one point where, I think I was 15, and my mom wanted me to go and meet this composer. You know, play some songs for him and see

whether or not he could collaborate with me, or work with me in the future.

And I remember, she parked the car right in front of the studio. And I was like, super nervous. I was so nervous getting out of the car.

And even now as a recording artist, I still get nervous. And I think a lot of artists feel this way.

Like no matter how much we perform and put ourselves out there, there's still so many moments where we feel hesitant, or feel a little weird about pushing our work. Because we kind of just want to focus on being creative, and for people

to come and approach us if they like us.

But like, I remember my mom telling me, as we were getting out of the car, "You know Armaan, at the very worst, you go inside, you play your stuff, and he doesn't like it. But that's fine. Because at least you won't have the regret that you didn't try."

And that is a moment that will always stick with me. That was a huge turning point.

My mom was really the one who helped me like, inculcate this habit of getting myself out there,

and sticking up for myself. Rather than being complacent or satisfied with where I was.

(Armaan): "Hi mom, how are you doing?"

(Mom): "I'm doing great. Sitting, chatting, enjoying this time that I'm spending with you. Really feeling good."

(Armaan): "So mom, do you remember when we went to meet Salim Merchant from the famous composer duo Salim-Sulaiman for the very first time?"

(Mom): "Yeah I

remember very clearly, that we were outside the studio and I was telling you to go in and meet him. You were a little apprehensive. But then, you really believed that whatever I was saying was for your good, as you always do. And you went in.

And I clearly remember you sang the cover of Bruno Mars, 'Just The Way You Are'. And he was really, really happy with your rendition. And

he offered you a song then and there. That was really, really awesome."

(Armaan): "Like every instance, every moment in my life, you've been by my side and you've always guided me in the right direction. I just wanted to ask you this question, I'm, I'm super intrigued to know.

Did you ever have any worries about my career? Like at any point, did you feel, 'Okay. I'm really scared about the direction that Armaan's career is going… '"

(Mom): "Ever

since you were young, you were more on the shy side. More of an introvert. You were not that outgoing person."

And I used to think, 'How can I help my son to get more confidence, put more confidence in him? So that he can go out and meet any situation, and take it as it comes.' 

Not just not try, but try. It doesn't matter, even if you don't make it.

But if you do not try, then that's something which is bad. So that's what I wanted to get

across to you. And… I think it's come across to you."

So yeah, thank you Mom for being my rock and for helping me to gain the courage to put myself out there. I love you.

I think a lot of us tend to live life just waiting… and hoping that

something good will come along. Because you know, there's so much that we can't control around us.

But I don't think that should stop us from still trying to make good things happen.

So instead of waiting for life to happen to you, have the courage to believe that you can make life happen.

No one's life is perfect, and you never really know where you're gonna end up. But

it's important that you give yourself the chance to try the things you want to do.

Because to me, finding who you are, finding your voice, and your path — is the most important journey.

This is my Mindset.

Finding who you are is the most important journey.

Finding My Voice

[This episode contains adult language.]

10,000 hours of practice to perfect your craft is a long time. But that's what we're going to talk about. This is Episode Two.

I'm not a formally trained musician. My theory is actually

really, really bad.

Like I don't know written music that well, which is kind of funny I guess since I come from a family of composers.

But music has always been much more instinctive for me. Like my ears are very trained. I just move in whatever way feels natural and authentic to me.

And a lot of musicians are like this. I mean, learning theory and being technically trained is great. But depending on the type of music you're doing, I do think there can be

some strengths in not being formally trained.

When you're ear trained, you just go wherever your heart takes you, or where, wherever you hear the sound taking you.

But for example in Indian music, we have these scales called ragas, and you're expected to stay within those scales. You can't just jump out of them for whatever reason.

But if you're following your ear, you might be doing something that doesn't necessarily fit in one scale. It could be a mixture of scales.

So yeah I don't think musicians should feel any less talented just

because they don't have a formally trained background.

So anytime someone asks me what my musical style is, that's always hard to answer because… I honestly hate being restricted and boxed up in one kind of genre.

I'm a multilingual singer, I'm a multi-genre singer so, I really can't define my musical style It's whatever I'm feeling at that point of time.

Even though like pop, R&B music is the kind of music that I really love and gravitate towards making, the kind of music that I want to put

out and keep putting out is genre-bending, it could be style-bending. So I really don't want to fix myself in this one slot or, or one box.

I think summer of 2011 was probably the most important time for me, or had like the most impact in terms of my musical style and what I wanted to pursue.

That year, I spent a whole summer at Berklee in Boston. And Berklee is of course a very prestigious musical school. Even in India its reputation is very well-known. Like it's a Mecca for musicians. And some of my all-time favorite singers have come out of Berklee.

So around the time I was like 14 or 15, the school decided to hold auditions in Mumbai.

They really wanted to attract

more students from India. So I auditioned and ended up getting into this cool summer program for students.

When I got to Boston… I loved it.

It was my very first time in the States. And I feel like Boston was just the perfect city for me to experience so much culture. Like the whole radius of the campus is really vibrant. It's kind of in the middle of this historical, cultural entertainment hub in Boston so, I was surrounded by musicians and performers all the time.

I had never

experienced something like this in India before. So that was like, my happy place. I was pretty kicked about it.

The Indian food wasn't that great in Boston but… I did fall in love with Chipotle. I'm like, so obsessed with Chipotle. They should pay me for saying this.

But yeah, I think my time at Berklee was when my love for pop music and my dream to be kind of like a pop singer, really solidified.

