Mali on Her Artistry and Balancing Indie Music with Mainstream Success

There's something about discovering an artist organically—hearing "Mango Showers" drift through a Blue Tokai café, scrambling to Shazam it, and immediately adding it to your playlist—that creates an instant, authentic connection. This is precisely the kind of magnetic pull that defines Mali's music.

At 31, Maalavika Manoj—known professionally as Mali—has established herself as one of India's most compelling independent artists, seamlessly navigating the complex terrain between artistic authenticity and commercial viability. Born in Chennai to Malayali parents from North Malabar, the Mumbai-based singer-songwriter's journey from her early days with the band Bass-in-Bridge to claiming the MTV Europe Music Award for Best Indian Act in 2024 represents a masterclass in artistic evolution. Her distinctive sound palette, which emerged from childhood exposure to 1970s and 1980s synth-pop, has been refined through collaborations with luminaries like Anirudh Ravichander and personal projects including a touching harmonica duet with her grandfather. Having been featured in Forbes 30 Under 30 and selected for Spotify's prestigious RADAR programme, Mali's approach to music-making—described by her as therapy, counsel, and form of expression—offers profound insights into the modern independent artist's creative process.

The Sonic Tapestry: Crafting a Distinctive Sound

Mali's musical identity is deeply rooted in the ambient soundtrack of her childhood, where 1980s synth-pop provided an unconscious foundation for her artistic development. "I grew up in a household where my parents listened to a lot of 80s and synth-pop music from that decade, and it was never something that, at that age when I was a child, I actively went and sought out," she explains. "It was always just playing ambiently, and I think it kind of became a part of my thinking and my musical influences without even my realising."

This organic absorption of musical influences manifested years later during the creation of her sophomore album, Caution to the Wind. Working alongside producer Arnab Bal, Mali found herself naturally gravitating towards the sounds that had unconsciously shaped her musical palate. "I noticed at the time that I was writing this album that my taste was graduating—it was gradually getting back to this synth-pop 80s dancey electro kind of space," she reflects. The collaboration proved transformative, as Bal introduced her to the technical aspects of synthesis, creating a symbiotic relationship between learning and application.

Mali's approach to genre is refreshingly fluid, conceptualising her sound as existing within a triangular framework. "I always visualise it like a triangle and imagine all the vertices of the triangle are like different genres," she elaborates. "If you take the top—what is vertex—as synth-pop, and the bottom two vertices as folk and rock, I think my music fits somewhere in between these three points." This geometric metaphor perfectly encapsulates her refusal to be pigeonholed, allowing her music to shift and evolve whilst remaining anchored to core aesthetic principles.

The result is a sonic palette that serves the emotional content of each song. Her latest single, "Dr. Dust," exemplifies this philosophy with its brooding, introspective soundscape that mirrors the song's themes of manipulation and control. "Dr. Dust is really a song about all of that," she explains, referring to situations where people feel "controlled or taken advantage of or manipulated in some way." The accompanying cult-themed music video pushes this concept to its logical extreme, using visual metaphor to explore the most extreme forms of human control.

The Personal Made Universal

Perhaps no project better exemplifies Mali's commitment to personal expression than her collaboration with her grandfather, M. C. Rammohan, on the track "Play." This intergenerational partnership emerged from a natural musical friendship that transcended traditional family dynamics. "I truly consider my granddad and I to be friends almost, like, musically," Mali explains. "It's not as if we had a relationship where we ever felt like a huge generational gap."

The collaboration process required Mali to navigate the delicate balance between artistic direction and familial respect. "It was a difficult job for me to be the producer of the song as well as the granddaughter, because I didn't know how much to push or how much more to ask him to play, because he was definitely getting a little nervous," she recalls. This dual role highlighted the complexities of working with family members whilst maintaining professional standards.

The project's emotional significance extended beyond mere musical collaboration. The song was written during a period when Mali feared losing her grandfather, making their eventual studio collaboration particularly poignant. "I basically wrote the song fearing the worst, and so to be able to work on the song with him in good health was like the biggest boon, because I really didn't see that coming," she reflects. This transformation from feared loss to celebrated partnership underscores Mali's ability to channel personal vulnerability into universal themes.

The experience provided Rammohan with his first taste of musical recognition, as "so many relatives and friends of theirs reached out and said, 'Oh my god, Rammohan, you play so well, and it's so nice to see you in a music video and hear your playing.'" This validation highlighted the project's broader significance in terms of intergenerational artistic exchange and the importance of recognising talent regardless of age or experience level.

Navigating Artistic Freedom and Dual Identities

Mali's career exemplifies the modern musician's challenge of maintaining artistic integrity whilst engaging with commercial platforms. Her dual identity as both 'Mali' for independent projects and 'Maalavika Manoj' for mainstream work reflects a strategic approach to career management that acknowledges the different demands of each sphere.

The distinction between these identities extends beyond mere nomenclature to encompass fundamental differences in creative control and artistic expression. "When I get called in to sing a Bollywood song or a Tamil film song, I'm really just the voice. I don't have any creative input in the writing, I don't have any creative input in the composition, the style of the track," Mali explains. This clear delineation allows her to maintain artistic ownership over her independent work whilst participating in the broader commercial music ecosystem.

Her move from Chennai to Mumbai proved instrumental in this artistic evolution, providing exposure to a diverse musical community that encouraged experimentation. "After coming to Bombay, the majority of my friends have also been in the music industry, and that has influenced and shaped the way I think and compose for sure," she notes. Mumbai's eclectic musical landscape, encompassing everything from electronic music to hip-hop, provided the freedom to explore without fear of judgment.

The geographic transition also offered psychological liberation from the pressure to conform to audience expectations. "I felt like—there's no right or wrong, there's always gonna be someone who listens no matter what I choose to do," Mali reflects. This realisation proved crucial in developing her philosophy of creating "for the sake of creating and not thinking about, okay, how is everyone going to like it."

Mali's perspective on artistic longevity extends beyond immediate commercial success to encompass broader questions of creative sustainability. "What I want to focus on is staying in the game and staying consistent and staying honest," she states, emphasising the importance of maintaining artistic integrity over time. Her vision extends decades into the future, pondering, "What is the song that I write gonna look like when I'm 50 years old?"

This long-term perspective acknowledges the unique challenges faced by artists, particularly the emotional vulnerability required for authentic expression. "Your art and you are inseparable. If you're having personal problems, it is going to reflect in your art," Mali observes, highlighting the psychological demands of a career built on personal revelation.

As Mali continues to evolve as an artist, her commitment to authentic expression and creative exploration positions her as a significant voice in contemporary Indian music. Her ability to navigate the complexities of dual artistic identities whilst maintaining a distinctive sonic signature suggests a mature understanding of the modern music industry's demands. In an era where artists often struggle to balance commercial viability with artistic integrity, Mali's approach offers a compelling blueprint for sustainable creative practice.