Feature Friday - Naghmeh
Photo by Heather Waldron
Name
Naghmeh
Pronouns
She/Her
Bio
Naghmeh is an Iranian-Canadian singer-songwriter based in Montreal. Singing in English, French, and Farsi, Naghmeh bridges language barriers and weaves cultural connections with diverse audiences through the magic of folk music. Her composition in farsi was awarded a residency at Barnhouse Sound Productions, where she recorded and released her latest EP, Live at Barnhouse. A child of war and revolution, Naghmeh uses her musical platform to elevate the voice of the voiceless, and to raise awareness about global issues and social causes.
Instagram
@naghmehasong
Website
www.naghmehasong.com
Where in Montreal are you located?
Plateau Mont-Royal
What do you love about your neighborhood?
Being hugged by two gorgeous and big parks, Lafontaine and the Mont-Royal. I love seeing the bustling energy, the friendly hangs, the spontaneous jams, the ducks, the dogs, the trees! Oh my goodness so many trees! It's stunning.
What’s your favourite art space in Montreal and why?
I have a few, but Casa del Popolo is one of the obvious first choices. Over the years, I've played and seen so many memorable shows at Casa. I admire what they've tried so hard to build, and everything they do for the community. From offering a fairly cheap venue rental to standing up against genocide, they are an island treasure.
Another top contender is Turbo Haus, for very similar reasons.
Describe your art in your own words.
I don't really like borders and boundaries, and I think my art reflects that. I'm a story teller and I like to use all my senses when creating. My art is a hybrid of languages, emotions and genres.
What have you been working on recently?
I just released an EP! It's a three song collection recorded live off-the-floor, and it includes my first ever release in my mother tongue of Farsi. I recorded it during an Emerging Artist residency in beautiful British Columbia last summer, and it's an audio visual experience in the Barnhouse Sound Production studio in Qualicum Beach.
Next, I'm going into the studio with my 5-piece band to record more music, so stay tuned. I'm also working on a kind of secret project, which I will reveal on November 12. Shhhh!
What sparked your passion for music?
My name means melody in Farsi. As a child, I took my musical obsession for granted, owing it to the name my parents chose for me. I grew up listening to rock music and pretending to sing Metallica in my room. We immigrated to Canada when I was a preteen, and I started playing the guitar to cope with this big life change. Even back then, I wanted to be a musician. But none of the people on Musique Plus or MTV looked like me - so I just didn't occur to me that I could.
Years later while I was living in San Francisco, caught in the corporate grind, a friend asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. Without any hesitation, I said: “I want to be a rock star.”
I surprised myself. After all this time, the flame was reignited. I wrote a consecutive stream of songs, moved back to Montreal, and performed every chance I got. That was about 12 years ago. The flame is a full-on fire at this point.
But something changed during the pandemic. In awe of the Indigenous artists worldwide, I reconnected with my mother tongue and began performing in Farsi. During the Woman, Life, Freedom movement in 2022, singing became my personal revolution. As a first-generation immigrant, I’m reminded that women in my native land cannot pursue solo music careers or lead bands. When I sing, I feel the voice of the voiceless, and the extent of my parent’s sacrifice.
My mission is to inspire immigrant girls and women to not wait for permission, to follow their dreams, and to be the women they needed to see when they were younger.
Describe your sound.
If the Talking Heads and Patti Smith had a love child, and that kid grew up listening to Metallica in Iran, it would probably sound like Naghmeh.
What does your creative process look like?
It's usually a random catchy phrase that comes to me during a walk with my dog, Whistler. I start recording random fleeting thoughts until I get to a guitar. It feels much like an abstract painting, where I then have to try and decipher where the words are trying to lead me. Sometimes, the process is abandoned. I get hungry, I start doomscrolling, I'm late to meet a friend: the idea stays dormant. Then, I come back to it months later with a new perspective. Other times, it's finished on the spot, with zero notes and edits. There are also hundreds of other ideas that will never see the light of day. I love those too. Songwriting is a muscle, and you have to train that muscle whenever you can.
Who are your biggest musical influences?
Loud rockin' women. All of them, any of them - even the ones I haven't heard of yet.
But lately, I've been doing a deep dive in albums from Patti Smith, St. Vincent, PJ Harvey, and Wolf Alice.
What do you love about playing live?
I play in a lot of venues and towns where it's not usual for people to hear Farsi, or to have Iranian women on stages. I love connecting with other Iranians in the audience, or sharing that part of who I am with everyone. There is something incredibly healing and empowering about singing my ancestral language in places where it was never heard. I'm the first woman of my lineage to do what I do, so at times it feels like an enormous responsibility. And other times, it feels like every tiny step is valuable, no matter how small. Someone might see me and think: hey, I can do that!
And I really hope she does.