So at Berklee,

there were all these different ensembles that students were placed in. So there was an African ensemble, with African and reggae music. There was a pop-R&B kind of ensemble. And there was one Middle Eastern ensemble. And so I was put in all three of these different ensembles and bands.

And at the end of the summer, there was this big blowout concert for all the students to kind of showcase what they learned throughout the program.

And I remember for the African ensemble, they asked me like, "Armaan, do you

rap?"

And I was like, "Um… no. I'm a singer. But, um, I, I don't mind trying."

So I tried out a little bit of rapping for this reggae piece and also just reggae-style singing.

I practiced so hard for that. I was singing in a very African accent, 'cause you know, I wanted to do my best to impress them and make them feel like I had been doing this for years, even though it was just completely new to me.

And that must have

stuck with one of the instructors there who was part of like, the head of the African ensemble? 'Cause you know, here's this guy from India who doesn't know Reggae music at all, but he's willing to try it. Even if he sucks at it.

So he ended up writing a recommendation letter for me that I could like use to apply for Berklee full-time. And I was so happy about that because even though I had no idea what I was doing, and I had zero confidence in rapping or singing reggae? The fact that someone actually valued my willingness to

put myself out there and try, and like work at it — even if it meant failing in the process — that gave me so much encouragement.

And I'm sure you guys are curious about what this must have sounded like.

I don't know if I can replicate it exactly? It was so long ago.

But… because this is Mindset, and we are very exclusive, I'm just going to do a little sample for you. On the condition that you don't play it for anyone else.

This is strictly for the Mindset community, okay? 

Okay here it

goes.

[🎵 Armaan sings "Woman I Need You" by Sizzla]

So

yeah… that's Armaan Malik, attempting reggae.

One moment at Berklee that I'll never forget, was during my R&B ensemble. 'Cause that ensemble was something that I was really excited and passionate about. You know, I had been wanting to learn how to do R&B style of music for a long time.

So I was finally getting to do something that I really wanted to do. It felt like things were falling

into place for me. And I was really looking forward to the end of the summer where I could showcase everything I had learned.

But then, when it came time to perform, and when I got up on stage… I completely screwed up.

And I just felt so shitty that I messed up, because obviously it's not just me, but there were like four other

singers with me. And I felt so bad that I let them down, especially right at the intro.

I beat myself over this for a long time. Like, "Armaan, how could you mess up? You trained all summer for this and you just completely failed."

And you know this might seem like a really small thing to

most people. But, you have to realize like, that stuck with me for weeks. Months even.

And I think that's also what sparked my whole perfectionist attitude towards my music and my craft. After that performance, I realized like, "Okay, I have to really, really be on top of things. And I cannot mess up."

And even to this day, whenever I do mess up in my performances, I still have these moments where I go back to my room and get super angry with

myself.

I don't think this is just for musicians or like artists either. So many of us have this desire to be a hundred percent perfect at times.

But… it's just not possible.

It's not possible. You're bound to make a mistake and you're bound to screw up.

And I think that was really hard for me to accept in the beginning. But, over time, I've

realized like, "Okay, I have to remind myself that we're all human, and that at the end of the day, it's okay to make a mistake every once in a while."

Like, you actually have to make mistakes in life. Mistakes help us learn, right?

So there's this quote, or like theory from the best-selling author Malcolm Gladwell, where if you really want to master something, you know maybe a complex topic or skill? It requires at least 10,000

hours of intensive practice.

Now… I don't know if that's literally true. I mean, there's probably plenty of psychologists out there who debate this stuff all the time. But, I do like the mindset of having to put in a lot of time and effort into your craft if you want to be great at what you do.

No one should think becoming successful is easy. And I think it's really important that if someone does want to find success in their field, that they know it requires a very disciplined kind of life,

and like a day-to-day regiment.

I feel like that's not stressed enough for some people in my generation. You know like, us younger folks, who can take a lot of things we grow up with for granted.

But anyway, like we were talking about before, no one's perfect. And there has to be a balance.

Because as much as you might want to deliver your 100 percent, every single time, it's not going to happen. And you should always give room to forgive yourself.

Because in the long run, it's

actually very detrimental to your health, to add like so much unrealistic pressure to your life.

So this episode is called 10,000 Hours, but I'm not here just to talk about my life. I think it's really important for all of us to reflect on the things we've learned, what we want to learn, and just, how to keep getting better — at whatever it is we do.

And also like,

taking moments to remind ourselves that, if there's something we really want to pursue, it requires discipline. It requires failure. And it requires being open to trying new things.

Because you'll often be presented with a situation where you have to try something that you've never done before. With little guarantee that it'll even go well. Like me trying to become a reggae singer.

But what I mean is that in your journey of practicing and perfecting

whatever it is you care about — all of your moments of failure, and struggle, and persistence… that will never go to waste.

It just adds to who you are.

And it'll always make you stronger in the end.

This is my Mindset.

10,000 Hours

Alright. We're getting into Episode Three now: What You Don't See.

There's so much that goes into making music that fans never get to see.

Especially the stuff going on inside an artist's head. Like right before we get on stage, or right before we go in to record a song —

there's just so much happening behind the scenes.

And this isn't even just for artists. A lot of us can feel this way, right?

Where on the outside, you kind of show like, a totally different person compared to what's happening beneath the surface. Like you could be having the worst day possible and just falling apart inside. Really struggling mentally. But on the surface you look completely cool.

For me, I like to think that I'm a pretty confident guy. I'm pretty comfortable in my own skin. And I'm not really someone who is hesitant with anything. But I had to learn this confidence.

