The Bay Area's Hub for Asian Pacific American Community Arts Since 1972

Who has been the most influential artist in your practice and why?

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My father Fazal Ahmadyar. As a child I saw him bring audiences to tears and joy through his music and performance. He writes and performs Afghan songs. He plays the harmonium and sings. It's inspiring when I visit my family and see his craft endlessly growing after so many years. He still practices the songs I grew up hearing and also writes new songs. Seeing him reminds me to continue to pursue what makes my spirit come alive and continue to share the gift of song and voice that runs in our heritage and family.

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You seem to work in multiple genres as a musician moving from folk to pop jazz to punk, to name a few. What pulls you to shift through these different sounds?

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Shifting through genres has come with growing and honoring the direction my creativity wants to go in the present moment. Its fun to experience what gets drawn out of me when I am collaborating with different people and what direction my ear goes or what ideas come up for my different projects. Some times I want to sing a beautiful ballad about heartache and other times it feels right to get more experimental with my vocals and intensify or belt more. 

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You recently returned to Afghanistan and it seems to have had a huge impact on you. How do you feel it has effected you as an artist?

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My visit made it clear that I have the agency and resources to try and live my life as a musician here. Even with the obstacles that this country poses on artists such as classism, racism, and sexism, I recognize that I have the opportunity to share my work with audiences to works towards being a full time musician without an immediate threats of death.  Most of the talented people in Afghanistan cannot even try to live as an artist because they are just trying to figure out how to heal and  live in a country destroyed by war. There or have very few venues or public platforms to present their work, lack of access to money, and their is the looming threat of being targeted.

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I became more aware of my global privilege on my visit to Afghanistan and was reminded of all the abundance I have here. I have access to recording gear, agency to tour, access to receiving funds to pursue my musical journey and outlets to share my music publicly. I see my opportunities as a blessing from my ancestors to continue to share my words and music with audiences carrying on the traditions of song and dance that were passed down from my family. I get to try and do this in spite of any oppression that tries to detour me from following my path of being an musician.

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How do you feel your music responds to the current political and cultural climate we're experiencing, today?

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My music shares narratives that are underrepresented in the mainstream media. Singing my music connects me with others who believe in justice, love, and diversity and is a reminder that there are a lot more of us out there than the media is trying to get us to believe. 

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You seem to be open to collaborating with lots of different artists. What is it about that process that helps you as a musician?

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Every artist I collaborate with is a gift. We both learn from each other and compliment each other's weaknesses and strengths. The collaborative process reminds me of how powerful a team of people is and how many new ideas are possible.