A-Zal: I Am Living Proof Of The American Dream

An Interview With Jake Frankel

You need to have a real dream, not just a wish. And, dreams don’t work till you do! You really need to work hard and chase that dream as if your life depended on it.

Is the American Dream still alive? If you speak to many of the immigrants we spoke to, who came to this country with nothing but grit, resilience, and a dream, they will tell you that it certainly is still alive.

As a part of our series about immigrant success stories, I had the pleasure of interviewing A-Zal.

A-Zal’s musical style encompasses influences from both British pop culture and the vibrant Indian music scene. This unique fusion sets him apart and brings a fresh perspective to the pop music scene. With a dedicated fan base that affectionately refers to him as the “American Ed Sheeran” due to his soulful voice and heartfelt melodies, A-Zal has solidified his presence in the industry. His debut single’s tremendous success is just a glimpse of what’s to come. “Lonely Town” is set to be another milestone in A-Zal’s career, celebrating the beauty and complexity of New York City.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?

I was born in Mumbai, India. I moved to London, UK at the age of 6 and spent many years of my childhood in a town called Hounslow. My family has had a series of doctors and engineers for generations. I am the first who was born with a creative quotient heavily embedded in the gene. As a child, my life depended on two things, music and the British Premier League. I had bought myself a radio from the Hounslow flea market after saving some pocket money. Having a radio in my room allowed me to listen to a range of music and British pop is something that really stuck with me. I was exposed to a variety of music, including classical music which evolved me as a musician and I developed a strong sense of counterpoint harmonies. I slowly started writing lyrics. How it all started was very interesting. I picked up my favorite songs and wrote my own lyrics for those songs. One of the reasons I did that was the only lyrics I could remember were the ones I wrote myself. Even now, I sometimes struggle to remember the complete lyrics of any song. I started realizing that I am able to compose something meaningful while I was just seven years old. That’s what led to my first song, which I wrote in London at the age of seven.

Was there a particular trigger point that made you emigrate to the US? Can you tell us the story?

The biggest trigger to migrate to the US was knowing I had to get my talent and my music to the West. I knew my sound and also knew that I needed to make it to this amazing country, where any dream can turn into reality. I wanted to live the American Dream and be a successful pop singer. I worked in Bollywood for a few years. Although Bollywood is one of the biggest film industries in the world, it runs on recommendations and politics, not on talent. After coming to the US, I soon realized that was not the case here. I was welcomed by all the film and music professionals and knew some magic would happen soon. It was just a matter of time.

Can you tell us the story of how you came to the USA? What was that experience like?

I came here on a talent visa. This is one of the best parts about this country. It supports talent! I came here on an EB1 (Extraordinary Ability) visa and got permanent residence. The entire experience was surreal. My talent was recognized by the country, and that really was a proud moment for me when I came to know that I have been granted the visa. I came to this country with just some savings and went through the grind in New York. The move really paid off as I made my first splash in Hollywood within three years of moving here.

Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped make the move more manageable? Can you share a story?

I am grateful towards the people of New York City. And, this is why I wrote a song ‘Lonely Town’ which is dedicated to New York and the people. I used to perform at subway stations and I had a bunch of people who would turn up regularly and leave me a tip. I remember a time when a gentleman gave me a tip. He intended to give me $1, but he accidentally left a much higher amount. He realized it once he left the tip in my guitar case. But, he never picked it up to replace it with a $1 bill. That was heart touching. I still have some of those dollars framed in my studio.

So how are things going today?

After five years of moving into the country, my life is just the way I had dreamt of it a few years ago. I landed up working with Hollywood’s best productions such as CBS, Netflix and Marvel Studios. I took the Citizenship oath in September and am now a citizen of the USA. In terms of my career, my debut single as a pop artist was released last month and it charted on iHeartMedia’s Mediabase Activator Charts. I never imagined that my debut single would chart on US radio and be played in radio stations alongside my favorite artists such as Ed Sheeran, Taylor Swift and Dua Lipa. This country gave me everything, a home, a new life, success and recognition.