And I think one moment that really helped me was back when I was auditioning for that reality TV show.

At the time I wore glasses, and I felt like I might look better without them? So when I went on stage, I didn't have them on.

And I couldn't really see the audience or the judges that well. Everything was very blurry.

And that actually helped me a lot, because it made me feel less frightened about the number of people watching me. It was maybe around 200 people or something that day? All staring at me, this young kid.

But hey, if I can't see the audience then, I can't be scared of them, right? So I think I sort of wired into my head like, "Armaan, you can't see them. So don't focus on them.

Just sing to yourself as you would sing at home, alone in your room."

And that mindset is something that I've carried with me to this day.

Like, even if I'm performing for 10,000 people, 12,000 people, I'm able to create this feeling of me just sitting in my room with my guitar.

It's almost like… I'm in my own world on stage.

So if you're ever in a situation where you're super nervous, or feel the pressure of people watching you? The first thing I would say to you is that:

it's a good thing to feel nervous.

Because it means you care.
 
And also like, everyone gets nervous, including me. Even today.

So, don't be so hard on yourself. Do what you can to stay focused, and give it your best shot.

So I've mentioned this before, but the Indian music industry was primarily a film-focused

industry. If you've heard of Bollywood, it's a very rich center for filmmaking and music here.

So pretty much, music making across India was focused on supporting these movies. Unlike the west, where you have musicians specialized in movie soundtracks, and also have separate recording artists, who like, release albums on their own and aren't attached to any films.

It's very different here in India.

So when I told my parents that I really

wanted to do independent music, especially like pop music — you know after coming back from Berklee — my parents were obviously very concerned. Because there was no real scope for doing pop music at the time.

My dad actually sat me down and told me like, "You know son, if you want to be a successful singer here in India, you need to sing in Hindi. This is our country and this is our language. So make Bollywood your focus first, and then after you make a name for yourself, then you can

channel or leverage that success into making English pop music."

So my dad was just trying to look out for me and talk some sense into me.

But of course, to a 15, 16-year-old kid, it was kind of like, "Dad, why are you discouraging me? I want to do my own thing."

And he was just like, "Armaan, trust me, in a few years, you'll understand what I'm talking about."

And… he was right. Because after just a couple years of singing for Bollywood, I became very

well known. I gained a lot of fans. And then those fans eventually helped me so much to be able to do the newer music that I'm doing today.

Like, if I didn't listen to my dad, and if I had just started trying to do pop music from scratch, I definitely don't think I'd be talking to you right now. So, thanks Dad.

I want to be very clear though: I love singing for Bollywood

films. I love singing in Indian languages. That's my culture, and that part of me will never change.

But I just always knew that I wanted more room creatively as a singer. And this isn't something that is unique to me. I know so many other artists in India who feel this way as well.
 
And one song in particular that I feel like really helped break open that creative space was "Main Rahoon Ya Na Rahoon."

It's basically a song in Hindi. It speaks about being able to connect with someone, even if they're not there. It's a very emotional song and can be interpreted in a lot of different ways, for anyone you care about.

And it's a song that I worked on independently with my brother, Amaal. So it wasn't for a film, but we released it as a single. And that was very fresh at the time for the Indian music industry.

And a lot of my hit songs in India were composed and written by Amaal.

So I think whenever we collaborate, it's something that fans really look forward to. Because we have such a great dynamic and chemistry.

So the single we worked on together came out in… 2015? It was really a game changer. And it actually opened up this whole new pathway for more Indian musicians to put out their own singles and music videos, in a way that I don't think had really been done before.

So I feel like "Main Rahoon Ya

Na Rahoon" is one of the most important songs in my discography.

But what a lot of people don't know is how that song came together.

(Amaal)

Hi guys, this is Amaal Malik. I'm Armaan Malik's elder brother. And we've been collaborating since we we're like babies. And I'm proud to say that together we've made some really heartfelt, really good music, and it's a really big deal for an Indian artist to you know break out in such a beautiful way.

So coming to the song,

"Main Rahoon Ya Na Rahoon" is one of my purest creations I think. And I've made close to about a hundred songs? But this song is the most special to me. And even to Armaan because it's a tribute from the both of us to our grandfather.

It seems like a very, very simple tune, but when a singer goes behind the mic, it's really intricate, a very delicate melody to, you know live up to. And I think Armaan did justice to every part. But

somewhere, uh you know, I was very sure about one word, which I felt he didn't you know, hit it on the nail, which was the "Kuch".

The, "Kuch kahun ya na kahun," there's a lyric in the song where I told him repeatedly, "You know I feel you can do better."

But he was in a rush, he had to run away for a gig. And he went down through the lift.

And something in him, I don't know how it changed his mind, and he turned the car back and he's like back in the studio.

And I'm looking at him confused, I'm like, "I thought you're

done?"

And he's like, "No, I'm going to give it another try, because I want to do what you want. And even I feel you know, somewhere I can give that extra effort, that little more feel that the song needs."

(Armaan)

I still remember that moment so clearly. I took the lift down, and I was going towards my car when I realized like, "Wait, I don't think I did justice to this song. If it's just that one line that needs to be better, it's gonna eat me up forever."

Because for

singers, the way you emote in a song is so important. Like for a fun song, an upbeat song, you could smile or chuckle in a line — and it really shines through.

Or for a more emotional song, there's a certain way you can come out of a line, where the breath afterward just kind of hangs and lingers there.

And that's what Amaal was waiting for with this song. It was a very special line and he was waiting for that one moment.

But I didn't give it to him. And I started to feel so bad.

