Indian-American Brooklyn boy Kabir worked as a financial analyst in New York for the multi-billion-dollar company Bloomberg LP. But when it came to his dreams, he was man enough to quit his high-flying job to pursue his passion for singing. Released this week, his debut single Got Me Hooked, is sure managing to catch attention.
Written and produced by Damen Heyward and Juan 'Majik' Peters, Got Me Hooked is a peppy pop number with electrifying beats and racy lyrics. The music video reveals Kabir in a suave and stylish avatar. With a set of hypnotic rhythms and silvery voice, he comes across as a chilled-out ladies man out to conquer hearts.
Kabir's voice has the pitch of a Punjabi jat combined with a soothing touch of flowing melody. A very unusual sound from what we are used to hear from Asian-American singers. And that is also what makes him stand out.
He has a rich musical heritage that includes the Partap Brothers; veterans of traditional spiritual music and ambassadors of the Sikh community in North America.
It turns out that over the years, classic and contemporary American songs have shaped Kabir's sound along with traditional Indian music, reflecting his varying influences even on a pop track.
That's an interesting personality-sound combo we have here. Now we'll have to wait and watch how well it hooks the listeners.