Highlights:
- Armaan Malik’s fourth single “Echo” is labelled as “the first K-pop meets I-pop collaboration.”
- The announcement was made on social media by Armaan Malik.
- On Friday (May 21), the song “Echo” will be released.
Armaan Malik, a Bollywood singer-composer, has collaborated on a song called “Echo” with Korean-American artist Eric Nam and Indian-American producer DJ KSHMR. This is Armaan Malik’s fourth single, co-written by all three artists (Armaan Malik, Eric Nam & KSHMR) and produced by KSHMR. The song track is described as “the first K-pop meets I-pop collaboration built around a meticulously crafted EDM (electronic dance music) soundscape.”
On Monday, Armaan announced the news on his social media accounts, and also revealed that the song would be released on Friday (May 21).
The Bollywood singer-composer tweeted, “Thanks for bearing with me and my teasing-giri hehe. Some of you had guessed AEKOHCE correctly long back, but I had to be tight lipped about it until the right moment. #Echo drops this Friday!! Presave on Spotify and Apple Music now!”
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Thanks for bearing with me and my teasing-giri hehe. Some of you had guessed AEKOHCE correctly long back, but I had to be tight lipped about it until the right moment ?#Echo drops this Friday!!
— ARMAAN MALIK (@ArmaanMalik22) May 17, 2021
Presave on Spotify and Apple Music now! https://t.co/su1gbHjFdf
“This is not something that has happened before,” Armaan Malik told Rolling Stone about “Echo.” This is a whole new experience for India and Indian musicians. It’s beautiful how artists from different countries are so deeply rooted in their cultures and come together to create something that is still very much them, even if it’s different.”
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Though “Echo” is an important example of three Asian artists coming together on a global scale, Nam hopes to see more individuals rising in a different field, including music, film, and politics. The Korean-American singer and songwriter says, “I really wish we had more peers; I really wish we had a bigger network of people who were really crushing it and representing us around the board.”
“We always wanted to see more people like us on the big screen in culturally appropriate locations as we were growing up, but those places haven’t been as welcoming to us in the past. I believe they are slowly opening, and it comes at a time when racial and social tensions are at an all-time high… So, I think it is a great time for us to be doing what we’re doing right now,” he added.
For KSHMR, he hopes that “Echo” and the success of all three musicians will encourage young Asian artists to start their careers earlier and follow their dreams without fear. “What needs to improve internally?” he questions.
“Because the family I grew up in was very strict about formal education, and when I refused to go to college and instead chose to pursue music, they sent me to India without a return ticket. My grandfather was going to try to persuade me that music was a hobby… [Grammys, international recognition] is all there for the taking; it’s just that we’ve been going to Google and doctor positions,” he said.
Malik and Nam both teased his fans on social media with the letters AEKOHCE, which stand for each of the artists’ first names and the song’s title. “Echo” will be released on May 21st at midnight local time in each of the artists’ respective countries (India, America, and South Korea) as part of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.
