Say Aman!
Toronto's Aman Dhesi Releases Debut EP Day One
Hope, spirit, life, fragility, vulnerability, resolve and strength. These are the characteristics of both the artist and the sentiment which floods his debut EP Day One. A Vancouverite transplanted Torontonian, Aman Dhesi brings energy and electricity to listeners on his new EP. Over the course of the 5 song collection Dhesi brings story of life, love and loss alive and captures our attention with infectious beats and the hook of well crafted and magnetic chorus. It may be a debut collection, but Dhesi knows who he is as an artist and is very aware of the direction he's heading in.
Dhesi kicked off the pre-arrival of his EP with the double shot single release of the instantly popular personal track 'Another Never Ever' and the positive vibe fueled 'Rise Up'. But it's the anthemic closing title track 'Day One' that truly exposes the artists light while the song builds more and more as it progresses. And it's on 'Day One' where those aforementioned characteristics truly shine through and engages you to want to know more about who Aman Dhesi is.
So of course, we just had to ask.
Hey Aman! As a new artist we always want to get to know you more. Tell us a little bit about your background. Who’s the man behind the music?
The man behind the music haha - I like that! Well my name is Aman Dhesi and I am an out-and-proud LGBTQ2A+ Indo-Canadian artist currently based in Toronto, Ontario. Originally I am from Vancouver, BC but re-located back to the T-Dot back in 2013 meaning both cities have a very special place in my heart.
Growing up music was a constant in our house right from the first time my dad took me aside when I was a little kid and showed me all his Beatles, Bee Gees and David Bowie LPs. I think my love-affair with pop music began around that time and has only grown as I have gotten older. By the time I was in university I saw U2 in concert for the first time and that triggered a desire to express myself as a music artist so I began to develop my singing voice and started to write my own songs. At the time I was fortunate to have a mentor who helped to nurture my musical aspirations and it led to a few recording opportunities and cutting my teeth as a performer in the Vancouver music scene. Once I got a taste of singing and performing onstage, I was hooked! In that time I moved to Toronto and was lucky enough to become a finalist in a televised singing competition called Spectra Talent. I became a finalist in the competition and recorded a group single with the other finalists and performed at World Pride in 2014. In 2017 I put out my first single and now I just put out my EP “Day One”.
You live in Toronto now. How has living in one of the busiest cities in Canada aided or challenged your music?
It has both aided and challenged me. Being the largest city in Canada, Toronto has such a diverse and eclectic music scene. I have met so many local music artists spanning the whole spectrum of musical and artistic genres. Toronto is wonderful in the sense that it is such a mish-mash when it comes to local music. There is a place for everyone here.
On the flip side it has been a challenge but in one of those weirdly wonderful ways. Having been exposed to so much talent in this city, it truly forces you to step up your own game in every aspect. In the six years I have been in this city and involved in the music scene, I’ve really had to raise my abilities as a performer, song-writer and vocalist. It has forced me to really step outside of my comfort zone and while that can be a bit intimidating, it has really helped me to come into my own as an artist.
We have to say a huge congratulations on releasing your debut EP “Day One”. How long has this project been in the works?
Thank you! It is something I am still processing because I have wanted to do it for so long. It is a wonderful feeling to have it out there. This project started roughly one year ago. My producer Mark Zubek and myself were having conversations and I was toying with the idea of recording a new song but ultimately I decided to expand this project into an EP because I had so many ideas and things I wanted to say that it wouldn’t make sense to fit it all into one track. THAT would have been one very long song hahaha.
Dhesi kicked off the pre-arrival of his EP with the double shot single release of the instantly popular personal track 'Another Never Ever' and the positive vibe fueled 'Rise Up'. But it's the anthemic closing title track 'Day One' that truly exposes the artists light while the song builds more and more as it progresses. And it's on 'Day One' where those aforementioned characteristics truly shine through and engages you to want to know more about who Aman Dhesi is.
So of course, we just had to ask.
Hey Aman! As a new artist we always want to get to know you more. Tell us a little bit about your background. Who’s the man behind the music?