So I just told myself like, "Okay, no. I have to go back."

And I literally ran back up to the recording studio, sang that line again, with more emotion, and knew that it would be worth it even if I missed my flight.

But luckily, I did make my flight.

(Amaal)

So by the time this song was completed I think… I almost won a battle. Because me and Armaan, we had like our first major, major disagreement during the song,

where I felt he could do things a little better.

And somewhere, I was very happy that he's singing it, but slightly unhappy that he's my little brother and he's not listening to me.

So between those two emotions, we came up with a song that, you know wins everyone's hearts. You know, two people fighting, giving it their all. And from there I think the song took birth.

So you know, when he was not sure about my concerns and he left, once the song released and it hit, you know, it was everywhere

and it was winning hearts — that's when all the comments started flooding in and Armaan was like, "I remember you telling me to you know, do that line again, and I'm glad I listened to you."

So I think from this song onwards, most of the times it's him listening to me. And I'm listening to him a little more nowadays, but it's always been him listening to me.

(Armaan)

He throws books at me, literally.

(Amaal)

Yeah, there, there was like a song that we did, it's called "Chale Aana," and it's one of the

most go-to heartbreak songs in this country. And that's a song where I almost threw a book at him across the recording room.

So, you know there's a making of the song out there, but no one's ever going to see that footage because we almost kill each other, and we end up pulling each other's hair out.

But in the end, what came out, the results, it's, it's beautiful. You know once he listens to me I get really happy. Because I think a composer and, you know, a music producer, you know who's lived with the song for so long, I think he knows the song a

little bit more than the singer.

So I think every singer should wait it out and understand the sentiment of the composer, and that's what I think Armaan does so, so well.

(Armaan)

Amaal has helped me so much in my life. It's kind of an understatement to say it that way but, both as a brother and in my career, I've always looked up to him.

And because we have this five-year headway, I could always come to him with any problem I had or advice I needed.

Whether it was how to make friends at school, or how to approach girls for the first time — we can just talk to each other about anything.

Including now with our careers even. Because Amaal is really the one who can like, push me to a place where I don't think I can push myself.

A lot of times because I've been singing for so long, it's easy for me to get complacent in terms of the way that I sing.

Like I'll do a couple takes and be like, "Yeah, yeah. That was fine."

But then he'll be like, "No." And keep asking

for more and more takes. Almost like, testing me until I'm about to break. And that's exactly when I give my best to the song.

So Amaal really pushes me to bring out the very best in a way that, I can't bring out myself. And I'm just so thankful that I have him in my life. That we can work together and do life together.

I truly believe that there is no one who becomes successful in life purely on their own.

Because for me, there's so many people who have helped me in my journey.

And even if they're not always seen by the public, I'm forever grateful for their help, their encouragement, and their love and support.

This episode is called What You Don't See. And I think there's definitely a lot that we talked about.

You know from learning how to block out whatever scary situation is in front of you, like a crowd of 200 people? To all the drama that can build up into a single, decisive

moment, like running up an elevator to re-record a song.

But the reason I'm sharing all of this is because… we all experience moments like these. Where you're expected to perform, but it's in a setting or an environment that's out of your control.

Like for me, as an artist, there are plenty of days where my voice isn't working well. Or my mind isn't in the best place. But I still have to go on stage and smile for people.

That's just life. And that's for everyone. You

never really know what people are going through.

And I believe that because of that, it's really important to be patient and like, malleable, for whatever type of person or situation comes your way.

Because even if we don't always understand what's happening right in front of us, we should at least try to widen our perspective.

A wider lens, a wider focus, will help you navigate the world better, and see much more in the end.

This is my Mindset.

Appreciate the things you can and cannot see.

What You Don't See

So we're going to talk about some pretty low moments of my life in this episode.

Whew… sorry. This is Episode Four.

It's really hard to be vulnerable. I think this is for most people. It never feels good to be hurt.

And so to avoid getting hurt,

we sometimes build this wall, and like a protective barrier around us.

And for me personally, I think a lot of people see me as this, strong Armaan, or positive Armaan. Like they might know that I've been through some struggles in my life here and there, but they don't really have a clear picture of what exactly those struggles are.

And it's kind of the strangest feeling when, you know your name is so well known by thousands and thousands of people, millions of people actually,

all over the world. And there are so many pictures of you on the internet, so many videos and stories about you all across social media.

But still like… no one who really knows you, or truly understands who you are.

And it also kind of feels like, for whatever reason, public figures are always expected to show their very best to the world. And that there's too much risk for them to talk about really personal things happening in their life. The really hard things.

Especially when it comes to mental health. Because it'll make us look bad, or tarnish our brand or whatever.

I think we're all pretty familiar with the stereotype of, you know, a big star or someone famous having a public meltdown. And then it just becomes this huge spectacle and all hell breaks loose, and the media labels us as these crazy, troubled people.

Almost like

exploiting our suffering for the whole world to see.

But if you think about it… is that really so surprising?

There are moments in everyone's life, where we feel so lost, where we feel like nothing's going the right way. 'Cause if you just expect people to push down and suppress all of our emotions and struggles and imperfections — isn't that all just going to explode at some point?

One of my lowest moments in my career I think was... when I got replaced in quite a few songs in Bollywood films.

And… I've not openly talked about this anywhere. It's, in my Mindset, I thought I just really want to bare it all and let my fans get to know this side of what happened to me.

It's not good. I

mean it's, it doesn't feel good at all because… you're of a certain caliber because you've achieved certain things in your career. And then obviously when people call you, they know the kind of stuff you can deliver.

