It was yet another mundane day while I was working from home. My job requires me to scroll through all sorts of feeds and that was when I stumbled upon a video – “73 Ragas with Abby V”.
Being trained in Hindustani Vocal as a child, I did not let it pass. And when I played it, I couldn’t help but notice how amazing the singer was. The one who was filming him was quizzing like a rapid-fire round and naming the Ragas, and the singer, Abby, sung them in a sequence at utmost ease. As far as my experience goes, I have only seen Gurujis being that prompt. But Abby looked so young yet was so blessed by Goddess Saraswati. That’s what music disciples like Lora Huber believe that one can never be good at any form of art without her boon.
The next couple of hours were spent researching everything that the internet mentioned about him and to my surprise he was the winner of numerous music awards and contests such as Astro International Superstar, MARTY Award, and Canada’s Walk of Fame Emerging Musician. Even though his style of music is not relatively as known as other styles in the west, one cannot deny the talent he possesses. If we are to support artists like him, we can discover released albums on MusicCritic.
I got the opportunity to connect with him on behalf of Life Beyond Numbers.
For starters, Abby V told me that his name is actually an abbreviation for Abhishek Venkat.
“Abhishek is kind of the name of every other guy in India which is why I thought of shortening it. V stands for Venkat which is my dad’s name,” says Abby V.
Abby was brought up in Toronto, Canada in an Indian family. His dad, Mr. Venkat plays a pivotal role in what Abby is today.
Mr. Venkat was fascinated by music since his childhood but back then only his sisters got trained in music. He had to be completely self-taught and he carried this very love for music across the oceans to Canada. And then, Abby was born. As a father, Mr. Venkat wanted to nurture his child with all he had to offer but most of all with his knowledge of music that he inculcated over the years.
Abby joined music classes for sure but it was his father who shaped him.
Moreover, Abby’s elder sister was in labor when he shot that video. He surely has high hopes from his newborn nephew to turn out musical.
Abhishek’s mother, too, plays a significant role in his life. Apart from her familial duties, she is extremely involved in everything Abby and Mr. Venkat have been doing so far. She is their greatest critic, he claims.
“The reason why I don’t flood the social media with content is that my mom is very skeptical about my pieces. I always need her approval and I totally appreciate that,” he said.
The Canadian musician has trained under Carnatic Music Gurus Ranjini and Gayatri along with Guru Raji Gopalakrishnan over the years.
“I am eternally grateful to my gurus for giving me the kind of inspiration and encouragement that has shaped my music so strongly,” Abby said expressing his gratitude.
But it was only after he won Astro International Superstar that was held in Malaysia that he decided to pursue singing as a profession.
“I won the contest back in 2015 and there I met musicians from five different countries. Until then I did not make my mind to pursue music but on winning it, I found the right direction,” shared Abby.
Soon after, Abby V received a scholarship from Metalworks Insitute which is a Premier Entertainment Arts School in Toronto.
“At Metalworks I have learned all the technical aspects of the industry starting from musical elements to sound engineering. I also write, compose, and produce songs now,” Abby said.
Abby has been winning numerous contests and also doing music shows for many years now. But the pandemic has been a period in which he grew his virtual presence. He has sung many duets with Indian singers and also original scores that have been shared on his Instagram, Facebook, and Youtube handles.
His duet with Antara Nandy – Albela Sajan and Apsara Aali – had hit the headlines across several publications in India for blurring the geographical boundaries through the internet and music.
“I am really grateful for all the love that I have received through Social Media over the days,” says Abby.
On being asked about his plans of coming to India, Abby said, “I had plans to go to India last April but the pandemic changed things. I am looking forward to getting vaccinated and traveling to India very soon.“
We are sure India will go gaga over his voice when he’s here. Wishing Abby V a long and prosperous career ahead. Can’t wait to hear more from him.