Listen: Mumbai Singer-Songwriter Mali’s Delightful New Single ‘Dreaming’

Mali. Photo: Parizad D

Maalavika Manoj wasn’t your ideal schoolgirl while  growing up. The Mumbai-based singer-songwriter,  who goes by the moniker Mali, says she didn’t pay  much attention in class and would often space out.  One day, someone gifted her a John Lennon T-shirt  with the message, ”˜You may say I’m a dreamer but I’m  not the only one.’ That famous line from Lennon’s  1971 magnum opus “Imagine” triggered something in  her and she decided to follow her creative instinct.

Mali’s new single “Dreaming” invokes many of her  childhood experiences — the people she met and the  way she felt about them. She says, “It is the story of a  boy, my alter ego, who is growing up. When I started  writing this song, I thought I was writing about  someone else, but then I realized, ”˜This is me, this is my  story.’”

“Dreaming” was recorded at Mumbai’s Cotton Press  Studio with Stuart DaCosta on bass, Jehangir  Jehangir on drums and Tejas Menon on guitar.  Jehangir and Menon are also producers on the track.  Although the track is unmistakably country/folk,  Mali says she doesn’t listen to a lot of country, at least not as much as she did while growing up in Chennai. Her parents were huge fans of country.

The 22-year-old singer-songwriter is currently plotting a five-track EP titled Rush. She plans on recording next month and releasing it by the end of the year. “My first album was a collaboration with 25 artists; every song sounded like a different artist and the only common thread was my voice. So I wanted to have a record with one homogenous vibe that ties everything together,” says Mali, who is playing a few solo gigs this month. She is also on the roster of the Pune edition of Bacardi NH7 Weekender to be held on December 2nd-4th.

Listen to “Dreaming” below.