Meet alt-R&B/Desi-pop artist Malsi, who blends the vocal stylings of her Bangladeshi heritage, Bengali lyrics, and her signature electro-soul sound into something both intriguing and addictive.
Her recent release, “Tumi Aar Aami” (a Bengali phrase translating to “You and I” or “You and Me”), is hypnotic in its exploration of intimacy and language. It also marks Malsi’s second Bengali-English track and her first written in more than 50% Bengali, further cementing the artist’s commitment to weaving her heritage into her evolving sound.
Malsi shares, “My dad actually helped me with the lyrics, and my mom helped me with the previous song I released that’s in Bengali and English, ‘Liberation,’ which is about the Bangladeshi Liberation War of 1971 that their generation survived. I feel like this song has helped me feel truly confident settling into my sound, upholding my roots in combination with my unique production style and sound.”
Coming in at 4 minutes and 46 seconds, “Tumi Aar Aami” takes listeners on a slow-burning sonic ride. Opening with sampled strings followed by Malsi’s vocals, which are dreamy, airy, yet intentional, the production settles into an electro-hip-hop groove with a stop-and-start momentum around the 52-second mark. The immersive production, paired with Malsi’s hazy vocal textures, creates an encompassing experience that pulls listeners into both a cinematic and emotional space.
On the inspiration behind the track, Malsi shares:
“This song came together really quickly for me. More often than not, I'll start a song and return to it months or even years later to finish it, but I wrote this in the span of just 2 months and decided to release it as quickly as possible. When I started writing it, I had a huge crush on someone, which helped the writing process along (insert the blushing emoji, haha). Rather than focus on an anecdote, this song, at its core, is about finding deeper self-respect and love after heartbreak, and that you will find love again, especially within yourself. In a way, it's also about devotion: devotion to loving oneself, loving one's partner if you have one, and to finding peace in this crazy world through all these forms of love.”
“Tumi Aar Aami” feels genuinely transportive, driven by the kind of intrigue that keeps revealing new layers with each listen. Malsi’s fusion of Bengali lyricism, electro-soul, and alt-R&B feels fully realized here, resulting in a sound that is distinctly her own while leaving listeners wanting to stay inside its world a little longer.