But even when you deliver your hundred percent, there are certain things that are beyond your control and you can't really pinpoint, you know why it got replaced or whatever it was.

But it just happened back to back like, so many songs of mine just got replaced.

And…

at this one point I was like, when I went into a studio, I straight up asked the main guy there, "Is, is this going to be replaced? 'Cause I'd rather not sing."

Because it's, it just breaks my heart because when you sing something and you really love the piece of music, you get attached to it. It's, it's like a baby. You kind of like really love it so much, and then you really look forward to the day when it releases.

I started doubting myself.

And that's kind of scary because I'm a very positive person. And for me to get into a phase where I was doubting myself and my talents, that was a huge blow.

Because I'm very confident about what I bring to the table. I'm very confident about my talent. And when that whole phase happened, where songs were getting replaced and stuff, I started doubting like, "Am I a good singer?" And you just start questioning everything, suddenly.

And that was not the kind of person I was. And to see me become that kind of person, for me it was very, like, hard to take that.

A lot of interviewers asked me like, "What are your upcoming projects?"

I kind of just give them a very generic answer. I don't give them like, "Okay, this is coming out, or this is what's dropping," or whatever — because I don't know if it's coming in my voice.

So that's something that really kind of like affected me. Like, I'm… really inner-searching right now and thinking, "Is there any faults inside of me?" When there wasn't

any fault.

It was just circumstances, situations outside in the world that were causing whatever issues were happening.

I, I wouldn't say that I was in depression? But I was really, really low.

And… apart from that, there was another thing that happened in my life where, I was doing the same songs over and over again on my live shows. And at a certain point of time I was like,

"Wait, am I enjoying doing this?"

Because I was singing the same songs night after night. The audience was different, for them it was a different experience altogether. It was all new, for them.

But for me, it was the same thing again and again.

So, artistically and as a performer, I kind of got drained and I just wanted to reset. And I, and I knew that I needed to pick myself up by shifting my attention.

I took a break from like, shows and touring and stuff like that. And I just

took that time out to write my English music and something that the 15-year-old Armaan wanted to do.

I think like the lows were very important for me because that's where, that's where I really got to know what I want to do.

Because I was touring heavily at that time. I was doing so many shows. And I think I didn't want to let myself cancel anything because I'd feel so bad for my fans. To all the people working with me.

But I

was forcing myself to do all of this in a way that really wasn't healthy.

And my parents were the ones who helped me wake up and realize like, "Armaan, you need to take care of yourself. Your fans are important. The people you work with are important. But you are important too. You need to take a break."

And I think I knew this all along but… I just needed to hear it.

So I really did end up having to rest.

It's really, really important that you take care of yourself. And that you don't live life only wanting to please the people around you.

Because if you aren't happy? If you aren't fulfilled, and you're just overworking yourself like crazy? You are going to fall apart.

And we don't want that to happen.

So if you're

ever in a dark place of feeling burnt out, I want to say this to you:

It's okay to rest. It's okay to take a break. And it's okay to focus on yourself.

So I think I felt all those low moments for about… a good year or so? I mean, it came in waves, but it definitely was a long time of life, kind of feeling like, just dragging on.

But taking the time to rest helped a lot. Being with my parents and my loved ones, and also just finding something else to focus on, I think it's so important — that whenever something is making you feel really low, to know how to switch things up and focus on something

completely different.

And right now, currently as I record this Mindset, the whole world is going through an extremely low period with the pandemic. There is so much suffering, and everyone is feeling it.

India just went through a horrible second wave. And just everywhere around the world, I really feel for what has been happening.

[🎵 What In The World by Armaan Malik]

I even wrote a song about this called, "What in The World".

Because as an artist, even though I'm going through my own personal hardships, I believe I have a responsibility to use my voice as a way to give healing. And a way of giving back to the world.

And I know that we will overcome this low — together.

A lot of singers in India have messaged me, like, young singers message me saying, "Armaan, your journey is an inspiration to us. What you've done with English music and pop music, how you're doing stuff globally, that's giving us so much confidence to do this too."

And that means so much to me. Because, just being on this journey of being able to create music that I

love, and also help pave the way for other Indian pop artists — that's number one.

Number two is having a successful single and being on Times Square. That's more like the cherry on top. That's second.

I mean obviously it makes me very happy, and I'm so grateful for any recognition I get. But what I care about the most is just being able to do what I want to do, and helping others do what they want to do.

This episode is called Overcoming Lows. And while I love being a positive person… I mean, just look at my socials, you'll see a ton of positivity across my posts… I do want people to remember that I'm just a regular human being.

I go through the same low phases and dark moments as everyone else.

I experience struggle constantly.

But every low, every struggle would be so much easier to overcome, if we were all just willing to talk about it more. If we were all willing to experience our darker moments — together.

That's when we'll become stronger.

This is my Mindset.

It's okay to reach low points, and it's okay to get back up again.

Overcoming Lows

Okay so this is probably my favorite episode.

Armaanians, this one's for you: Episode Five.

I'm really blessed to have received so much love and attention from so many people. It's very, very humbling.

It's even overwhelming at times.

But to everyone who’s supported my career, to everyone who takes the time to show their appreciation for my music,

for my existence in this world — thank you. I really mean it. I'm not just saying this because every artist says this.

One of the things that I'm most grateful for is… how my audience or my fans have been so receptive to the different changes in musical styles I've had. Because you know, for so long I was singing Hindi music and everything. And I think I did try to give hints here and there that, I wanted

to do English music and pop music.

