Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Sheherazaad: Cultural roots connection

The vocalist discusses her journey, new LP Qasr, inspirations, and experience of working with hot right now artist Arooj Aftab. 

Sheherazaad: Cultural roots connection

WITH her deeply meaningful album Qasr, Sheherazaad beautifully explores displacement, the complexities of diaspora, the struggle to reclaim lost cultural roots, human experiences, and deep human emotions.

 Grammy award winner Arooj Aftab has produced the genre transcending five-track LP that enables American composer and vocalist Sheherazaad to show off her unique talent. The songs have added a new chapter to a journey that began in a culturally rich childhood surrounded by music.  


Eastern Eye caught up with one of the best kept secrets in music to discuss her journey, new LP Qasr, inspirations, and experience of working with hot right now artist Arooj Aftab. 

 What first connected you to music? 

 I was born to what I would describe as a ‘fanatically art-centred, Asian-American household’, and began ear training at home, with both my parents being band musicians and my grandmother a trailblazing Indian classical concert producer. 

 My mother is a very gifted singer, and I’m told I would hum along with her when she carried me in her arms as an infant. Her riaz floated around the household throughout my childhood. At home, I absorbed the life portfolios of Lata Mangeshkar and RD Burman, while beginning formal voice education in jazz and American songbooks from the age of six. 

 Tell us about your LP Qasr. 

 Qasr was engendered during a time of family estrangement, grief over a lost elder, and the racial polarisation of my country as I knew it. Arooj named the project, which I felt apt. Translating to ‘castle’ or ‘fortress’ in Urdu, Qasr indeed became a monument – like encapsulation of the real strains of displacement. The push and pull of diaspora, and the depravity of erasure and forgotten roots. It also became an intangible home, a personal fortress during a time of personal, political upheaval. 

 How has your own experience as an expatriate influenced the creation of this album? 

 I feel geographic displacement is inherently an existential experience that births a fascinating, rich soundscape. Immigration and migration can create unbridled chaos. It is the gospel or objective truth being distorted and smashed to bits, a constant rebirthing and making anew. The songs are simply a channelling of homeland “auras” that I traverse physically and cognitively. 

Tell us more about that.  

I grew up knowing that I would always exist peripherally in terms of whatever was happening musicallyhere in the US. For me, eventually, this spawned a kind of musicality that veered into a space of rejection. I tend to want to blend a satirical, hallucinatory feel with elements that are very real and violent. It’s the soundscape of merging places and cultures, where the result is often abrasive, dramatic and illogical.

Lead inset Sheherazaad LP Qasr Her new album

 Can you share a specific moment or experience that directly inspired one of the tracks on Qasr?  

Perhaps there was an aspiration to create a kind of neo-folklore that strips down mythology which has been imposed upon my ppeople namely the model minority trope. De-mythologising, so to speak. Dhund Lo Mujhe has threads of this, where you hear the speaker descending into a kind of madness with direct links to the so-called “model minority” idea, a mythology that gaslights people into insanity. The composition was incubated in south Asia. 

 Tell us about that.  

I had ventured into small-town India during the height of the pandemic, as well as Covid denial, when my paternal grandfather was dying. The experience lent an auditory soundscape of total dysfunction. I liked oh sakhi as a binding lyrical phrase, because there’s this colloquial feel to it, adjacent to the hyper-contemporary quality within the other lyricism prevalent in the piece. The piece absorbed phrases in Bhojpuri and other Benarasi imagery, a gift of being immersed in Varanasi while composing. 

 In exploring your cultural roots, how did learning Arabic, Hindi, and Urdu influence and shape your artistic expression?  

Learning Arabic was foundational to my compositional journey. Arabic came very easily to me; I felt I had an intrinsic and otherworldly connection with the language, till I realised that most Hindi and Urdu speakers do, because of shared linguistic lineage. Moreover, I became obsessed with classic singers like Fairuz, but also contemporary Arabic female composers with fresh sounds and full, embodied voices, many times that were on the deeper end in terms of vocal texture. 

 What about the Hindi/Urdu aspects? 

 Even though I come from a Hindi-speaking background, Urdu then became much more accessible since I had come from Arabic study. Encountering Urdu at an academic level was the true birth of my lyrical style, where certain words, phrases, or even sounds would leap off the page and seemingly demand full verses or pieces to be written around them. Hindi always feels grounding, like soil on the tongue. Though truth be told, I see the similarities of Hindi and Urdu constantly illuminated, such that it is a pain point for me that we consider them and the worlds they represent so ardently separate. 

