Sheherazaad

Like the eponymous narrator of One Thousand and One Nights, Sheherazaad gradually enchants you with her stories. Don’t expect jinn or powerful kings; instead, questions about estrangement, native language and imaginary homelands appear in extremely lyrical form in the work of this American singer with Indian roots. Musically, too, Sheherazaad shifts between regions: traditional South Asian elements flow smoothly into Western influences from folk, jazz, flamenco and classical music. Her debut album Qasr on the respected Erased Tapes label is a revelation, and the singer counts none other than Arooj Aftab among her fans. “Sheherazaad has the courage to scrap 90 per cent of the instruments. That way, she really makes the music sing”, Aftab says of her youngest protégée. ​​​​​​​