The man behind the music haha - I like that! Well my name is Aman Dhesi and I am an out-and-proud LGBTQ2A+ Indo-Canadian artist currently based in Toronto, Ontario. Originally I am from Vancouver, BC but re-located back to the T-Dot back in 2013 meaning both cities have a very special place in my heart.
Growing up music was a constant in our house right from the first time my dad took me aside when I was a little kid and showed me all his Beatles, Bee Gees and David Bowie LPs. I think my love-affair with pop music began around that time and has only grown as I have gotten older. By the time I was in university I saw U2 in concert for the first time and that triggered a desire to express myself as a music artist so I began to develop my singing voice and started to write my own songs. At the time I was fortunate to have a mentor who helped to nurture my musical aspirations and it led to a few recording opportunities and cutting my teeth as a performer in the Vancouver music scene. Once I got a taste of singing and performing onstage, I was hooked! In that time I moved to Toronto and was lucky enough to become a finalist in a televised singing competition called Spectra Talent. I became a finalist in the competition and recorded a group single with the other finalists and performed at World Pride in 2014. In 2017 I put out my first single and now I just put out my EP “Day One”.
You live in Toronto now. How has living in one of the busiest cities in Canada aided or challenged your music?
It has both aided and challenged me. Being the largest city in Canada, Toronto has such a diverse and eclectic music scene. I have met so many local music artists spanning the whole spectrum of musical and artistic genres. Toronto is wonderful in the sense that it is such a mish-mash when it comes to local music. There is a place for everyone here.
On the flip side it has been a challenge but in one of those weirdly wonderful ways. Having been exposed to so much talent in this city, it truly forces you to step up your own game in every aspect. In the six years I have been in this city and involved in the music scene, I’ve really had to raise my abilities as a performer, song-writer and vocalist. It has forced me to really step outside of my comfort zone and while that can be a bit intimidating, it has really helped me to come into my own as an artist.
We have to say a huge congratulations on releasing your debut EP “Day One”. How long has this project been in the works?
Thank you! It is something I am still processing because I have wanted to do it for so long. It is a wonderful feeling to have it out there. This project started roughly one year ago. My producer Mark Zubek and myself were having conversations and I was toying with the idea of recording a new song but ultimately I decided to expand this project into an EP because I had so many ideas and things I wanted to say that it wouldn’t make sense to fit it all into one track. THAT would have been one very long song hahaha.
As a songwriter did you work on each of the EP’s 5 songs individually start to finish as you went along or did you jump around back and forth working on them in pieces?
It is funny you ask me that because looking back on when we first started recording “Day One” I thought I had every song mapped and knew what I wanted the EP to sound like from beginning to end. I’m glad I didn’t adhere to that plan because it would have turned into a very different body of work. I wound up taking it one song at a time and it allowed for a very organic approach while creating the EP. Through writing and recording one song at a time, it sparked inspiration for the next track and I really liked that the evolution of “Day One” happened in a very natural method. It gave me the breathing room and time to really think about what I wanted to say with each track and gave room to make changes along the way.
Your first release off the EP is the very catchy ‘Another Never Ever’. What is that song about for you and what inspired it?
Of all the tracks on “Day One” this is the one that has gotten the most response. I love each of the songs on the EP but when we were on “Another Never Ever” we knew it was something special.
“Another Never Ever” was actually the first song I wrote for the EP. I always try and write songs from a perspective that doesn’t get told or at least that I don’t hear very often. Ultimately the song is inspired by those moments of reflection we all have when we are reminded of past relationships. Most people can agree that there are important lessons and nuggets of wisdom that can be gleaned from splitting with a past love and while it can bring up painful memories it can also help to get you to the next level of your life - if you let it. I think what is great about “Never Ever” is that it sends the message that no matter what happened in the past, however caused hurt or whatever mistakes were made, you can use that experience to become a better person. I want people to know that just because it didn't work out in the past, it doesn't mean your ship has sailed on finding someone where it can last forever.
