Meet Abhi Ananda | Singer-songwriter, instrumentalist, and composer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Abhi Ananda and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Abhi, how do you think about risk?
I’m an optimist. I always look at risk as the beautiful part of life. I don’t know how other people sees it, but for me, taking a risk is like going all out and follow what your heart really wants.

There are three biggest risks I’ve taken that completely changed my life and made me who I am right now. The first risk that I took was to pursue a music career after graduated from college and stayed away from corporate jobs. It was a hard decision because people judged me for that, but it was worthy because I’m still doing music until now and I’m happy. The second one was when I decided to move to the United States and enrolled at McNally Smith College of Music. This was the biggest risk I took and the most important one because I was finally able to do music in the place I’ve always wanted to be. The last biggest risk I took was when I decided to move to Los Angeles after McNally Smith went bankrupt. This one turned out to be another life changing decision, because after five years living in LA, I have a stable life, jobs, and a better state of music career.

I think, sometimes when you take a risk, you just have to follow your guts (well, yes, logic plays certain part too!) and be strong to deal with the consequences. Things might not go on your own terms at first, but you just have to keep moving forward and do your best. When it ends well, it is very rewarding.
After all , life is all about making decisions. The more often you do this, the easier you get the hang of it.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’m a singer-songwriter, instrumentalist, and composer. I never had any music education when I was still living in my native country, Indonesia. I’ve been writing songs since I was 14, and it’s all thanks to repetition and consistency that I got rewarded with a good sense of melody and harmony. When I moved to the US, I started my career all over again as a singer-songwriter and I had my first music education. As a music student, I gained a better perspective of many musical aspects. Also, it was really a great experience because I met many like-minded people who wanted to make a career in music too. I think I can say that a proper music education and a supportive community are very fundamental to help your career grows.

As a songwriter, this has been my true passion since I fell in love with music. I like expressing my thoughts and feelings through my music & lyrics, and honestly, I couldn’t think of a better way to do it. I was just able to finally release my music this year and I have two albums on streaming platforms now. The first album, “Exulansis” is more like a singer-songwriter, pop, folk stuff. The second album “Melophile” is a full instrumental album which is very perfect if you just wanna hear some calming and peaceful tunes. Go check them out!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
First, it depends on whether this friend is a musician or not. But, I would say a breakfast or brunch in Koreatown (which is my neighborhood) is a great way to start the day. Thai Town, Little Tokyo and Sawtelle for lunch or dinner. For outdoor activities or sightseeing, I will go with Hollywood Walk of Fame, Santa Monica Pier, and Noho Art Districts. For shopping or indoor activities, I will go with Glendale Galleria, Westfield Culver CIty, The Grove, Griffith Observatory and The Last Bookstore. And, for musician friends, I will definitely recommend Guitar Center Hollywood, Amoeba Music, The Hotel Cafe, and Harvard and Stone.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Definitely for my parents. First of all, I would love to dedicate what I’ve achieved so far to my departed Dad. He made a lot of sacrifices so I can pursue my dream and have the kind of life I’ve always wanted. Second, for my Mom who’s been a wonderful and loving mother for me and my sisters. I feel like as I grew older, I start to understand a parent’s perspective and there were certain things that I wish I could have done or communicated better with my parents before. Most of the time, parents just want the best for their kids. This is also a shoutout to every parents with kids who dream to be artists, especially musicians: “be patient and be supportive.”

Website: https://abhi-ananda.com/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcYKyvAg5DwcCx0nObF9eDQ

Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7koOQZDLwk7uTjSZ2WkmFJ?si=_jF4XOgCQPq9HzDAWikSJw