Nikhil Malik’s ode to the deaf community with his new single
New Delhi, Jan 19 (IANS) Composer Nikhil Malik says his new single “Of signs and songs” — shot with differently-abled youngsters — is for the deaf community.
He added that he will be glad if even one deaf person understands the meaning of the song.
Malik came out with the single as a collaborative project with Raghav Meattle under Meattle & Malik.
“The reason why I chose to execute this particular idea at this time was because I was sick of my Facebook news feed. I was just thinking along the lines of ‘What does it actually take to do a good deed rather than complain about bad things happening around us and the world?’ That was my inspiration,” Malik told IANS.
He added: “I made this video for the deaf community. That was all I was chasing. If one deaf person watches this video and says he understood the meaning of the song, it means the world to me.”
Malik says he worked with Ruma Roka, the founder of Noida Deaf Society, for the video.
He said: “She was curious to know why I wanted to make such a video and was very happy to find out that I was making it only for the deaf community. She introduced me to one of their interpreters Gaurav Rana, who taught the the sign language for our lyrics to the kids. We spent about two weeks teaching and rehearsing with the kids.
“The most crucial part was timing their signs with the lyrics. It was quite a challenge since they can’t hear music, so it becomes quite a challenge to sync their signs with the lyrics.”
What’s next for him?
Some big international collaborations, he says.
“With Meattle & Malik, there’s another track we’ve been working. Since 2013, its nothing like our previous stuff. Also, I have a few other music videos lined up and possibly a hip-hop album with the producers behind Kendrick Lamar and Kanye West. At the studio, we’re working on an album that could possibly put us behind bars,” Malik said.