Kavyaa Shah

Hello, This is Kavyaa. I was born and raised in India for 12 years, and as it may seem, the transition from India to the United States in seventh grade was rough. However, something that held me together and guided me throughout this transition was my passion for singing. I have been singing since I was five years old.

Funny story: I actually applied for a keyboard class when I was five; however, the teacher realized I don’t socialize with others at all, and thus, only to get me to give voice to the class more, she asked me to sing while playing the instrument. And after that, my passion for singing emerged, and I started singing more than playing the keyboard.

When I moved here, singing was one of the things that helped me interact with other people and get involved in society. For example, I sang for a temple event called “Namaste,” which allowed me to learn more about the temple environment and events there. And because I helped out a little bit here and there for more events at the temple, I started getting recognized for my work and am now one of the head youth group members for the temple, who plans and manages various events there.

Moreover, singing for a small competition called “Atlanta Indian Idol” and qualifying as a finalist helped me gain more experience and confidence in singing, as well as allowing me to meet people from all around Atlanta, which helped me both grow as a person and get more familiar with American society.

Thus, even though moving all the way from 8,234 miles away was difficult, music has held my hand throughout it all, helped me engage in various activities in the US, and thus made my journey easier.