 How have your diverse range of influences, from Lata Mangeshkar to jazz, come together in Qasr? 

 Composing is an extremely subconscious, sensorial act for me, where I play with scent, sight, taste, lighting, and silence among other things. So, my sensorial world, along with my lifetime of influences, all seep into the music in ways that go undetected or unnoticed by me till years later at times.  

Reclaiming lost connections seems to be a theme in your work. How has this journey of self-discovery through music impacted your personal life and understanding of your cultural identity?  

Prayer is deeply important to my compositional process. Spiritual learning and wisdom is most prioritized and revealing to me, within the music and otherwise. I consider music making strictly an act of worship and treat it accordingly. For me, it’s religious ritual and offering, ‘spiritual labour’ so to speak. I feel most embodied and connected to aancestralenergy when I compose and perform these pieces that are like portals for me. 

 What led you towards collaborating with Arooj Aftab on Qasr? 

 I would drop Arooj love notes for her music sporadically over the years. One day she had told me that she had heard some of the music I had released, and suggested she could produce the next project, to my utter surprise. Perhaps she saw alignment in terms of our positionality as experimental south Asian artists here in the US. 

 What was it like working with her? 

 She’s such a generous soul and I’m sure she saw scope to share her wisdom gleaned painstakingly over the years. The process of working with her was essentially feeling so seen and held, knowing that all the iterations would pass through her shared cultural understanding and raw brilliance. 

 Do you have a favourite track on the LP? 

 It’s hard to choose favourites among one’s own children as each one holds a unique place in your heart.  

Who would you love to collaborate with?  

A dream would be to keep collaborating with other experimental composers who are steeped in south Asian, Persian, or Arabic musical traditions. 

 How much does live performance mean to you? 

 Coming from the theatre world, live performance means everything to me. It’s where the musical act of total communion can be truly held in my view, where the music is equally fed by the audience, as they received it. Where music can come to life in new and unprecedented ways that digital capture cannot ever quite encapsulate. I believe live performance is primal and indigenous.  

What inspires you creatively? 

 I find inspiration in diasporic daily existence, basically the small day-to-day details of immigrant life.  

What music dominates your own playlist? 

 I have a playlist now called The Free City (Azaad Sheher) which is a collection of pieces that have hugely fed into my musicality. What’s the music master plan going forward, and how will you achieve it? Woman proposes, God disposes. So, no master plan as such. I hope to stay rooted in my compositional practice and keep gleaning new experiences in the ever-evolving realm of music technology, which I feel is crucial for one’s artistic voice, creative growth, and autonomy. 

More For You

Arabella Stanton, Dominic McLaughlin and Alastair Stout

The new Harry Potter series stars Arabella Stanton, Dominic McLaughlin and Alastair Stout

‘Harry Potter’ filming in London sparks anger as locals claim no consent for Privet Drive remake

Highlights:

  • A London street has been turned into Privet Drive for the new Harry Potter series
  • Locals in Upminster say they were not told filming was for the HBO remake
  • Some residents fear being “bombarded with wizards” while others are thrilled
  • Cast includes Arabella Stanton, Dominic McLaughlin and Alastair Stout

A quiet street in east London has been transformed into Privet Drive for the new Harry Potter series, but locals are unhappy they were not properly informed about the filming. Springfield Gardens in Upminster, chosen to double as the boy wizard’s childhood home, has left neighbours divided, with some welcoming the attention while others worry they will be “bombarded with wizards.” The HBO production, part of a major reboot, has already brought cameras, drones and fans to the area.

