Getting To Know Abhi Ananda

We sit down Abhi Ananda, Indonesian artist to talk about his music and growing up with The Beatles and Classic Rock. Read the interview below.

How did you first get into music?
When I was a kid, my dad hooked me up with a great collection of oldies hits, especially The Beatles and classic rock. I loved to sing along with the music and I think my first instrument was voice. In my high-school years, I started learning guitar and I really found a great excitement in music when I sang and strummed the guitar at the same time. Also during that time, I developed my passion for songwriting. It was really weird back then in Indonesia (even until now probably) because most people who could play instruments always preferred to play popular songs. However, I just kept doing my thing, which is songwriting. It’s something that I still truly enjoy until now.

Can you tell us about your latest release?
My debut album “Exulansis” is like an answer from me about my struggles in life and pursuing my dreams. Before this album, I was very closed-minded about doing my music in a band concept. It kinda backfired me because I heavily invested my project on people I was working with or finding the right people, instead of myself. When I started recording “Exulansis”, I decided it’s gonna be different this time. I’m gonna be an independent solo artist and also a music producer for myself. It was such a great experience for me because I did almost everything for this album: writing, arranging, recording, mixing, mastering, artwork, and etc.

What's one thing you want people to know about your music?
I’m proud to say that I have a strong sense of melodies and harmonies. That’s something I achieved by doing songwriting since I was a teenager, I guess. My point is that my songs are singable. You can cover my song with just a piano (no vocal) and people can still enjoy it.

If you wanted something people could take away from your music what would it be?
Recently, I’ve been trying to write songs with an extraordinary theme. By extraordinary, I mean it has to be unique, meaningful, and relatable by the listeners. My goal is to offer my perspectives about certain things to listeners and try to inspire them.

What have you got planned for the future?
I’m about to release my 2nd album soon. It’s an instrumental album so it’s definitely gonna be something different than my first one. I’m also in the working process to produce an EP for my band project.