In contrast to that you simultaneously released the single ‘Rise Up’. ‘Rise Up’ is a very uplifting and empowering song. What’s the overarching message you want listeners to take away from the song?
I think of it like where “Another Never Ever” leaves off, “Rise Up"carries the message home. I like to describe “Rise Up” as the audio equivalent of a bff that is going to give you a bit of necessary tough love. We all need it from time to time. Life can get tough and can knock us down. It is easy to spiral into self-pity but it is up to us to make the choice to overcome, rise up and move on. At some point everyone needs to make a choice when going through a difficult time - do you let your circumstances or your actions define who you are? Are you going to let that thing that happened to you weigh you down or are you going to rise up? This is the message “Rise Up” conveys. I personally think it is a great one to throw on first thing in the morning :)
The EP is itself very hopeful. When you set out writing did you have a collective theme in mind or did it naturally evolve?
To be honest no. As I mentioned before, I took a very organic approach towards creating the songs for this project. Mark and I just took it one song at a time and by the time we were getting to the fourth track it became very evident that there was an over-arching theme towards this collection. I knew there were things I wanted to say with each song but I tackled each track with a blank slate and just wrote what I felt.
Releasing both songs together can prove to be a challenge. Why did you decide to release both rather than stagger their release?
That was an 11th hour choice. I had been going back and forth on which one of those tracks would kick off the project. Both songs are so different in terms of the messages and the spirit but, in a way, they do compliment each other. “Another Never Ever” is moody and reflective while “Rise Up” is very uplifting and positive. I started to realize that it would make for a more well-rounded experience hearing both tracks together because they balance each other out in terms of the messages of both tracks.
Also, when looking at the music industry at large, we are in very unconventional times especially when it comes to a release strategy. There are no rules anymore. In that spirit, I didn’t want to constrain myself in terms of the shoulds-or-should-nots of how to release music. The beauty of being an independent artist is that you can make up your own rules and do whatever you want. In other words rather than mulling over which track to release first I decided to just release both simultaneously. Sometimes the simplest approach is the best haha.
It is funny you ask me that because looking back on when we first started recording “Day One” I thought I had every song mapped and knew what I wanted the EP to sound like from beginning to end. I’m glad I didn’t adhere to that plan because it would have turned into a very different body of work. I wound up taking it one song at a time and it allowed for a very organic approach while creating the EP. Through writing and recording one song at a time, it sparked inspiration for the next track and I really liked that the evolution of “Day One” happened in a very natural method. It gave me the breathing room and time to really think about what I wanted to say with each track and gave room to make changes along the way.
Your first release off the EP is the very catchy ‘Another Never Ever’. What is that song about for you and what inspired it?
Of all the tracks on “Day One” this is the one that has gotten the most response. I love each of the songs on the EP but when we were on “Another Never Ever” we knew it was something special.
“Another Never Ever” was actually the first song I wrote for the EP. I always try and write songs from a perspective that doesn’t get told or at least that I don’t hear very often. Ultimately the song is inspired by those moments of reflection we all have when we are reminded of past relationships. Most people can agree that there are important lessons and nuggets of wisdom that can be gleaned from splitting with a past love and while it can bring up painful memories it can also help to get you to the next level of your life - if you let it. I think what is great about “Never Ever” is that it sends the message that no matter what happened in the past, however caused hurt or whatever mistakes were made, you can use that experience to become a better person. I want people to know that just because it didn't work out in the past, it doesn't mean your ship has sailed on finding someone where it can last forever.
In contrast to that you simultaneously released the single ‘Rise Up’. ‘Rise Up’ is a very uplifting and empowering song. What’s the overarching message you want listeners to take away from the song?
I think of it like where “Another Never Ever” leaves off, “Rise Up"carries the message home. I like to describe “Rise Up” as the audio equivalent of a bff that is going to give you a bit of necessary tough love. We all need it from time to time. Life can get tough and can knock us down. It is easy to spiral into self-pity but it is up to us to make the choice to overcome, rise up and move on. At some point everyone needs to make a choice when going through a difficult time - do you let your circumstances or your actions define who you are? Are you going to let that thing that happened to you weigh you down or are you going to rise up? This is the message “Rise Up” conveys. I personally think it is a great one to throw on first thing in the morning :)
The EP is itself very hopeful. When you set out writing did you have a collective theme in mind or did it naturally evolve?
