Former Langley resident Avkash Mann’s dreams of having a music career are quickly coming true; the 25-year-old singer-songwriter released a new single at the end of 2019 which has already reached over two million views and 50,000 streams on Spotify.
Mann spent Grades 10 to 12 at Langley Fine Arts School, a place he said provided him with some of the best experiences of his life.
“The teachers were very impactful,” Mann recalled. “I had just moved from India and they were so welcoming, making it easy to learn the culture.”
His early school years were spent bouncing back and forth between Canada and India, before attending Langley Fine Arts and then finishing at the University of Toronto.
His father, Harbhajan Mann, started singing in the 1980s, performing locally for the South Asian community while still in school in Canada.
Since graduating, Mann has been dividing his time all across the world; while his family resides in Vancouver, he has recorded in L.A. and ascended towards near super-stardom in Mumbai.
“India is a much more interactive community – people are more actively involved in the artist’s life,” Mann said. “Celebrity culture is very big there, but in Canada, people are more low-key.”
Performing and recording in multiple languages, Mann’s latest pop single “Dreams” is in English and covers the hope he feels for a burgeoning relationship.
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“We recorded in L.A. last summer and it was a super cool experience going to the studio,” Mann said. “We recorded the song basically the day after I got there and then I’ve been working on the video for the last few months.”
Mann has a number of other songs ready for release in 2020 and says they run the gamut from more soulful ballads to infectiously groove-oriented pieces, to ones that would be not out of place at dance clubs.
“This is always wanted I wanted to do,” Mann assured, “I’m taking it day by day and step by step.”
No matter the fame or changes, however, Mann said the art feel globalized – bringing together different backgrounds and cultures.
“I want to let people know you can do Indian music and you can do English music,” he explained. “I’d like to give a shout out to Langley of course, especially my old teachers Mr. Sparks and Mr. Goddard who’ve impacted my music career. I hope that I make a name for myself and make everyone proud.”
People can follow Avkash Mann on his official Facebook page.
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Email: ryan.uytdewilligen@langleyadvancetimes.com
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