– So tell me a little bit about you new track.

When I sat down in the studio for the first time to record a song on my own, this is just what came to me. Morrissey’s words had been spinning in my mind, and it said everything that I was feeling at that moment. The Smiths have made many songs that are close to my heart. They made a great impact on me as a teen, and inspired me ever since. This track is a one take live recording with me and a piano, my heart is broken and Moz know it all.

– Your previous singles ”Refugee” and ”Superstars” has been very well received by the media. What has changed for you since you released them?

There has been a lot of changes for me during the past two years. From being a singer in an underground band to becoming a solo artist and releasing music on a major label. I’ve learned a lot about the music industry and realised that nobody is ever going to work as hard for me, as I’m willing to work for myself. But I’m so grateful for all the love and support I’ve gotten from all around, it has definitely been the fuel for me to keep walking in my own direction.

– You dedicated ”Superstars” to Iranian super star Googoosh. Have you already gotten some reaction from her?

I haven’t got a response from her at all, but it was never the reason why I did it. Googoosh is a symbol of something that I wanted to portray, and the dedication to her is a dedication to all the people who can relate to her story. People who once had a meaningful life in a place where their personality had great respect and value, but were forced to leave it all in order to survive. Many of them have responded to the song, and that means everything to me.

What other parts of Iranian arts & culture do you think should be more known abroad?

Well, of course the list is endless, but here are some of my favourites:
Music: Kourosh – Gole Yakh, Hayedeh – Sia cheshmoon, Omid – Harfe nagofte and anything from Shohreh’s album “Shohreh Mix”.
Art: Shirin Neshat and Leila Pazooki in fine arts. Shadi Ghadirian and Newsha Tavakolian in photography.
Film: Mohsen Makhmalbaf is one of the greatest. His daughters Samira and Hana Makhmalbaf are also amazing filmmakers. Abbas Kiarostami. “No one knows about persian cats” by Bahman Ghobadi is a film that made great controversy describing the underground music scene in Iran.
Literature: Forogh Farrokhzad, feminist poet. Together with Simin Behbahani, they are some of the most acclaimed writers of contemporary literature in Iran.

– One can sense that your lyrics to ”Refugee” come from anger and questioning the way the society see people with an international background. Is song-writing your way of ”letting it go” for you? Is it political? Both?

Art is always political. Whether you choose to speak about something or leave it out. Many times I wish I would have been softer and cuter and sing about trivial things i life, like emojis and shoes and summer nights, but being the girl that I am, I had to write “Refugee”. I think it says more about society than it says about me.

– What do you want to express in your music?

Music is a fantasy world where I make the rules and do what I want with no compromise. It’s the only place where I can do that. Punk music taught me that being a misfit is the realest thing and to break things is to create. So I live by that, and use the stage to express it. I love the show. The show is everything.

-What are your plans and dreams right now?

I’m planning another release real soon, can’t say too much but I’m very excited about it. About my dreams; it’s just really hard seeing the light when the political landscape is changing like it does. I dream of an open society with real human values where we can say; hey we might not have much but let’s share it all equally. I dream of the police stop not being a racist institution. I dream of countries with no borders. I dream of men not abusing women. I dream of men not abusing power. I dream of taking space with no excuses. I dream of fighting back and winning.

Credits:

Words by Weronika Pérez Borjas.

Photos by Clara Uddman.

Special thanks to M Radar & WOW2015