Who is Mali? The singer who won best Indian act at the MTV EMAs

The Indian singer and songwriter's style is an eclectic blend of musical genres

Indian singer and songwriter Mali won best Indian act at the 2024 MTV Europe Music Awards. Here, she is pictured during a performance at Tumbalong Park in Sydney this year. Getty Images

The 2024 MTV Europe Music Awards took place last night at Manchester’s Co-op Live arena, recognising some of the world’s most popular artists and musical acts for their work in the past year.

Some of the winners included the biggest names in pop music right now, including Sabrina Carpenter, Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, Calvin Harris and Imagine Dragons.

Another big name on the night was singer Mali, who won in the best Indian act at the ceremony. Up against five other acts from India, including singer Armaan Malik, who has more than 14 million followers on Instagram, and the rapper and singer Hanumankind, who has more than one million followers on Instagram. Mali, who has a more modest Instagram following of 44,200, won the vote-based award.

“It feels surreal, and I didn’t expect it to be honest,” Mali tells The National.

“I was up against some really big names like Hanumankind and Armaan Malik, which made the idea of winning really far fetched.”

Mali describes the win as a “huge shot of confidence,” saying she feels grateful to her fans for believing in her and her music. She also says she hopes to perform for her fans in the UAE at some point.

“I would love to perform in the UAE soon,” she says. “I visit every year and I absolutely love it.”

Who is Mali?

Born Maalavika Manoj, but known by her stage name Mali, the Chennai-born singer-songwriter, 31, now lives in Mumbai. Her debut EP album was released in 2013, and since then she's released two more albums and a number of singles that have helped garner a strong fan base.

She has been an avid piano player since childhood and started performing and singing while still at school. Despite studying business at university, Mali decided to pursue a career in music after graduating.

Her first foray into the industry as a professional performer was as lead vocalist in band Bass-in-Bridge, a group formed to compete at a national radio talent competition. While they were finalists, Bass-in-Bridge didn’t win, but Mali started to gain some attention for her voice. The act performed at several festivals before breaking up and Mali started working on her own music.

Mali's musical style

Her style draws inspiration from different musical genres – she combines classic pop influences with contemporary sounds, including elements of jazz, electronic and blues, among others.

From a song-writing perspective, Mali told The Indian Express in 2014 that she takes inspiration from artists such as Stevie Nicks, Joss Stone, Norah Jones and Ella Fitzgerald. In 2015, she told the Deccan Chronicle that she is influenced by pop music acts such as The Corrs, Savage Garden, Backstreet Boys and Abba.

Her writing is inspired by personal experiences, recounting everything from break-ups to places she has moved to.

Singles and albums

Her debut EP Deceptive featured only six songs, including the popular tracks No Place Like Home and Thank You for the Music, which she performed in July 2013, at a tribute concert to Abba at Chennai's Museum Theatre.

She released her second EP, Rush, in 2017 and then her debut full-length album in 2021, titled Caution to The Wind, both of which were well received.

Mali has also released several stand-alone singles, as well as songs she recorded for films over the years, including Onnume Aagala released on Valentine's Day 2017, Peela Peela from the soundtrack of 2018 comedy film Thaanaa Serndha Koottam and You and Me from the soundtrack of 2023 film Irugapatru.

Mali is currently working on new music including a soon-to-be-released single called Dr Dust. She has also been collaborating with other artists, with new single Waiting On, featuring the Indian singer-songwriter Raghav Meattle, this week.