The short list of artists have successfully tapped into our deepest psyche, awakened a longing for the ethereal roots of the soul would include the late Nusrat Fateh Ali Kahn, Dead Can Dance, and the Bulgarian choir ensemble le Mystere des Voix Bulgares. When speaking of Azam Ali, collaborator Serj Tankian (of System of a Down) says: “ Her voice is that of an ancient, mystical princess calling for the natural powers of the universe to restore equilibrium and peace on the unbalanced psyche of this planet.” The Iranian born singer has been heard in her critically acclaimed first band Vas, solo projects, countless film and TV scores (Alias, the Matrix), and is a very sought after guest vocalist for many recording artists. Her current band, Niyaz, frequently tours around the world and their debut album made the top of World Music Charts. With the release of “Elysium for the Brave”, her second solo album, Azam Ali delivers her most accomplished work to date, and if her artistic expression may evoke mystical realms, she’s also a world citizen deeply rooted in her diverse cultural heritage. We catch up with the elusive songstress in this rare interview.

THE BOOK LA: Where were you born? Where did you grow up, and what brought you to Los Angeles ?

Azam Ali: : I was born in Tehran, Iran and moved to India when I was four years old to attend an English boarding school for eleven years before moving to Los Angeles in 1985. My mother and I moved here together. I was fifteen at the time so it was really my mother's decision to come to America. Given the political climate and uncertainty that faced Iran at that time my mother who was a very progressive woman in many ways felt it would be wiser to come to the US instead so I could have a better future. It was a tough decision for her because it meant giving up everything she had in Iran, her family, her home, her work, her life etc.

BKLA: A little personal musical history: How did you become involved with music? Did you receive any formal training ? what artists or musical genres influenced you growing up?

AA: It became very clear to me at a young age that I wanted to study music, but it was not until I was 18 years old that I knew what I wanted to do. Oddly enough I had no interest in becoming a singer. I was much more inclined to be an instrumentalist so after falling in love with the Santour (Persian Hammered Dulcimer), I studied for eight years under the guidance of Manoocher Sadeghi who is one of its foremost masters. A few years into studying with him, he suggested I pursue singing so I signed up for a beginners voice class at Santa Monica College where I met the teacher who would change my life forever: Don Richardson. He really believed in me and convinced me to study seriously under him which I did for a number of years. The rest is history so to speak. As far as my influences, they are too many to list. They range from obviously Indian, Persian, Arabic, Turkish, Bulgarian music to European Medieval music, David Sylvian, Siouxie and the Banshees, Massive Attack, Tori Amos, Portishead, and almost everything that came out on 4AD in the 80s..

BKLA: Those who have followed your decade long career will know you as one half of the band Vas, and now the vocalist in the trio Niyaz. How do you approach recording a solo album like “Elysium for the Brave” as opposed to a collaborative or band project ?

AA: I never planned on releasing any solo albums. The reason being that I absolutely love collaborating with people who inspire me. I love being part of a team and it is the environment I thrive in most. But I also love writing music by myself which I am doing constantly. This is how I ended up with a lot of material that did not seem to fit with the projects I had been involved in. When I put all this material together it somehow, became a cohesive body of work which I then decided to release under my own name.

BKLA: Can you tell us about some of the musicians on the album and what they brought to the recording ?

AA: There are quite a few amazing musicians on Elysium. The main one of course is Loga Ramin Loga Torkian, my writing partner in Niyaz. He played on much of the album, co-wrote a couple of the songs with me, and if that was not enough he also engineered the whole thing. The other main person is of course Carmen Rizzo, also my other partner in Niyaz. He did all the programming and keyboards, and completed the vision for the album. Carmen and I have a very natural chemistry. It is almost effortless which is a beautiful thing. And what possibly can I say about Trey Gunn and Pat Mastelotto who most people know from King Crimson, that people do not know already? It was truly an honor for me to have them on my album. I can only say that they belong to a different league of artists. They come from a different musical time and place. They are such genuine artists that it is a profound thing to just be in the same room with them. I dream of one day doing an entire album with those two. The other two people I have to mention are Tyler Bates and Jeff Rona, two incredibly talented film composers I have had the pleasure of working with over the years who have now become good friends of mine.

BKLA: You are singing in English for the first time on some of the tracks. What made you choose to do so, and did it pose any particular challenge ?

AA: The strange thing is I have written many songs in English over the years, but as I said earlier it would not really fit with the more ethnic projects I am involved with. I love singing in English, because it is completely a different mindset: it is not about showmanship. It is all about conveying a vibe and an emotion which you can do with a very simple vocal approach. Portishead is a perfect example of that. Whereas the middle eastern singing I do is vocally quite challenging. Although it too is about ultimately capturing an emotion, you really have to know what you are doing and be in good vocal shape to sing that style.

BKLA: Quoting you from a recent concert: “If I was an optimist, I wouldn’t sing in minor chords.” What themes typically guide your lyrics ?