But when I took the jump, I definitely caught some of my fans off guard — which I totally understand. Because… change is a hard thing to adapt to.

But it really has meant the world to me, that so many of you stuck around through my music, even though you didn't know what was next. That you still believed in me and my vision.

That just makes me want to return the favor and support others in their vision more.

My fans and I, our relationship, honestly… I think we're just like a huge family. I'm pretty like, chill with them, candid with them. It's, it's like they're friends with me.

I don't feel the need to really hide stuff from them. Sometimes I think they know me more than I know myself, which is a little freaky, but kind of cool I guess.

The way I see it, for a lot of

idols and fans, there isn't the most approachability between them at times. There's that kind of aura, "Okay, that's the idol, that's the fan."

There's, there's like a distance between them. And I kind of thought like, that shouldn't be there. Because I mean, we all are in this for love, for the love of music, for the love of what I create. And we're just one big family. There should be no distance.

So we've just had this really special relationship that is so precious. I'm super like

chill with them. It's literally like I'm texting some of my friends — that's how I kind of like, tweet to them or respond to them.

And I just hope for a day when I can have like, a big cookout or a barbecue and have all my fans there and, we can just like, celebrate and just have a good time. 

I think I know my fans really well, and there's two things that I've identified about them.

The one thing that I've realized is that they really

loved my honesty. Be it for anything, I mean if there's something that I'm feeling, something that I'm not liking, something I'm liking… I'm just super honest and, there are no two different Armaan Maliks.

What they see is what they get. So I think that's something that they really appreciate about me.

The second thing I think would be the fact that I don't shy away from hyping other musicians and their fans and stuff like that. Because I think like, at the end of the day,

it's a community. You know it's not just me and my Armaanians and then to hell with the rest of the world.

It's not that. I, I really appreciate other fans, their fandoms. And I think we can just all be a huge musical family on the internet. Of course, me and my Armaanians share a very different kind of a dynamic and relationship. But, I never hold back on appreciating like, other artists or their fans and stuff like that.

So I think that's something that they

really like as well — that I'm not just very into myself or my own thing.

There is one thing that my father told me once. This was just before I started singing and getting all that fame that I was getting. He just told me a simple thing:

"Don't be too humble. Don't be too proud. Just be sane."

I think this really stuck with me, you know? Fame and success is kind of a very disillusioning thing. It can kind of take you off track.

So, him saying that just before I started getting all the fame and success in my career in life, it really stayed with me. It prepared me.

You know, I'm called "The Prince of Romance" in India and… just to not take that thing to your head, is a big deal. Because I think anyone in

my position would be like, "Hey, I'm the king of the world. No one can touch me."

But that's not the kind of mindset. The mindset is like, "Wow, that's cool. I'm, I’m so glad that people call me 'The Prince of Romance,' but… onto the next project, onto the next song."

That's my mindset. I've never let any of these tags or these names that I'm given go to my head. It's, it's just not me. And I think part of it has to do with how my dad raised me and, kind of prepared

me and, gave me that mindset: Don't be too humble. Don't be too proud. Just be sane.

Fame has never felt weird. I think it's, it was always meant to be for me. It has "AM" in the middle…

Sorry guys, I just had to. It's just the way I am.

Obviously there are a lot of challenges with fame. Most people know that celebrity lives

don't have much privacy. It's hard to go outside without being noticed or followed, sometimes in very uncomfortable ways.

Just yesterday actually, I was just at a restaurant and someone was just like taking a video of me eating. And I was like, "No, I don't want anyone to see me eating on the internet."

I think people tend to overlook that… we are just human beings. And it's as

simple as that.

I'm just like you. I'm doing exactly the same thing that you do, at home and otherwise as well. We're literally the same.

It's just that I have a different occupation and my occupation is being in the public eye and performing and singing. But, the basic thing — we are humans.

Another thing that has been

really humbling for me and just so beautiful to see is, how honest my fans are with me. Because I've always tried to be as honest as possible with them, and to create a safe space for each other on socials.

Because I know they go through the same exact emotions that I go through in life.

But I get all these messages and DM's where they open up about what they're going through. And it's really amazing to me to see their honesty and their trust. Their courage, you know?

Then they like, look forward to what I might say or whatever advice I'll give. That's something that's really stuck with me. The fact that we have this trust going both ways.

It's so beautiful.

Even though I can't respond to every single comment or every DM out there, just the fact that people are sharing their lives with me, and I'm sharing my life with them? I'll always be appreciative of that.

That being said, I've pretty much dissolved my personal space to the public.

99 percent of my life is out there for public consumption — and I've accepted that.

It's fine. Because I've chosen this life.

But I do feel like at least 1 percent of it has to be my own private life. Things that I want to be protected. I don't talk a lot about, you know, who I'm dating or who I'm in love with or whatever, because that's something really sacred and really personal to me.

I feel like everyone knows almost everything about me anyway? So

that's something that I want to keep for myself, and to be mine.

And when I do feel comfortable sharing that, it's my decision. You know, when I really want to speak about that or talk about that.

But it's still really cool that so many people who don't personally know me, or have never even met me, can have so much love and attachment to me and my music. It's kind of unreal.

Like… how do fans have the time to send

such cool gifts, and make all these edits, and like cute little things? Where do they get all this time and effort to be so creative and do all of that?

I think it's just so beautiful. The fact that someone like me can have this kind of impact on other people? To feel all these emotions... just by being myself and doing music? Wow.

[Armaan Malik’s fans]

Hey Armaan.

Hey Armaan.

Hey Armaan.

Thank you so much for treating us like your family, and I'm

so proud that I'm your Armaanian.

