Indo-Canadian Musician Agneya Releases Second Video From Debut Album AGNEYA
The track 'Shiva' features tabla, percussion, and fusion elements from the Toronto-based artist's self-titled record.
Indo-Canadian drummer, percussionist, and composer AGNEYA has released a second video from his debut self-titled album AGNEYA.
The track 'Alone Above,' out July 24, 2026, begins with an angular groove in 15/8 that constantly shifts beneath the listener's feet, and gradually unfolds into an expansive landscape where progressive rock energy meets the openness of contemporary improvisation. Named in honour of the life and spirit of Canadian free solo climber Marc-André Leclerc, the piece isn't about climbing itself, but about the exhilaration of choosing an unconventional path, embracing uncertainty, and finding freedom beyond expectation. The result is music that feels vast, fearless, and unexpectedly lyrical, with Shirantha Beddage's soaring baritone saxophone carrying the listener into open air.
Agneya, born and raised in Western India, and now based in both Toronto and Berlin, has been working for almost fifteen years as a freelance drummer and percussionist in many worlds of music, from Indian folk and commercial music, contemporary jazz, Arabic music, Zimbabwean music, Nigerian soul, rock, and experimental music, amongst others. He has said yes to every opportunity to make music with others, and every one of these experiences quietly and slowly shaped AGNEYA, his debut recording as a leader, releasing on September 18, 2026 on Agneya Music (ACM 001).
AGNEYA opens with 'It Began Before Words,' like a zephyr carrying the ocean that has brushed up against the hulls of myriad ships. 'Zwischenspiel I' (German for interlude or intermezzo), displays Agneya's ability to deliver unique, forceful grooves, along with Canadian bassist Rich Brown's melodic and rhythmic virtuosity (also check him out on 'To Hold On To'). Built from a South Indian Konnakol (vocal percussion) phrase, 'Teleology' expands outward into a fierce, groove-heavy composition where rhythm constantly shifts perspective. On 'Keiko' Agneya joins rhythmic forces with Indian percussionist Varun Venkit, propelling the ensemble into a hip and urbane recreation of this lovely folk melody. Other highlights on this truly global album are, 'Khoj', featuring the compelling, riveting trumpeter Ingrid Jensen. Her brilliant solo, underpinned by the masterful accompaniment of Agneya is a highpoint of the album, and 'Naima', John Coltrane's 1960 classic reimagined over the West African folk groove, Ketju, featuring the soaring alto saxophone of Parisian Yonatan Hes, and the brilliance of pianist Jakob Reisener. To sum it all up, this is wide-ranging music made by artists who love and respect each other, and this shines through every note.
Agneya explained that 'this project was built through real relationships. It was naturally created in two worlds: part of the album features my European band from Berlin – musicians from Luxembourg, France, Germany, and Wales – and the other part features my friends and mentors in Canada & India, who have all been essential to my growth as an artist and human being. All the musicians on this record are artists with whom I've connected with deeply over the years. The album is all of me. It's all the music, people, places, hardships, grooves, friendships, migrations, and contradictions that shaped me into the person I am today.'
Rhythm is central to Agneya's life. 'Rhythm has always been the thread connecting everything for me. Rhythm speaks differently in South India than it does in West Africa. It speaks differently in New Orleans than it does in the Balkans. But underneath all those differences, there is still something deeply human and communal happening. This record is my attempt to connect those rhythmic dots honestly – not as a statement of tokenistic diversity, but because this is genuinely the music that lives inside me,' said Agneya.
Stepping forward as a bandleader, the release of AGNEYA signifies both the culmination of a journey, and the start of a new adventure, using rhythm as a way of transcending boundaries, sparking dialogue, and connecting communities across the world. It offers the listener a body of original music that places rhythm as an invitation into a layered experience and to feel connected through groove, movement, and shared presence, performed with a collective of collaborators who bring their distinct cultural and musical languages into the work. 'More than anything, I want people to feel invited into this music. Groove is one of the oldest ways human beings have connected with each other. Long before language, before borders, before genre, there was rhythm,' said Agneya.
Agneya has created a sound world where tradition and modernity coexist, and where many rhythmic worlds come together. He explains further, 'at home in India, there was traditional music and rhythm embedded passively into life, but at the same time, I was growing up during a huge wave of Western pop culture entering the country. One moment I'd be listening to Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, and next I'd be watching Korn or Limp Bizkit on MTV. Later, my older brother introduced me to heavy metal, and my teacher Varun Venkit introduced me to West African music and rhythmic systems, and improvisation eventually led me toward jazz and everything it stands for – curiosity, individuality, risk, listening.'
AGNEYA Track List
1. It Began Before Words 4:38
2. Zwischenspiel I 4:02
3. Teleology 4:34
4. Keiko 3:33
5. Alone Above (ft. Shirantha Beddage) 4:22
6. Khoj (ft. Ingrid Jensen) 5:21
7. To Hold On To (ft. Rich Brown) 4:42
8. Naima 5:30
Featuring: Agneya - drums, percussion, voice (3,4); Ursula Harrison - bass (1,4,5,6,7); Rich Brown - bass (2,3,8); Max Serra - bass (9); Jakob Reisener - piano (1,4,7,9), Fender Rhodes (1,7); Rolf Zielke - piano (5,6); James Hill - piano (2,3,8), synths (1,4,5,6,7,8), guitar (4); Dhaivat Jani - tabla (5); Varun Venkit - djembe (4); Gandhaar Amin - bansuri (1,2,3,4,7,8); Shirantha Beddage - baritone & alto saxophone (5); Yonatan Hes - alto saxophone (9); Ingrid Jensen - trumpet (6). Produced by Jeremy Ledbetter and Agneya.
AGNEYA was previously named the recipient of the Toronto Arts Foundation's 2026 Breakthrough Jazz Artist Award, which carries a $10,000 cash prize and was presented at the Toronto Jazz Festival. BroadwayWorld covered that announcement here.