How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?

You always need to give back to the world, that’s how the universe is rigged. Energy exists and it is transferred, and so is goodness. I came up from nothing and started this journey of pursuing the American Dream by performing on New York’s subway stations. The tips I earned were so precious. I make sure I do the same every time I pass a musician performing in the subway. It ain’t easy to stand up there and perform for hours. That’s my way of giving back to the world and something that is very close to me and my journey.

You have first-hand experience with the US immigration system. If you had the power, which three things would you suggest to improve the system?

I have had an amazing experience every single time and I feel they set examples for the entire world to follow.

Can you share “5 keys to achieving the American dream” that others can learn from you?

1. You need to have a real dream, not just a wish. And, dreams don’t work till you do! You really need to work hard and chase that dream as if your life depended on it.
2. Taking calculated risk — the biggest risk in life is not taking a risk at all. You really need to take risks to get somewhere and break through barriers. In my life, I took two huge risks. The first one was leaving a plush job with one of the best professional advisory firms KPMG and pursuing music. The second was leaving behind everything and migrating to the USA with nothing in my hand apart from talent.
3. Sustained efforts — Just random bursts of efforts is not enough to make it in any field. You will manage to cover a certain distance in your life and career. However, if you want to make it big, the efforts need to be sustained.
4. America is a country that really respects and values talent — hone your talent and be the best in the world at whatever you do. Like I always said after my experience working with Marvel Studios — when you work with Marvel, you need to work like a Marvel. I make sure all my tracks are the best I can produce. I have never looked back and heard my tracks from ten years ago and said that it was bad work. I take pride in all my work and make sure it’s world class. It is this approach that helped me bag projects with Marvel Studios.
5. Have the last man standing approach — at the end of everything, there is an energy called ‘luck’ that you will need to compliment all the other points I mentioned. But, you need to make that luck happen! Luck will find its way to you if you deserve it. One thing when I started music as a profession was clear to me that I will never ever give up. I stood through the ups and downs and luck came knocking on my doors at the brink of the COVID 19 pandemic when I bagged my first major American series soundtrack work with CBS. They approached me for NCIS:Los Angeles when the entire world had almost stopped. I never expected that to happen during the pandemic, but it found me.

We know that the US needs improvement. But what are the 3 things that make you optimistic about the US’s future?

1. Personally, this is the most important to me as I have experienced it myself. The country has amazing people. My and my talent was recognized here without any bias. Everyone I met helped me in my journey. I have to re-emphasize — we have good people!
2. The USA has the best talent, resources and companies in the world in almost every field. We have the world’s best space agencies like NASA. We have the world’s best entrepreneurs like Elon Musk. We have the world’s best companies such as Apple and Google. We have the world’s biggest entertainment industry, Hollywood. I have no doubt that the future is really bright.
3. The thought leadership and initiatives related to global warming is the first in my list. The USA is definitely one of the world’s leaders in driving zero emission.

We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might see this, especially if we tag them. :-)

I have always wanted to meet one investor and motivational speaker who changed the way I look at life. His name is Steve Harvey. I’d be thrilled to share breakfast with him one day. I just hope he reads this! His principles and philosophies have been a guiding light for me, as I’ve been watching his motivational videos for years, helping me overcome personal challenges. Moreover, investing in my record release at this stage could be a game-changing move for Harvey Ventures. It would undoubtedly be a truly meaningful breakfast meeting.

What is the best way our readers can further follow your work online?

Official website — https://a-zal.com/

Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/azalmusic/

Spotify — https://open.spotify.com/artist/3GxZTnrO8CqpTaGicA9lrf

Facebook — https://www.facebook.com/A.Zal.Music.Official/

YouTube — https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCg7Mk_yQO75AYJIpLeYChfA

TikTok — https://www.tiktok.com/@a_zal.music

This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!