We first noticed him online in January 2020 when a video he made of him freewheeling through 70 diverse ragas from both Carnatic and Hindustani styles went viral. Overnight, Abby V was a star, and there has been no turning back. He has since released videos collaborating with mammoths from the Indian music world, including Aruna Sairam, Sudha Raghunathan, Antara Nandy, and KS Chithra, among others. Fast forward to November 2023, and he’s all set to release his first album with Sufiscore, composed by Ricky Kej — on November 24, which, incidentally, is also his birthday. We catch up with the Canada-based Tamil singer, songwriter, composer, music producer, and audio engineer to find out everything you need to know about his debut album Aarambh, his wonderful story, and what Deepavali or Diwali means to him. Excerpts from the interview:
How did your journey into music begin?
My passion for singing was very intrinsic and natural. My father sings, so, as a kid, I was surrounded by his passion for singing, and it was pretty obvious that I would follow in his footsteps. Also, considering that I was blessed with a voice for singing and was able to match my father or at least attempt to match with him and the constant encouragement from both my parents—music just became a part of me. It wasn’t forced on me, and I loved it. My father, however, wasn’t professionally trained but was a part of the music scene in Toronto so music was always all around me, all the time. I would often join him for rehearsals and sound-checks, and music just became the center of our lives.
Your father wasn’t professionally trained, but, we’ve seen him sing like an absolute professional in many of your videos
My father was just blessed with a great voice and phenomenal talent. He never learned carnatic or Hindustani formally, but picked it up, all by ear. People say Kerala-based Tamils are born with music in their blood — even in the way they speak and I think with my father that holds absolutely true. He’s obsessed with ragas and I think my obsession with them also comes from him. He introduced them to me so beautifully. He knew I was in love with film songs and so he would use them to teach me these diverse ragas. And all his own training was self-taught, too. Even though he was so passionate about singing, he never pushed me to learn. So much so, that I often tease him for not having pushed me enough. I tell him that in my case, it’s reverse nepotism — my popularity has led to his introduction to the world and he’s now getting even more attention than me (laughs).
Did you learn music professionally, though?
I started with Western music with a lot of vocal training and choral training and then moved on to a bit of pop and rock. My parents then put me into Carnatic classes and I absolutely hated it at that time. I did not relate to the music at all and I was more passionate about pop music then and I still am. So, I stopped after a few months and my parents didn’t force me to continue. That said, I wasn’t completely removed from the world of music as I was still singing a lot of classical songs at home, especially compositions from Bollywood. So, my voice was being trained, just not in a formal way. This all changed when I chanced upon a katcheri on TV featuring my to-be guru, Ranjani-Gayatri (Balasubramanian). I remember, my mother was watching one of their performances, and their voices immediately caught my attention. I was sold. I then followed them online and began learning from every video of theirs I could find. Later, when they graciously agreed to take me on as their student, this journey came full circle. This was also the same time that my curiosity around abhangs led me to a lot of Hindustani artistes including guru Prabha Atre and I began learning their renditions too. I was never able to put Carnatic and Hindustani into neat separate boxes. They were all just ragas to me and if the raga spoke to me. My love story with Ragas began then. I was head over heels in love with them. I would be immersed and obsessed with a raga day in and day-out. This was a very personal journey — nobody else was involved just me and the internet, and I think this was the best form of learning for me. All of the ragas I know now, I learned during that period. So, in many ways, the internet was my first guru. Also, guru Raji Gopalakrishnan used to visit Toronto very often during that period, and I was able to attend her classes and learn quite a lot from her too.
So, when did the decision to go onto social media happen?
I was always clear that I would end up in music. But, I was quite the shy kid. I had body image issues and so the idea that I would one day go viral on social media just never crossed my mind. So, after I graduated from university in Toronto, I decided to come to India and try my luck. I’ve auditioned, performed and participated in the sabha season etc. But in all this, I realised that not much about your success has to do with your actual talent. It’s almost always in someone else’s hands. It depends on people’s moods, what they think of you etc. It was a terrible culture shock and I was feeling very rejected. I was really struggling to find a break. It was then that I decided to take a chance at a video on social media when the 70 Questions format was getting popular and everyone was presenting their take on it. The idea for 70 Ragas just happened and I made the video, never expecting it to go viral. My friend Karan Deep really helped me put it together and it now has 800,000+ views. What blew my mind, however, was the attention it garnered. The same people I was so furiously chasing now noticed me. SP Balasubrahmanyam sent me a congratulatory message, appreciating the idea. I then knew this was going to be my way to find my audience and there has been no turning back, since.
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And when did the work on your debut album, Aarambh, begin?
It was actually at the same time that my conversations with Sufiscore and Ricky Kej began and two years later, now, my debut album is finally ready. The first song that Ricky pitched, incidentally, was my Diwali release, Payoji, with KS Chithra that has just released. So, the album, Aarambh, has eight songs and while Payoji is a popular bhajan, the rest are all originals. I’ve collaborated with Sona Mohapatra, Benny Dayal, KS Chithra, Sivaangi Krishnakumar, Pratibha Singh, Jonita Gandhi and Antara Nandy, among others.
Now moving onto Diwali, or should we say Deepavali… what are your memories related to the festival?
We say Deepavali when speaking in Tamil, but otherwise it’s Diwali, so we’re good with both. It’s literally our Christmas, so it means a lot to us in Toronto. As a child, I used to get very excited about the festival. It was all about the sweets, the savouries — and I had a huge sweet tooth then. My mother’s mango burfi was one of my favourites and now, even as an adult who doesn’t like sweets that much anymore — I really love munching on ribbon pakoda.
And do you cook these palahaarams yourself?
I don’t cook, but I do assist. Incidentally, last year when we decided to record Jab Deep Jale Aana with my dad for Diwali, we also decided to make murukkus in the video and that was my first time, ever, that I made them from scratch. I’ll admit, I’m surprised they came out so well (laughs).
Finally, what is your Deepavali wish this year?
I grew up listening and loving AR Rahman. He’s inspired me so much. It would be the greatest honour to work with him. That would definitely be what I wish for this Diwali!
Aarambh releases on all major audio platforms on November 24.
Email: romal@newindianexpress.com
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