AHI

AHI, whose name is pronounced "Eye," is a Canadian singer and songwriter whose rich, earthy vocals anchor rousing folk-rock songs that sometimes swell into anthems. His lyrics draw from a life of travel that has shaped him into a natural storyteller. The artist's breakthrough arrived in 2018 when his second album, In Our Time, received a Juno Award nomination for Contemporary Roots Album of the Year. Following years of extensive touring that included support slots with Mavis Staples and Patty Griffin, he traveled to Nashville to cut his third album, Prospect, issued in November 2021.

Born Ahkinoah Habah Izarh into a West Indian family in Brampton, Ontario, he surprised those around him by leaving college to backpack across distant countries, reaching places as far-flung as Trinidad and Ethiopia. Once settled in Toronto, he began performing and recording under the initials of his given name, voiced as "Eye." His 2016 independent debut, We Made It Through the Wreckage, revealed a commanding voice full of subtle range, with tracks shifting among uplifting indie folk, roots rock, and blues. A 2017 victory in the Canadian Songwriting Competition led him to sign with Thirty Tigers, which issued his follow-up album, In Our Time, the subsequent year. Dressed in his signature all-black attire and equestrian helmet, AHI made his initial major television appearance, delivered a warmly received Tiny Desk Concert at NPR, and performed across prominent North American stages. In Nashville he collaborated with Grammy Award-winning producer Paul Maybury to lay down the ten tracks comprising Prospect.