To be honest no. As I mentioned before, I took a very organic approach towards creating the songs for this project. Mark and I just took it one song at a time and by the time we were getting to the fourth track it became very evident that there was an over-arching theme towards this collection. I knew there were things I wanted to say with each song but I tackled each track with a blank slate and just wrote what I felt.
Releasing both songs together can prove to be a challenge. Why did you decide to release both rather than stagger their release?
That was an 11th hour choice. I had been going back and forth on which one of those tracks would kick off the project. Both songs are so different in terms of the messages and the spirit but, in a way, they do compliment each other. “Another Never Ever” is moody and reflective while “Rise Up” is very uplifting and positive. I started to realize that it would make for a more well-rounded experience hearing both tracks together because they balance each other out in terms of the messages of both tracks.
Also, when looking at the music industry at large, we are in very unconventional times especially when it comes to a release strategy. There are no rules anymore. In that spirit, I didn’t want to constrain myself in terms of the shoulds-or-should-nots of how to release music. The beauty of being an independent artist is that you can make up your own rules and do whatever you want. In other words rather than mulling over which track to release first I decided to just release both simultaneously. Sometimes the simplest approach is the best haha.
How has the reception been of the EP?
I got a message from a friend of mine the other day who told me that some of his co-workers on his floor had found out about “Day One” and were playing it in the lunch room. What I hear stuff like this it makes my day.
Overall the response has been great! The EP has been played/streamed internationally, I’ve been hearing that radio has picked up “Never Ever”, the song is charting well in various music markets. QMusic was the first place that I scored a top-10 so I am nothing but grateful for the response and reception along the way. I think people are really feeling the up-beat, catchy, anthemic vibe of the EP.
What has been most surprising for you in regards to the reception?
I’ve had more than a few friends send me messages that they overheard their partner humming a few bars of a song off “Day One”. Stuff like that makes me happy and gives me a bit of a grateful chuckle.
Aside from that, I’ve had some people reach out and tell me how much the songs have resonated with them personally and that one of the tracks is something they throw on after a rough day to give them the empowering shot-in-the-arm they need.
Do you have any live dates lined up to promote the EP?
I am working on it. There will definitely be a showcase happening shortly in the Toronto area. So hey if you are in town then make sure to check it out and see what “Day One” is all about live :)
What has been your favorite venue to play live or what’s been your favorite gig?
Well I would have to say my favorite gig was World Pride 2014. When you have that much energy, love and well...pride from hundreds of thousands of people it really elevates the experience. I would love to play in front of that many people again. It was such a rush!
Toronto has no shortage of LGBTQ artists. Have you made many music connections?
I sure have. There is a lot of LGBTQ talent in Toronto right from fellow music artists, dancers, burlesque and drag performers. The cool thing about being an artist in the LGBTQ scene is that you meet many other artists that combine so many different elements and turn it into something so unique.
As an independent LGBTQ artist what has the industry support been like for you?
Well in truth, I am a new artist so my method to date has been a very DIY approach. My plan with “Day One” is to really get myself out there so people recognize the name Aman Dhesi and people within the industry will take notice.
Do you think LGBTQ artists are musically boxed in and if so, what do you think it’s going to take to break into the mainstream?
I think more needs to be done. It really comes down to the ongoing efforts of key people within the industry to continuously champion, endorse and advocate artists from our community because there is so much untapped talent and potential here! It is great to see so many artists expressing their support in terms of allyship with their music but we need to see more representation of LGBTQ2A+intersectionality within the industry both on the artistic and business side. Once we have that representation in the board rooms of major labels, A&R teams, radio DJs, promoters I think that is the magic formula that will really be the catalyst for change.
