Ajahni Perrin Featured In #MusicLov3rz April!

In 1981, Ajahni was born in Kingston, Jamaica and his local ancestry spawns from Spanish Town, where he lived, and Linstead, where his Mother’s family settled. He immigrated to the US when he was four (4) years old as a result of his father’s Pastoral post in Brooklyn, New York. Ajahni comes from a musical family where his Grandfathers played the organ and sang in the church choir respectively. Also, his father is a classically trained pianist and organist and his mother sang in the choir.


Growing up at home, he was heavily influenced by the classical music his father was constantly playing in the background. He became very familiar with the works of Handel, Grieg, Beethoven, Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Bach, Brahms, Schubert, and Mendelssohn. In those formative years, he would also sing in the Sunday School choir, but in a compulsory way that was more the order of the day in the Perrin household. However, in his pre-teens, Ajahni would take violin lessons and play in his middle school orchestra by choice.

Ajahni’s parents are avid lovers of old Methodist Hymns and he grew up singing Wesleyan style songs from the United Methodist Hymnal in church. His first exposure to Gospel music was learn- ing and singing, “Jesus Christ Is the Way,” by Walter Hawkins. He didn’t know anything about Gospel music at the time or who Walter Hawkins was, but knew he really liked the form of expres- sion; the approach to Christian themes and messages embedded in Walter Hawkins’ style or genre of music.

Years later, circa 1991, he would join a Gospel singing ensemble where he was further introduced to Timothy Wright, John P. Kee, and Kirk Franklin‘s music. And there, his passion for this deep, spiritual music was solidified. The richness, creativity, diversity, originality, motivation, rhythmic manifestations, and inspiration inherent in this music was difficult to compare to anything he expe- rienced prior to his inauguration to this ‘message in the music’ art form.

In the mid 90s, Ajahni started to explore other music on the side, discovering Motown Classics, R&B, Pop, Hip-Hop, Rock, Alternative (Dave Mathew’s Band, Hootie and the Blowfish, Green Day, Blues Traveler), and of course, Dancehall Reggae and other Reggae classics. Exposure to other musical styles along with the Gospel genre would open his hears and catapult him to the piano. He would sit at the piano and try to play the melodies by ear from much of the music.

Ajahni would keep up this tinkering for many years and at age 21, he would enroll at Slope Music School in Park Slope, Brooklyn for 3 years. That’s when he was immersed and indoctrinated into the Jazz world. His teacher was a Jazz pianist who introduced him to Barry Harris, Thelonius Monk, Bud Powell, and Cyrus Chestnut. Even though other life distractions and challenges precluded Ajahni from continuing piano lessons, that experience would lay the foundation for his songwriting down the road.

Presently, Ajahni is married to his wonderful wife Patrice, and they have two wonderful children. Also, Ajahni works with professional producers, musicians, and singers to bring his musical ideas to life through his company, Liberty Under Grace.

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