On February 19th, Malvika (Sheth) released her debut EP 'Online/irl' a project documenting a turning point in the artist's relationship with her digital identity. Malvika first gained recognition through fashion and social media, building a global audience of over 200,000 followers and amassing hundreds of millions of views across platforms. The artist positions herself as a narrative-driven voice in global pop — fashion-literate yet inward-looking, contemporary yet grounded. The EP doesn’t ask listeners to leave the digital world behind. It asks how to move through it without losing oneself.

We caught up with Malvika to talk about the inception and personal insights of her debut release.


—

For those finding you for the first time, can you give us a little introduction to yourself and your music?
Hi! I’m Malvika, a multidisciplinary artist creating music rooted in emotional depth and duality. My sound blends Indian classical instrumentation with global pop and R&B, but more than genre, it’s about truth.

I started making music because I reached a point where visibility alone - or visibility at any cost - wasn’t going to suffice. I was outgrowing an identity, and I needed something that felt aligned with my purpose. I was craving depth because I knew I was denying myself of my true gift: emotional alchemy.

Music became the only medium that could hold nuance, contradiction, silence, and feeling. Social media moves fast & might flatten narratives at times. I’m grateful for my past and experiences within the online world, but the truth is music is a much more expansive medium for me at this point in my life.

Also at this stage of my life, I’m less interested in being seen and more interested in being honest. And music felt like the most natural, inevitable way to express that.

You first started gaining your audience through fashion and digital storytelling… What made you want to take the leap into music? Was it easy to marry together your prior experiences with musical creation?
The leap into music wasn’t strategic; it was necessary.

There was a point where I felt creatively stifled by numbers, algorithms, and virality. I was creating what performed well instead of what felt honest. Again, I realized I was denying myself my gift of emotional alchemy, turning deep, sometimes uncomfortable emotions into something intentional and beautiful.

It wasn’t about abandoning fashion. It was about integrating it with intention. Now if I attend fashion week, I might release a song around that time and let the visuals support the narrative. And I take the same approach with my brand campaigns/work. I’m not running from my past, I’m refining it to support my narrative and artistry. I feel so much more intentional with all my decisions now.

You mention that the EP is ‘not about being someone new, but about coming home’. Can you break down what that means to you as well as the EP title ‘Online/IRL’?
Coming home means removing what isn’t you. I had spent so much time existing visibly that I had to ask myself who I was privately. Who am I when I’m not performing an identity? That’s where 'Online/irl' came from.

The title reflects a real phase in my life, deciphering who I am in real life after spending so much time online. Only after the songs were finished did I realize I made music because I was trying to return to myself. I looked back at lyrics like “can’t see myself, if you’re my reflection” in 'High Note', and then other others like “I’m rewriting my own name” in 'ICONIC'. But, it’s actually not about becoming someone new. It’s about remembering who you were before the noise.

Which song off the EP would you recommend people listen to first as an introduction to you/the project and why?
If someone wants something accessible and energetic, I’d say 'High Note'.

But if someone genuinely wants to understand my heart, the emotional depth and vulnerability, I’d say 'Spiraling'. That song carries my personal experiences of overwhelm within fashion and social media. It’s kind of the breaking point. And the piano intro always makes me emotional. I studied piano for almost a decade growing up, so hearing that opening feels grounding and intimate. I still remember the first time I heard the first draft of the instrumental of that song, I had tears in my eyes.


How do you personally define freedom, both as an artist and as a person?
Freedom, to me, is authorship. It’s not about doing whatever you feel like, it’s about showing up with intention. Social media is a tool, not the rulebook.

I’m at a point where I don’t chase, I align. Culture may not understand what I’m doing immediately. Hopefully they may understand tomorrow, maybe in a few years, maybe even decades. But conviction in my narrative right now matters more than consensus or immediate public validation.

What are some things that you do to ‘return to yourself before the noise’?
Morning pages! 3 handwritten stream of consciousness pages every day. That ritual keeps my internal voice stronger than external noise.

Yoga. Astrology. Long conversations with my closest friends. Revisiting my Bharatanatyam practice. And honestly, sometimes just putting on Bollywood songs while rowing and singing at full volume. Movement & music resets me. It reminds me who I am without an audience.

