Austin Chronicle

“Nothing’s been consistent in my life except my family and my music,” reveals Abhi Sridharan Vaidehi, the 23-year-old rapper/singer better known as Abhi the Nomad. “Music’s been the only thing I can rely on because I never know where I’m gonna be.”

The son of an Indian diplomat, Vaidehi grew up in a whirlwind of state-sponsored emigration, largely growing up in China, India, and the Fiji islands, before attending college in Southern California. Much of his last year was spent in Lille, France, prior to copping a new student visa and moving to Austin in August.

“There’s a whole culture of young people out there in the same situation,” he explains in a voice betraying no detectable accent. “They call them ‘third-culture kids,’ born in their home country, but living that expatriate life where they’re in other nations most of their lives. There’s pain in leaving places where you built ties, but then you numb yourself to that and become really good at adapting.”

The most remarkable facet of his own cultural adaptation is a prowess in the American-born art form of hip-hop. Since 2014, he’s released an impressive run of tracks melding witty, passionate bars with inspired pop that ultimately fall into a category with Childish Gambino and Chance the Rapper. His flow’s agile and modern, but what sets ATN’s material apart is his gift for writing outstanding hooks. The singer/guitarist could be selling choruses to pop stars if he so desired.

This month signaled the release of new album Marbled on genre staple Tommy Boy Entertainment. It’s an emotionally heavy album centered around making difficult personal changes while finding acceptance.

“I created my own definition of the word ‘marbled,'” he explains of the 12-track set he recorded while getting sober. “Being marbled is having your stripes, your flaws, but carrying them with you, growing beyond regrets, and coming to accept that you have to move forward to become less marbled.”

No rapper in Austin is getting streamed more than Abhi the Nomad. Silky single “Sex n’ Drugs” already pushes an extraordinary 2.4 million plays on Spotify. Still, Vaidehi freely admits his “internet clout” doesn’t change the fact that he’s starting from the bottom on the local scene – a familiar feeling for a nomad.

Last Friday dropped a South by Southwest warm-up of sorts via his first Austin show, a late-night performance at Eastside lounge Dozen Street. Fifty people showed, many of whom – to the rapper’s surprise – knew his lyrics. The new townie showcased disarming wit, a great voice, and charismatic stage presence, all of which covered up for a few lyrical lapses. A line from “Mama Bling,” about eschewing materialism for soulfulness, captured his essence: “Tell me where the music we can feel to? Where the groove we could love, hate, cry, and relate to?”

How long the Nomad remains in Austin – and the U.S., for that matter – hinges on the Department of Homeland Security. To stay beyond his graphic design studies at Austin Community College, he needs an O-1 Visa, meaning he has to demonstrate an “extraordinary ability or achievement” in the arts. They have only to hear Marbled. READ MORE…

 

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