The 24-year-old singer-songwriter checks off two firsts at once with new single "Control," out today (March 20).
“Control” is Armaan Malik’s first song released through Arista Records, where he signed officially last week, and first English-language track in his career.
“‘Control’ is a song that describes the push-and-pull feeling of being trapped in a controlling relationship and how confusing it can be to want it but also want out,” Malik said. “It’s inspired by relationships I’ve seen around me.”
Malik croons with confidence, as if he is the one in control. He speaks eight languages, and nobody would know this is his first English track based on his lyrical delivery. He disclosed to Billboard last week that writing and releasing his own English songs “has been my dream for as long as I can remember.”
In the “Control” music video, directed by Bobby Hanaford, the Indian artist is under the spell of an alluring yet mysterious woman. “You won’t even text me back,” he sings silkily, walking toward her. “You know the ways to keep me waiting / Say I’m done ’til you tell me come over / I can’t help myself / Now I’m under your control.”
The woman puts Malik under a spell. He follows her. He serenades her, and she coyly looks at him. She knows the control she has over him. They get closer and closer and finally dance together, but it’s fleeting. Ultimately, though, Malik is back by himself in the middle of a deserted road.
In reality, Malik is far from alone. His music has attracted millions of fans (called Armaanians) worldwide. He has sung over 150 songs spanning a dozen languages that have collectively been streamed more than one billion times, and he has performed 200-plus shows globally.
Malik is firmly in control.