If you were lining up a duet to cover a classic who’s your dream duet partner and what would the song be?
One of my favorite songs is “Wicked Game” by Chris Isaak. I would love to duet that with Solange. I think that would be a very sexy track!
Now that the EP is out what can we expect next?
My focus is now on performing the tracks live. So stay tuned for that :)
Finally, the stress of being a DIY artist is intense. How do you keep yourself motivated and how do you practice self care?
Sleep (which getting enough can be trying at times), exercise which means hitting the gym for me, hot yoga, and for those days when you just need to chill throw on “Drag Race”.
I think most importantly is to not take yourself so seriously and make time for the people that make you laugh and I don’t just mean a polite chuckle, I mean laugh-so-hard that your sides hurt. THOSE are the people you need around and will keep you grounded when things get stressful and tough.
I got a message from a friend of mine the other day who told me that some of his co-workers on his floor had found out about “Day One” and were playing it in the lunch room. What I hear stuff like this it makes my day.
Overall the response has been great! The EP has been played/streamed internationally, I’ve been hearing that radio has picked up “Never Ever”, the song is charting well in various music markets. QMusic was the first place that I scored a top-10 so I am nothing but grateful for the response and reception along the way. I think people are really feeling the up-beat, catchy, anthemic vibe of the EP.
What has been most surprising for you in regards to the reception?
I’ve had more than a few friends send me messages that they overheard their partner humming a few bars of a song off “Day One”. Stuff like that makes me happy and gives me a bit of a grateful chuckle.
Aside from that, I’ve had some people reach out and tell me how much the songs have resonated with them personally and that one of the tracks is something they throw on after a rough day to give them the empowering shot-in-the-arm they need.
Do you have any live dates lined up to promote the EP?
I am working on it. There will definitely be a showcase happening shortly in the Toronto area. So hey if you are in town then make sure to check it out and see what “Day One” is all about live :)
What has been your favorite venue to play live or what’s been your favorite gig?
Well I would have to say my favorite gig was World Pride 2014. When you have that much energy, love and well...pride from hundreds of thousands of people it really elevates the experience. I would love to play in front of that many people again. It was such a rush!
Toronto has no shortage of LGBTQ artists. Have you made many music connections?
I sure have. There is a lot of LGBTQ talent in Toronto right from fellow music artists, dancers, burlesque and drag performers. The cool thing about being an artist in the LGBTQ scene is that you meet many other artists that combine so many different elements and turn it into something so unique.
As an independent LGBTQ artist what has the industry support been like for you?
Well in truth, I am a new artist so my method to date has been a very DIY approach. My plan with “Day One” is to really get myself out there so people recognize the name Aman Dhesi and people within the industry will take notice.
Do you think LGBTQ artists are musically boxed in and if so, what do you think it’s going to take to break into the mainstream?
I think more needs to be done. It really comes down to the ongoing efforts of key people within the industry to continuously champion, endorse and advocate artists from our community because there is so much untapped talent and potential here! It is great to see so many artists expressing their support in terms of allyship with their music but we need to see more representation of LGBTQ2A+intersectionality within the industry both on the artistic and business side. Once we have that representation in the board rooms of major labels, A&R teams, radio DJs, promoters I think that is the magic formula that will really be the catalyst for change.
If you were lining up a duet to cover a classic who’s your dream duet partner and what would the song be?
One of my favorite songs is “Wicked Game” by Chris Isaak. I would love to duet that with Solange. I think that would be a very sexy track!
Now that the EP is out what can we expect next?
My focus is now on performing the tracks live. So stay tuned for that :)
Finally, the stress of being a DIY artist is intense. How do you keep yourself motivated and how do you practice self care?
Sleep (which getting enough can be trying at times), exercise which means hitting the gym for me, hot yoga, and for those days when you just need to chill throw on “Drag Race”.
I think most importantly is to not take yourself so seriously and make time for the people that make you laugh and I don’t just mean a polite chuckle, I mean laugh-so-hard that your sides hurt. THOSE are the people you need around and will keep you grounded when things get stressful and tough.