It’s rather difficult for musicians to be “noticed” these days; it can be argued that the market is saturated with artists and bands that produce the same material, making it difficult for any one with real talent to stand out.
But enter AHI, a Canadian singer-songwriter who has independently travelled over 17,000 miles with only his voice and guitar to bring his emotional and thought-provoking music to the masses in different continents. He self-released his music, with his latest creation being Indie Soul, and toured off the back of these releases.
So, what is it exactly that makes AHI tick? Choosic decided to ask him just that.
First of all, could you introduce yourself for those who may not have heard of you before?
I’m AHI, pronounced “eye”. I’m a Canadian songwriter, singer and recording artist.
If possible, what genre of music would you describe your sound as?
I would say Indie Soul is a neat way to package it. Although I’m reluctant to use the term “soul” because of how easily people want to box me solely into the Soul genre, I can’t deny there is a lot of soul in my voice. My music and song-writing is highly influenced by indie, folk, AC, singer-songwriter stuff though, so that’s why I call it Indie Soul.
What encouraged you to become an artist?
From a very young age I had a passion for singing, I was just horrible at it. At the core of it, though, I believe people like Bob Marley, 2pac, Michael Jackson and Jimi Hendrix all taught me that music really has a way to affect the human condition positively, and I knew I had to be a part of that.
What would you say is the most challenging thing that’s occurred during your musical journey?
I think the biggest challenge is always yourself. Getting out of your own way and no longer making excuses. I didn’t grow up in a musical family and I really approach the music industry from a very different perspective than your average artist. Some people want the lights, fame, and fortune; I genuinely want to reach people and help them get through whatever it is they need to get through. But for the longest while, I was really stuck in my own world, writing songs that were self-serving and holding onto them like I was never going to write anything better. When you write songs, you tend to look down at your guitar/piano and notepad, but I had to eventually learn how to look up and look out into the world so that I could write songs that speak to people and connect with them on a deep level. It’s important to start by looking inward, but if you’re going to reach anyone, you have to look up and outward too.
Is there a stand-out music-related moment that’s happened to you so far?
I shot a cover of Bob Marley’s ‘No Woman, No Cry’ in London back in the summer of 2013. I was in Oxford Circus with my wife and three-year-old daughter at the time. My wife was behind the camera and my daughter was off to the side in her stroller. My daughter kept singing along to every take, but she was ruining all the takes. I had one take left in me, so I just told her to come into the video and we sang the song together.
The video has since gone viral thanks to the official Bob Marley estate who shared it on all their social media, and Rita Marley, Bob Marley’s widow, reached out to me herself congratulating me on the cover. Bob Marley is, hands down, my biggest musical influence, so this experience is a definite stand-out for me.
The other week, you uploaded a video after having had a meeting at Universal. How did the meeting occur? How did you feel before, during, and after? And what are you hoping to gain out of it?
I won’t go into too much detail about it, but essentially I had a “chance” encounter with the VP of A&R at Universal/Island Records UK while at a three-day conference in the Netherlands. I convinced him to let me play him my newest song at the time and he was literally wowed. He got in touch with me a week later, and soon after that, while I was in the UK, we had a meeting at Universal /Island Records UK in London.
I’m not the type of person to really get too excited about these kinds of things, but at the same time I made the video to acknowledge how far I’ve come. Two years prior to that meeting, I was rushing though the London tube with my wife and daughter, trying to get to my gigs and open mics. Nothing happens overnight, but if you’re putting in the work and making the sacrifices and getting yourself out there, then everything can change in an instant.
I’m really a self-inflicted loner in a lot of ways, so my biggest goal for 2015 was to start building relationships in the music industry, to get out there and network more and let people see what I do. So, the biggest thing that came out of that meeting is a relationship with someone who’s in a very influential position in the music industry. Our initial encounter was very organic and genuine, and in our meeting, he gave me some career advice and some very valuable insights about the music industry.
Your latest EP, ‘Indie Soul’, was released last February. How was the writing and recording process?
This may sound overconfident, but I think Indie Soul is before its time in a lot of ways. I’m not saying it’s the best EP on the planet, haha, but I do believe that when my career reaches its full maturity people are going to look back at that EP and be like “Wow, he was really saying stuff back then.”
I had a great time working on Indie Soul. I put a lot of heart into that. I started working on it after returning from the UK in 2013 and, at that time, I was becoming more vocal about my creative direction. I was pushing the boundaries of what my mentor and producer Orin Isaacs believed we could accomplish in his studio.
Do you feel that the EP was received well?
Yeah, I think so. ‘Soul Checked’ is a song from Indie Soul that people request a lot. Overall, the EP was another stage in the learning process for me. While it does get a lot of play on radio here in Canada, more than anything it showed me what I’m capable of doing.
What are your musical plans for the rest of 2015?
I have a bunch of songs that I need to record, so I’ll be back in the studio. I read a comment on-line somewhere that said a band that doesn’t have a vinyl LP doesn’t exist. I thought that was brilliant and it has encouraged me to follow that voice inside me that really wants to do an album. I’ve been advised against recording an album because now it’s really a singles market. I personally think the album format, when done right, is better, though. I’ll probably leak a few singles that will eventually appear on a full-length album.
What do you feel is the most challenging problem facing emerging artists today?
ADD, which is Attention Deficit Disorder, and LAMD, or Look At Me Disorder [laughs]. Everyone is an artist, content provider, or media outlet. Cute cats and babies rule the world right now, and artists have to compete with that on a daily basis. Good luck getting anyone’s attention anymore. There is so much more “competition”, but the bar has been lowered so much in regards to what captures our attention, and once you do capture someone’s attention, you can barely hold it for more than 60 seconds. You’re an artist who has just spent 6 months in the studio, pouring your heart out writing, recording, mixing and mastering your new album and then you finally post it on-line, “OUT NOW!!!” Meanwhile, someone else posts a 60-second video of a cat getting stuck in a cookie jar. Your album gets 50 hits, and the cat in the cookie jar gets 250k hits. It’s not because your album isn’t good, it’s just that you’re competing with a cat in a cookie jar.
With that thought in mind, what advice would you offer to a new artist?
Your audience doesn’t owe you anything, not even applause after your show. You have to really be honest about who you are as an artist and what you’re doing this for. When you truly understand that, just continue to do you and do it consistently. That’s all you can really do. People will decide if they want to be on your team or not.
You can follow AHI on his official website, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. His EP, Indie Soul, is available to purchase on iTunes, and you can listen to his other releases on BandCamp and SoundCloud.