Thank you for saving my life through your music. Thank you for being there. I'm proud of everything you do.

Thank you for being such an inspiration, we're so proud of you and your journey.

Hey Armaan, thank you for being the best idol. Stay happy always. We love you so much.

Hey Armaan, keep serving music. You're a great inspiration for all Indian artists.

Thank you Armaan for always being there. I truly don't know what I would have done

without your music. Words can never fully express how grateful I am to have you in my life.

I'm 15 years older than you and I'm madly in love with your voice. Thank you so much for the beautiful songs. Thank you.

Thank you for being there for me through your music. I hope you know that you are the best part of my life.

Hi Armaan, thank you for being the source of positivity in this world of negativity.

Thank you Armaan for always inspiring me. Your existence is a blessing to us.

We love you

Armaan, and we love how you're always there for us.

Keep shining gem, love you!

Love you.

I love you so much.

We'll always have your back.

You're the best.

How cute is that? Like… I mean, just hearing all these messages from my fans is just, the biggest blessing in the world.

I love you guys. Thank you so much.

This episode is dedicated to all the Armaanians.

And I just want to say, you guys are my whole world.

Being on this journey with all of you, doing life with you — is so fulfilling.

You've made it so full of joy and happiness. I don't think I'd be happy on this journey if I didn't have you guys by my side.

Like, I'm your biggest fan.

But even if you're not a huge fan of mine, or you're only hearing my voice for the first time, I still appreciate you so much for being here. And I want you to

know that I'm rooting for you, and cheering for you.

To live the best life you can live.

This is my Mindset.

Armaanians!

We're going to talk about haters, and how to deal with them. Here's Episode Six.

I know a lot of people introduce themselves by sharing what they do for a living and like, what they've accomplished. Maybe the dreams they have, goals, or the things they're passionate about.

But the first thing that I want people to know about me,

isn't that I'm a singer, and that I do music and stuff.

Before any of that, I just want to be a good person.

That's really important to me.

I mean, I'm definitely not perfect. But, I do try my best to always be good to the people around me, and the people that I work with.

Or even people who don't know me well. Like obviously, if I have to introduce myself as a musician, I'll say that I'm here to help you have a good time and that, I hope you fall in love with my

music.

But before that, I just want people to see me as a good person. A good soul.

Someone who respects other people's time, efforts, who is honest. Someone who's just loving and caring about people around him. Being empathetic, knowing how to think about more than just yourself… that's the type of person I want to be.

I think another part of being a good person is knowing how to handle difficult people. And having like, thick skin.

That's really hard to do though, if someone is deliberately trying to hurt you and like, sending waves of hate and negative comments your way.

And I do believe that the best thing to do is just ignore it when that happens. But sometimes you really can't. Right?

Like it's so easy to say, "Oh just be the bigger person and be the better person."

But, if it were that easy? Then people wouldn't be fighting so much in the world.

So I think everyone experiences some form of hate and injustice in life. And there are definitely groups of people that experience it more than others.

But when it comes to artists and celebrities, or just anyone who lives a public life — dealing with the sheer amount of criticism we receive is mentally very hard.

One of

the biggest criticisms I've received is that, all of my success, all of my fame… people say it came easy for me. Just because of my family.

Like me and my bro collaborate a lot. He's super talented as I've said before. But a lot of people have said that all my successful songs, all the songs I get, are just from him. And that because of my family status, I am where I am today.

But they don't know anything about my journey.

They don't know how much I've done. And that I've actually sung dozens and dozens of songs for other composers and music directors, before I even collaborated with my brother.

Another thing that I've been criticized a lot for, is how for a long time, I've only been singing romantic songs and love songs. But, that was something that I was approached for time and again.

Because one or two of my romantic songs and love songs kind of clicked, and it's a normal thing in Bollywood

like, if you become successful singing one kind of genre? You're asked to sing in that genre again and again. And then it just becomes your domain, which is why a lot of people call me "Prince of Romance".
Then there's obviously a whole section of people who just come after me saying, "Oh, you can only sing romantic songs. You can't sing other stuff, or other kind of stuff."

And they haven't even heard the rest of my discography.

But it's totally fine. I don't expect everyone on the planet to understand me, or know my life

story.

I think the only criticism that has ever truly mattered to me has always come from my family. 'Cause the way family criticizes you, no one else can do, right? Because they know you inside out.

So there are times when they've said like, "Armaan, you're getting little too complacent." Or, "Armaan, you're not giving your best."

And those are the

words that matter to me a lot. Because I knew they were telling me the truth, and I knew they were telling me these things to help me.

But yeah when it comes to just random comments and like people online trying to tear me down? It really doesn't phase me too much. I think I've always been immune to haters.

And I don't know where that comes from, I honestly have no clue. Maybe because I'm a Cancerian and my shell is too hard to let any of that hate in?

I don't know, that's my theory.

So I have a thing that I follow called, "Scroll the Troll".

As soon as I see someone writing anything negative about me, or you know, trying to mess with my head… I just scroll down.

I don't spend too much time looking at it. Because I know that if I spend even a second or two seconds more looking at it? I am going to respond to it,

and it's not going to be anything positive that comes out of it.

So I follow "Scroll the Troll". It's the thing that I've devised by myself for myself, and I really think that you should try it.

I feel a lot of these haters are not really happy internally with themselves. And they kind of, project that unhappiness on others.

And I feel like maybe by not responding to them, we are not feeding that kind of behavior.

And we just probably let them think that, you know by hating they're not gaining anything out of it. They're just ranting for no reason.

