Mallika – Adele of Bombay

Adele of Bombay

So, I heard about Adele and her music when I was in 9th grade. I loved the fact that she sounded so powerful and she hit those high belty notes so perfectly. Her songs matched my style of singing and I’ve been idolizing her ever since. I sing and enjoy singing a lot of Adele and I remember uploading a cover of her song ‘Someone Like You’ on my YouTube channel a few years ago. That cover got picked up and was posted on the official music website of Adele’s covers. That was huge for me. I am a singer-songwriter and I wrote and released my first single ‘War Solo’ in 2016. I was interviewed by WeLab Magazine, which is a music magazine in USA. When I read the article post I saw how they had printed “The next Adele from Mumbai – Mallika Mehta” and I think that stuck. 

Born to be Free

I have been singing ever since I remember. My mom used to play the keyboard when I was really little, about 4-5 years old and I’d listen to her play and pick up some lines and play them on my own. That’s when my parents realized that I had the ear for music and bought me my own keyboard. I used to sing alongside the keyboard soon after. Music has always come to me naturally and it’s the passion for it that makes me pursue it. I sang throughout my school life, absolutely loved it from the beginning and about 2 or 3 years after I finished school I had recorded my very first original single. In terms of professional training, I have done some extensive music courses at Berklee College of Music for vocals and NYU for songwriting. 

Where Are You?

Kahan Hai Tu has been written and composed by me. I wrote it end of may on my keyboard. Its my first Hindi single, something that has been awaited by everyone, me inclusive so I'm really thrilled about it. I have previously released an English EP called “Evolve : The Story of Her” and an English single “Way Too Long”. I randomly felt like I wanted to write a song, I had nothing in mind, no storyline, no words, no title. I went up to my keyboard and randomly began to play a few chords. I think I began humming a tune first and since monsoon just began I thought of bringing in the element of rain. I think most romantic sad songs somehow find their way towards a rain setting. The lyrics I wrote initially were inversed, but after a few minutes I rearranged it to what it sounds today.

Target Acquisition

These apps are a boon for any artist since they help us share our music with our listeners. I am still figuring out the nitty-gritties of it but I’m definitely really happy about being playlisted on Spotify and a lot of other leading music apps. I guess as good as it is to have so many apps, it also divides your audience but that’s a struggle for every single artist out there. 

Real to Reel

Real life obviously is far more better than Reel life. With the rise and development of technology its crazy how the whole world is being able to do things and run their businesses digitally. But the difference is gigantic. As an artist, I have been partaking in and hosting online concerts, gigs and live sessions and they too are fun and more relaxed considering they can take place from the comfort of one’s house. But the experience, both for the artist and the audience or the viewers is not even close to the real deal. I’d say it’s a compromise, an adjustment, a big one, something that we make do with because of the current situation. I’ve always been tech savvy so to entirely shift work digitally hasn’t been hard but as I said it doesn’t feel the same. It’s obviously better to have real faces to sing to instead of your laptop or mobile screen. First appearances need to be made with a little more push and hard work considering the vibe isn’t the same as a real concert. 

An Ode to the Roots

I am from Mumbai, born and brought up. One of the best things about Mumbai is that it’s a combination of everything. All kinds of food, cultures, styles and music even. I’ve always heard different kinds of music here and its encouraged me to do different things when it comes to my singing. I am originally from Rajkot, Gujarat and I speak Gujarati at home as well. I also sing in Gujarati. 

Psychological Harvest

I don’t believe in second guessing choices especially related to my music. I believe that you do what you do because at that point it felt right and so it’s never really wrong. You always learn from experiences big or small, good or bad. The psychological rewards are the real deal. The messages I receive, the comments I read, the things people say about my new music or the expressions I see when they are listening to me makes my day and that’s what it’s all about in the end.

Pandemonium Effect

I was supposed to have a concert in March which got postponed all thanks to the virus. I was really let down back then. I didn’t expect to release new music in a situation like this considering the limitation in resources but I did put out 2 singles in the lockdown period. It definitely didn’t derail my releases, I released an English single called ‘Way Too Long’ in June 2020 and a Hindi single called ‘Kahan Hai Tu’ just now, both written, composed and sung by me. As much as I’d love for things to go back to normal and for me to get back on stage I’ve taken this time to get better at my craft and pay more attention at writing which has been something I didn’t find the time to do or the drive on a normal work day.

Well, thank you once again for spending time with us, giving us valuable insight into your career. We wish you all the very best of luck in your endeavors. See you soon at a Concert.