We were lucky to catch up with Ahi Ajayan recently and have shared our conversation below.

Ahi, appreciate you joining us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

I’ve been singing since I was three years old. In some ways, I like to think that I knew from that first music class that I wanted to pursue music professionally. But I think that thought really solidified when I recorded my first playback song for an Indian movie in 2022. That was the first time I had recorded professionally in a studio and it was a feeling of joy and belonging that I had never felt before. In that moment, I knew that music was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.

Ahi, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I have been learning South Indian classical music for 18 years now. I first started learning in the US but in middle school I moved to India to learn from an acclaimed teacher and pursue my craft further. After that, I moved back to the US but decided to take a gap year before starting at Rice University to focus on music and create as much as I could. During this year, I got the opportunity to sing playback in a Malayalam movie called “Ayisha” for the first time, which was my entrance into that industry. From that moment on, I have continued to sing playback in movies. I’ve also been performing classical concerts since I was ten years old and have performed all over the US, Canada and India!

Looking back on my musical journey, I couldn’t point to a singular thing that I am proud of but rather am proud of my journey and how much I have grown both musically and personally. In addition to the music, there are a lot of skills I’ve gained that I truly believe has made me a better and stronger person.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is creating pieces of work that make people feel something. I have always believed that music heals the soul and to be able to create songs that people dance to, sing along with or listen to for any reason makes me so happy and grateful.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

I think the biggest and most important thing is creating open, safe, and comfortable platforms for artists to share their craft. Oftentimes sharing your music on social media or in any public space can be a really daunting thing because you never know how it will be received by the public. I strongly believe that the more we emphasize kindness and support in those spaces, the easier it is for artists to express themselves and produce music. I’ve definitely hesitated to share my music out of fear of being mocked, ridiculed, or trolled and I wouldn’t want other talented artists to face that obstacle!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://ahiajayan.wixsite.com/website
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ahiajayan?igsh=bWNtdWIyNXQ3YWo2&utm_source=qr

Image Credits

Concert photo credit to Johan Paul of Shining Photography Inc.
Award photo credit to Mazhavil Manorama Channel