Mali, the stage name of Maalavika Manoj, a leading name in music festivals like Lollapalooza and Weekender, has a new single that once again highlights her deep voice and versatility. You can listen to Semi Automatic Butane if you attend one of her gigs. Here's what the 30-year-old told t2 about her ongoing tour and new music.

Now that you have plenty of tracks to showcase, do you want to talk about a particular song that has shaped your career or been path-breaking?

As far as tracks go, I think the first pathbreaking number for me was Play. I think that was my first track to have a widespread emotional impact on people who knew me. I think before that all the music I released had listeners from a close-knit inner circle of artistes and friends who knew me. But I think Play went beyond that and all of a sudden people heard about me after hearing the song. In terms of performance, it'll be my first Weekender (Bacardi NH7 Weekender) performance in 2016.

When it comes to her appearance, Mali is 'not strictly.black or strictly grey'

What does success mean to you?

For some people it's about making money, for some, it's about becoming popular and for some, it's purely just to make good art whether or not they're successful. For most people, it's a combination of all of these things. I think success is about making an emotional impact on people and that can be giving them something to think about after my show, giving them a song to come back to when they're going through difficult times, or just providing a perspective on something they already know but find it differently articulated.

Give us an insight into the Semi Automatic Butane India Tour.

I'm currently touring India and the first few gigs were solo, where I performed with the guitar, keys and tracks. I played songs starting from my first EP right down to my latest single, Semi Automatic Butane. The tour is planned in a way where an hour's set will be about people listening to my songs, me telling them stories and possibly if anyone is feeling up to it, then dancing. We've incorporated some merchandise selling, plus a meet-and-greet session with the audience before and after the gig so that the audience remembers and we can get to know one another. The gigs which followed in metro cities were a full-band setup.

What do you like better: live gigs at pubs or large-scale concerts?

I think each type of gig has its charm. Sometimes a house concert can be the most memorable and meaningful experience you'll ever have and a big concert with a huge stage, lights and people pooling feels like a larger experience. A pub gig is somewhere in between because there's a segregated space between the artiste and the audience. It's more of a social event than it is about music. Sometimes there can be a lot more distractions and that makes it a wholesome experience.

What are you working on now?

The tour will take up almost all my time till February. I'm planning collaborations and releases on pieces I've worked on and some of them are independent releases, among which is a label release in Tamil, titled Anniku rathiri with artiste Madhan Karky and some non-live projects that are coming up.

How would you describe the way you appear on stage?

I'm pretty minimal on stage, I don't wear a lot of fancy outfits. I think I'm more of a statement-outfit person. I don't do a lot of prints or loud colours, but at the same time, I'm not strictly black or strictly grey. I like the odd pop of colour and something more minimal and understated but still present (laughs). I don't dress too feminine on stage most of the time because my work involves handling cables in a small space and high heels can be risky. If the lipstick runs, it can get on the mic and all over my face. Nail paints aren't possible because I play the guitar without a plectrum, so the nail polish chips up. I end up wearing something that's very work-friendly at the same time bold on stage. When I'm not playing any instruments and the stage is bigger, if the occasion calls for it, I might end up wearing something adventurous and dressy. But for the most part, I keep it simple.