I think maybe we're doing a blessing by not responding to them, or responding to hate.

And if you do want to respond, I think there's a way to deal with that. Like you respond with something positive, which makes them think like, "This is not the response I really wanted with this comment."

Kind of just throw a swing ball at them, you know? They wouldn't be expecting

such a reply.

I do love social media. I love interacting and engaging with other people online. They don't even have to be fans of mine.

And I think in the midst of so much content out there that's very, very negative, it's important to put out positive things. Like, good things to inspire people, and help people.

I think it's possible to create a better culture on the internet, that can drown out the bullies, and the haters, and all the trollers.

So some of the stuff that I enjoy doing for my socials are, "Wednesday Wisdom Quotes," where I become Baba AM. And I give like quotes, and wisdom, and motivation.

And there's another thing that I do called,

"Fridays with Armaan," which is a weekly chat. And I do all sorts of funny comments, replies, and stupid stuff. But it's fun because I love engaging with my fans.

So I do believe that social media can be a positive experience. It doesn't need to be a place with negativity.

This episode is called Scroll the Troll. And even though there's a literal meaning to that,

I just want to remind you that — you do have the ability to filter out things that aren't healthy for you.

Maybe it's toxic people. Toxic environments. Like you have to make an effort to take care of yourself.

And when you are scrolling through socials and spending a lot of time online, expose yourself to good things. Watch good things, listen to good things.

Do not just doomscroll for four hours. Like, that's never going to make you feel better.

Because what we decide to take in, what we decide to consume — really has an impact on our health. Physically of course, but especially our mental health.

So the more good we take in, and the more good we can create, then the better we'll feel.

And the better we can be to everyone around us.

This is my Mindset.

Ignore the haters in your life. They don't deserve your time.

Scroll the Troll

So guys, this is the last episode: Episode Seven.

I'm going to answer 21 questions, and I hope you're entertained.

Question one. Describe your Mindset in three words.

I would say focused, hardworking, and… a go-getter. Something like that. 

If you could wake up tomorrow and possess

any new skill in the world, what would it be and why?

Oh that's an interesting question.

I wish I could wake up and… possess the ability to multitask? I think I'm a very one thing at a time kind of person. I want to be able to do more than I presently do.

What are you most proud of accomplishing in life?

I'm really proud of being able to go global with my new

music, and carving a new path for myself and other Indian musicians.

What is your biggest dream or hope at the moment?

Well, I have a lot of dreams. But my biggest dream is to play a sold out show at Madison Square Garden.

What are some of your greatest fears?

I, I fear heights…

I'm so terrified of heights.

And I fear not being able to sing to the best of my ability, especially as time passes. That'll be a bummer.

What is a mistake or regret that you have and want to forgive yourself for?

Absolutely nothing, believe it or not.

I, I really, you know I don't like having regrets. That's how I try to live my life. I mean I've definitely made a lot of mistakes.

A lot of them. But I think it's important to let those mistakes become lessons.

You need to be kind to yourself, and forgive yourself, you know?

So yeah, no regrets to hold onto.

Do you have any real life heroes? 

My father's been my biggest real life hero. He just never gave up. There were a lot of obstacles in his life, more downs than ups.

But any time he was going through

something, or the family was going through something, he always knew how to stay hopeful — and made all of us feel like we could get through anything.

He's just absolutely the best father anyone could have.

If you could collaborate on a creative project with anyone in the world, whether still living or not, who would it be and why?

Okay, so I have the answer ready for this.

I would collaborate with Charlie Puth and DJ-producer

Zedd. I think both of them are impeccable musicians. I'm a huge fan of both of them, and they arrange their melodies and construct their chord progressions in such a beautiful way.

And imagine both of them in one room. And me there as well. I can't wait for that day.

What personality trait or character do you find the most attractive in another person? Can be completely platonic.

I absolutely

love honesty. It's something that immediately makes me like the other person.

Like even if someone says something to me that might sound really mean, I'd so much rather hear that than someone who's like faking it, or beating around the bush.

And because I'm honest too, which means… some people might think I'm mean.

What do you think is key to a great friendship?

Okay the answer to this is really sad.

I wish I could tell you. I don't think I've had that many great friendships.

Sad face emoji.

But the ideal friendship that I would want to have would be like, one where I could just totally be myself. And I know that sounds so cliche, and a lot of us feel like this?

But, you know as, as a public personality, we don't really get to be very…

candid or open, or just be the human that we are. There's definitely this extra pressure, or like cloak of "Armaan Malik" that I wish I could just leave behind.

I wanna just be a regular guy who wears shorts and flip-flops. I think celebrities rarely find that comfort zone.

So yeah just being human. And accepted for who I am. I think that's the key to a great friendship.

Describe your perfect day.

My perfect day would be a picnic at the beach with my loved ones. Good food and good vibes.

Let's practice self-love. Give yourself a pep talk for at least 30 seconds. The timer’s ready. Set. Go.

Okay.

Hey Armaan, you don't have to take this day all at once. One step. One breath. One moment at a time.

No matter

how hard it gets, no matter how hard you're pushed to the wall, you can always try again tomorrow.

Be kind to yourself, and don't forget to take some time out to do something that really makes you happy.

Remember: you are amazing, and you're the only one like you.

Does that sound awkward, that I'm talking to myself?

Armaan Malik

Meet Armaan Malik

Finding My Voice

10,000 Hours

What You Don't See

Overcoming Lows

Armaanians!

Scroll the Troll

21 Questions with Armaan

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Introduction

Episode 1

Episode 1