Being part of the Asian diaspora… Was combining all these parts of your background something you knew you wanted to capture from the start? What did that process look like?
Absolutely. It never felt like a balancing act though, it felt natural. I grew up on 2000s R&B, hip-hop, and pop. I love rap for its emotional honesty and directness. At the same time, I was raised on soulful Hindi songs and bold Bollywood dance numbers. And I’ve trained in Bharatanatyam since I was young, so rhythm and storytelling were ingrained in me early.

When I share specific Indian classical references with my collaborators, sometimes even pieces from my Arangetram (debut solo performance in Indian classical dance), it’s not about “adding culture.” It’s about translating my lived experiences into sound. It’s continuity, not aesthetic fusion for the sake of piling it on & labeling it. 


Who are artists that have inspired you and why?
I’m answering this fresh off a Lady Gaga concert, and I genuinely don’t think I’ve seen that level of conviction & talent before. Flawless vocals, a visual treat, and pure transportation to her rich creative world. She really doesn’t move halfway. The world, the colors, the references, it’s total immersion. I’m deeply inspired by that commitment.

Rihanna also inspires me as a multi-hyphenate who moves with confidence and insane taste. She doesn’t apologize for her evolution. I’m drawn to artists who fully commit to their vision and allow themselves to expand their mediums of expression.

If you were given the opportunity to put together a show sound tracked to your EP, what would that look like?
If I were to build a runway show around 'Online/irl', it wouldn’t just be about mixing aesthetics, it would be about tension.

Visually, the EP lives in contrast. A structured red satin gown against a blue backdrop. Motion blur portraits where the face feels slightly split, slightly distorted… like identity in transition. There’s clarity and there’s unraveling happening at the same time. You’d probably see contradictions…streetwear layered over lace. Red tights under something delicate. A hoodie over something intimate. Denim next to silk. Jasmine flowers but also an iPhone charger as a belt. Bangles with dual tone dresses. Sacred/sentimental/nostalgic objects paired with everyday digital tools. Some nostalgic devices too like iPods, Nintendo DS, etc. Nothing is separated & everything coexists.

I also love when fashion is literal, so I’ve been playing around with bedazzling random lyric references on my clothes (ex: PRNDL from 'High Note'), or even just the titles of my songs. For 'ICONIC', the world was disco-inspired: high sparkle, silver fringe, bold silhouettes. Almost confrontational glamour. For 'Spiraling', we leaned into spiral motifs, even referencing jalebis, one of my favorite Indian desserts, as visual language through jalebi earrings. It’s playful but intentional.

There’s also distortion in the visuals… blur, movement, pixel references, because identity isn’t static. It’s layered. I’m inspired by designers like Loewe, especially the pixel collection, because it challenges perception. Maybe incorporating pieces like that in the show.

The collection would move through the EP’s arc: uncertainty, ambition, unraveling, reclamation (sparkles & shine!). It would begin classic and structured, move into chaos and motion, and end in confidence. At its core, the show would reflect harmony between identities, not choosing East or West, street or high fashion, sacred or playful, but allowing them to exist together without apology.

Who would you love to collaborate with for the ultimate music/fashion crossover?
Jonathan Anderson.

I love that his work isn’t immediately digestible. It’s 3 dimensional, literal, tongue-and-cheek. Fashion, like music, shouldn’t always be fully understood at first glance. It should invite a second look. Or a third. Even better if it has mixed opinions.

Fashion has taken you around the world. Where do you hope your music can take you?
Fashion took me around the world physically. I hope music takes me somewhere deeper culturally and emotionally. Seeing 'ICONIC' resonate in Latin America, places I’ve never even been, reminded me that specificity travels. The more specific you are, the more expansive you actually become. It seems counterintuitive but it’s a truth!

Any sneak peeks for what is on the horizon?
I can’t believe I’m saying this but I want to make sexier songs now.

They’ll still have emotional depth, but they won’t necessarily be as heavy. I feel freer in my life right now, and that expansiveness will show up in the music. I’ve been living so much more “irl” and have had some amazing & wild experiences that I want to reflect back in my music. So definitely freer, sexier, slightly less self-questioning and more self-liberating. I already have so many demos on my phone, so I’m really aching to get cracking on getting these perfected. No promises on timelines, because this time around I want to take my time and level these up. I want my voice to bleed more - really stretch it and expand my vocal techniques - to evoke more dynamic and feeling in my sound.

And actually .. you might see a little more of me as an actor this year ;)

—