AA: It is funny that you among many others remember that. I said that because I think it is impossible to not be at least a bit cynical living in the world we live in today with all that is going on around us. The lyrics to my music revolve mostly around three themes- war, spirituality(not in the new age sense of that word), and the sentiment of longing which you can apply to everything from longing for my homeland to seeking some form of release from the temporal state of life. My music is an immediate interaction with the world within and without me.

BKLA: Doesn’t touring the world with a band (Niyaz) which has gained its popularity from merging Western and Middle Eastern culture, offer a stark contrast with the current global political climate, and what some describe as a clash of civilizations? What is your perspective as an artist, a musician and a woman ?

AA: There is no short answer to these types of questions, but I will try. You see, I think of all art almost as an ideal universe to which we all aspire to live in. That is why we all go to the arts- to escape, to experience something that will expand us in ways we cannot imagine. When you deal with music, you are dealing with an intangible element of nature which can actually alter and influence us in innumerable ways. It is an altered state so to speak and in these realms there are no boundaries, so things we identify ourselves with like culture, religion, our sex, especially the concept of "I" or the "other" become completely obsolete. People need to compartmentalize everything so they can communicate and have reference points, but when you create music you don't and can't think that way. So I don't even think of Niyaz as being an East meets West project. That is purely the marketing department's doing. From a musician's standpoint I can honestly say that it is very natural to blend music from different cultures because you are dealing with an element that transcends all specifications. But I think it will be a while before the color of ones skin, religion, the geographical place of ones birth and so one, are no longer a diving element in today's society.

BKLA: Are there any particular places you have enjoyed performing more than others ? Any travel anecdote worth sharing ?

AA: I would have to say that my most memorable moments of performing have so far been in Istanbul, Turkey and the south of France. Istanbul because it is one of my favorite cities in the world and it is unbelievably similar in many ways to Iran, so I feel extremely at home there. And the people are so passionate about music. Is is just such an inspiring place to be in much less perform in. And this past summer Festival Radio France invited us to perform in the south of France as part of a very special festival they organize. It is an amazing concept. Basically we performed three concerts, three nights in a row, in different places around Montpellier. We had the same crew who would build the stage from scratch every night in the middle of a town and the whole of that town were invited for free. The idea was to expose people from these small secluded regions to music and cultures they would otherwise most likely never experience. So our first show was in a lovely little town called Pignan, the second in the most charming place I have been Montaud, and the third in another beautiful town called St-Georges-d'Orques. When we performed in Montaud, we were told that we were the first non-French group to perform in Montaud. The mayor came to the concert and gave us such a warm reception because in a way we are now part of the history of that town. He gave me beautiful flowers at the end of the concert and then took us all out to this amazing restaurant. The thing is Europeans are much more receptive to world music especially middle eastern music and unlike some parts of the world, in France there is a great respect for artists and you get first class treatment wherever you go. We would perform and then right there under the beautiful night sky, they would set up a table and bring out this gorgeous feast with incredible wine for us. We were spoiled rotten on that trip I tell you. If you want to see the best side of the French, you should go there as a musician.

BKLA: Do you long for your birthplace ? Are rising diplomatic tensions between the US and Iran affecting you on a personal level ?

AA: I almost never hear that question without tears blurring my vision. Yes, I miss my beautiful country immensely. There is not a day I do not wish my life and the lives of my fellow countrymen could have unfolded differently. And it has been impossible for me to feel at home here because for so many years there has been such a negative media campaign around Iran that Iranians are not very popular here. For many years when I first arrived when people would ask me where I am from, I would almost apologetically reply "Iran". So you are always conflicted because on one hand you want to fit in, but on the other you know you never will. This conflict gets internalized and everyone deals with it in different ways. Some get extreme, some just suppress it, and others make the most of it as I do. I work to channel these feelings in a productive way and try to create something of beauty that reflects my culture and who I am. The only way I can do that honestly is to create an environment for myself in which I feel at home. My music has become the home I never had. It would be a lie for me to say that I do not fear for Iran and my entire family who lives there given the same type of rhetoric we now hear that we did before the invasion of Iraq. I am very tormented by the whole thing, but mostly by the whole policy towards the middle east. It is extremely unjust and now dangerous because it is radicalizing much of the Muslim world and for those of us who are very moderate on a lot of issues like religion and what not, we are being forced out of our neutral positions because we cannot bear to just sit and watch all the injustices that are taking place in that part of the world. There is so little understanding in the West about Eastern culture, and what a lot of us and generations before us have endured. It is difficult for Americans especially to grasp the psychological impact of being forced to leave your own country, give up everything you worked for, and move somewhere new where you are not only completely misunderstood, but where the country and culture that you love and cherish is referred to as part of an Axis of evil.

BKLA: What can we be looking forward to from Azam Ali ?

AA: That is still unwritten so to speak. I will just continue to follow my heart and see where it leads me. I am open.