Biography

Abby Ahmad’s distinctive style, showcased on her upcoming album Tea with Shadows, could be largely characterized as experimental folk, infused with rock, tinged with Middle-Eastern and Indian classical influences, and rooted in post-modern poetry. Raised in idyllic, rural Pennsylvania with a love of eclectic music and performance, Ahmad dabbled in violin and piano as a youngster, sang in numerous choirs, and developed her own technique of self-taught guitar, heavily influenced by singer-songwriters like Richie Havens, Joni Mitchell and Ani DiFranco who use alternate tunings, while blueprinting her own distinct rhythmic approach. Ahmad's theatrical training, work as a voice teacher, and multi-genre influences have contributed to her dynamic vocal style which showcases both range and ingenuity. Tea with Shadows represents Ahmad’s communion with the ultimate “dinner-party” of internal emotions, a self-study in fear, loss, comparison and doubt, which in turn becomes informed by more public, external curiosities about hope and empathy. These songs turn the mirror on the listener and embrace us all in the path to discovery with sporadic winks of surprise and wonder.