Armaan Malik on Bias Against Indian Artists Singing in English and the Rise of Global Recognition

Last Updated Jul - 01 - 2025, 10:24 AM | Source : Fela News

Singer Armaan Malik highlights the prejudice Indian artists face when singing in English and reflects on his journey to global music success. He predicts India

The recent hit collaboration Sapphire by Ed Sheeran and Arijit Singh has drawn attention, particularly for Ed's effort to sing in Hindi—a move widely appreciated. While singer Armaan Malik is glad to see such cross-cultural musical exchanges, he pointed out that the reverse often isn't received as openly in India.

“There’s a bias among Indian audiences who think Indian artists can’t sing well in English,” Armaan remarked. “Many of us actually sing English songs beautifully—sometimes better than some Western artists—but there's this tendency here to underestimate our own talent. That’s one of our biggest drawbacks.”

Despite this, he’s optimistic about the shift he sees happening. “Things are changing. With more international collaborations, Indian artists are finally getting the recognition they deserve. It’s now ‘cool’ to support local talent,” he said.

Armaan also acknowledged his own role in this shift, noting that he was among the early Indian artists to venture into English pop music. “When I released my debut English single Control in 2020 during the pandemic, it helped change the perception of what an Indian singer could be. Before that, I was mainly known as a playback singer. That song opened a new door.”

He shared that pursuing English pop music wasn’t easy, as he had no role models growing up. “I told my father at 14 that I wanted to be an English pop star. He was surprised, but gave me great advice: focus on Hindi music first, build a following, become known—and then pursue English pop. That’s exactly what I did,” Armaan said.

He added that his journey has since inspired younger artists. “A lot of kids now come up to me and say they feel more confident seeing someone like me do it,” he said, confidently adding, “The next big global hit will come from India—within the next two to three years.”