Arabella Stanton, Dominic McLaughlin and Alastair Stout The new Harry Potter series stars Arabella Stanton, Dominic McLaughlin and Alastair Stout Instagram/harrypotterhbonotofficial

Keep ReadingShow less
Justin Bieber at an Indian bride’s wedding in Los Angeles

Justin Bieber makes surprise entry at an Indian bride’s wedding in Los Angeles

Instagram/justinstournews

Justin Bieber shocks guests with wedding surprise for Indian bride in Los Angeles as fans call it the best gift

Highlights

  • Justin Bieber makes unexpected appearance at an Indian wedding in Los Angeles
  • Bride and guests left delighted as the pop star mingled and posed for photos
  • Videos and pictures of the moment spread widely online, with fans praising him
  • The singer recently released his new album Swag featuring multiple collaborations

Pop icon Justin Bieber surprised an Indian bride at her wedding in Los Angeles, turning her big day into an unforgettable celebration. The Justin Bieber wedding surprise quickly spread across social media, with photos and videos showing the star smiling, mingling with guests, and posing with the bridal squad. His warm gesture has been hailed by fans, with many calling it the best wedding gift ever.

Justin Bieber at an Indian bride\u2019s wedding in Los Angeles Justin Bieber makes surprise entry at an Indian bride’s wedding in Los Angeles Instagram/justinstournews

Keep ReadingShow less
Priyanka Chopra, Alia Bhatt and Katrina Kaif

Farhan Akhtar confirms Jee Le Zaraa is not shelved but cast uncertain

Instagram/priyankachopra

Farhan Akhtar says ‘Jee Le Zaraa’ will happen but drops bombshell that Alia Bhatt, Priyanka Chopra and Katrina Kaif may exit

Highlights:

  • Farhan Akhtar says Jee Le Zaraa has been delayed but not shelved
  • Significant work including music and location scouting already completed
  • Director cannot confirm if Alia Bhatt, Priyanka Chopra and Katrina Kaif remain attached
  • Project first announced in 2021 as a female-led road trip film

Filmmaker-actor Farhan Akhtar has clarified that his highly anticipated film Jee Le Zaraa has not been shelved. Speaking about the much-discussed project, Akhtar said the film is simply “on the back burner” due to scheduling conflicts. The clarification comes after years of speculation that the all-female road trip film, originally announced with Priyanka Chopra, Katrina Kaif and Alia Bhatt, might have been abandoned.

Priyanka Chopra, Alia Bhatt and Katrina Kaif Farhan Akhtar confirms Jee Le Zaraa is not shelved but cast uncertain Instagram/priyankachopra

Keep ReadingShow less
Fifth Harmony comeback 2025
Fifth Harmony reunite on stage in Dallas after seven years
Getty Images

Fifth Harmony stuns Dallas with comeback at Jonas Brothers gig while Camila Cabello performs solo in Sydney

Highlights:

  • Normani, Ally Brooke, Dinah Jane and Lauren Jauregui perform together in Dallas
  • Surprise appearance happened during Jonas Brothers’ concert stop in Texas
  • Group’s social media accounts updated with new logo and merchandise
  • Camila Cabello absent as she continues solo tour in Australia

US pop group Fifth Harmony’s reunion has sent fans into a frenzy after the chart-topping girl band returned to the stage for the first time in seven years. Their surprise appearance at a Jonas Brothers concert in Dallas on Sunday, 31 August, also came with new merchandise and updated social media branding, signalling that the quartet may be preparing for a bigger comeback.

Fifth Harmony comeback 2025 Fifth Harmony reunite on stage in Dallas after seven years Getty Images

Keep ReadingShow less
Heidi Klum

Heidi and Leni Klum pose together in co-ordinated Intimissimi gowns at the Venice Film Festival

Instagram/heidiklum

Heidi Klum Venice Film Festival look with daughter Leni reignites criticism over mother-daughter lingerie fashion partnership

Highlights:

  • Heidi Klum and daughter Leni walked the Venice Film Festival red carpet in matching corset-style gowns.
  • The supermodel opted for a blush pink silk design, while Leni wore an inky black version.
  • Both gowns were created by Italian lingerie brand Intimissimi, for which they are ambassadors.
  • The mother-daughter duo previously fronted a controversial campaign for the same brand.

Heidi Klum's Venice Film Festival appearances always generate headlines, but this year she doubled the impact by walking the red carpet with her daughter Leni. The pair stunned in co-ordinated gowns from Italian intimates brand Intimissimi, bringing high fashion and red carpet glamour together in one of the festival’s most talked-about moments. Their matching corset silhouettes highlighted the duo’s modelling credentials and added a striking family twist to the opening night of the prestigious event.

Heidi Klum Heidi and Leni Klum pose together in co-ordinated Intimissimi gowns at the Venice Film Festival Instagram/heidiklum

Keep ReadingShow less