You've got to tap me the right way: Anu Malik

If you've gotta work with Anu Malik, you gotta understand him! "You have to tap me the right way to get the best out of me. Anu Malik has a certain sense of style about his music," says the music director, insisting that not everyone can tap his talent the best way.

Who can, we ask, and one name that Anu instantly comes up with is director JP Dutta, with whom he will be working with for the film, Border 2. He says: "JP saab is a brilliant director, one of the most underrated ones. My equation with him is something that can't be put in words. For Border 2, he called me one day and told me he has an idea. I told him I have a tune in mind and sent it over. Within a couple of hours, he called back saying, 'Anu you do the project. Don't worry about anything else'."

The 52-year-old, who has been composing music since 1977, says a lot has changed in the music industry over the years. "Earlier there used to be one music director for one film, and now you see different musicians composing different songs for the film. A new breed of singers and musicians is coming up. Also, there are reality shows to provide a platform for young singers to grow," says Malik, adding that musicians have to be more responsible now. "The youngsters are exposed to a lot of music available from the West. If you copy a song, the user will go on the net and find out which song it has been copied from and then talk about it on social platforms. So musicians getting away with copying is now more than difficult," says the musician, who denies ever copying a tune; says he only gets inspired.

Ask him about the musical preferences of today's youth, and the singer-composer says: "These are the days of electronic music and hip hop culture. But I can sense that the audience wants a change, something more melodious and that's what I'll bring to the table."