Aki Kumar left his native home in Mumbai, India for the United States
with the intention of working as a software engineer. Then he discovered
the sounds of the blues, and his life changed dramatically.
One
of the hardest working artists on the music scene today, this San
Jose-based musician has successfully blended elements of Indian music
into his musical and visual presentation, making for a multi-cultural
mash-up that sounds like no one else, yet never loses touch with the
inspiration it draws from the blues. He has made multiple appearances at
The Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival, has been featured on PRI “The
World,” and has toured in Russia, Scandinavia and South America.
Kumar's Little Village Foundation releases Aki Goes To Bollywood (2016) and Hindi Man Blues (2018)
are considered ground-breaking albums that have garnered international
critical acclaim. In 2020, Kumar made major news with the world-wide
launch of his album Dilruba on Sony Music India. Kumar kicked off 2021 with the release of an uplifting reggae-infused single "Zindagi" (Life).