Aaron Abernathy guarantees that someday he’ll be “the next big thing in music”. This self-assertion does not seem too far fetched considering his lyrical and musical prowess on his most recent independent release “Lyrically Inclined,” which focuses on the many stages that relationships can encounter.
Drawing on inspiration from Stevie Wonder, Donnie Hathaway and Musiq Soulchild, among others, Abernathy’s muses are apparent and present themselves in a jazzy neosoul type of originality that begs comparisons to the new artist John Legend.
“I Can’t Change” is the highlight of the album in which Abernathy’s production blends perfectly with his vocals as he describes his fears of getting involved in a new relationship after ending a previous one. This track is screaming for radio air play and is destined to be a hit for Abernathy who plans to make singing a full-time career someday as a singer, songwriter, producer, vocal arranger and musician.
With the support of his parents he has been shopping his demo around to a number of interested companies that could make his dreams a reality.
“I have been trying to shop my demo with several different record companies. It is a very difficult process and patience is a virtue that I possess. I am praying that one day someone will be willing to give me a chance and I promise I will take them to the top,” said Abernathy.
Both J Records and Def Jam have shown interest.
“Lyrically Inclined” follows his first release, “1 year, 3 months and 2 days”, which he describes as a love story that takes place over that amount of time that describes the troubles between a person balancing his passion for music and for his significant other.
Both albums are amazing considering Abernathy is solely responsible for all of the production, which he created in a studio that he created out of the closet in his room.
“I do everything myself. I play all of the music, do all of the singing, including background, and create all of the vocal arrangements on my tunes,” said Abernathy.
Growing up in Cleveland, Abernathy says that his talent was first realized at an early age.
“I realized that I could sing when I was 12 years old, but I always sang around the house with my sister just playing around. I was a member of my choir at my middle school and my teacher chose me to sing the solo on a tune entitled ˜Duke of Earl’. She told me I better sing to the best of my ability so I did and received a standing ovation at the concert. That’s when I found out I could sing,” said Abernathy.
Currently, Abernathy is a senior business student. He participates in a vocal jazz group, takes piano lessons and gets the opportunity to formally play publicly ever so often, but if not, he can be found on the yard with his stereo and Ipod engaging listeners.
Jonathan Shelton, a friend of Abernathy’s and Howard senior psychology student says that with Abernathy’s skill and raw talent, he has no choice but to make it everywhere he wants to be.
“Ab, aka the Flyest,” is humble and inspiring. He is an all around great individual and his music is so passionately heartfelt that his talent is undeniable. I think when his time comes he’ll have a lot of offers,” said Shelton.
Abernathy is currently preparing for an upcoming performance in the Blackburn Center of Howard University that is tentatively scheduled for late April and is also in the process of planning a music video.
