Mosahebeye Shahrzad Sepanlou ba ocpc Magezine ke baraye 1 Mah Pish mibashad ke mitavanid bekhanid va En Aksi ra ke moshahedeh mikoind Baraye Concert Shahrzad dar Uc Irvine hast ke Ba Aghaye Seda Ebi dar hale khandan Ahang mibashad.
Q and A with SHAHRZAD SEPANLOU
A talented young woman with a passion for music. From singing in front of a mirror as a child, to being in the hottest girl group, Silhouette, and finally to a successful solo career, Shahrzad has it all… Tell us about your background and how you got involved in the music industry. From as far back as I remember, I’ve loved singing and performing for people. I was three years old when I would sit in front of the mirror with a pen in my hand and sing to an imaginary audience. Later on, I was constantly writing poetry or coming up with songs that I would perform for my friends and at parties. Music has always been an escape for me especially during the tough times I lived through in Iran, you know, the revolution and the war… When I moved to the U.S. and after finishing high school, I became really interested in singing professionally. I tarted doing backup for a couple of American college bands but I just didn’t feel too comfortable with the whole music scene at that time. Then I went to UCLA and after graduation met the girls that would form the original Silhouette. It was purely by chance that I met them at a party. They were looking for a third girl to complete the band and we hit it off. It felt so comfortable to hang out and sing with them and that’s when it all started. Your parents are both artists, how did this influence your career? I guess I’ve imposed more discipline and expectation on myself because they are pretty tough critics. It has really been both a positive and negative thing. Positive because of our collaborations on my album and because of everything that I have learned from both of them in my life. You see, I was exposed to the arts including music, poetry and theatre almost everyday through my parents and their friends. I am so grateful for that because it was such a magical childhood and affected my life and my decision to be a singer. But there’s one negative aspect to having artist parents, especially writers; I tend to second guess myself too much and sometimes I am reluctant to take risks so I don’t disappoint them. But I’ve been slowly breaking away from that. Tell us about your experience in the music industry as a young female artist. Well, the music business is still a male-dominated business so a woman has to work very hard and demand respect from people in order to be respected. Basically for a woman to succeed and be taken seriously, she needs to have a very professional and diplomatic attitude. But altogether, it’s been better than I expected. While it is true that women are still viewed in a sexual way and are perhaps not taken too seriously in business dealings, I’ve also been very pleasantly surprised by all the professionalism I’ve seen among my colleagues. I’ve met and worked with many fantastic and talented people (men and women) who are in this business for the sake of music and to make lasting and meaningful collaborations. You recently had a new addition to your family! In what ways have you been inspired musically? Little Leyli Fassihi came into our lives 17 months ago. She is the love of my life. I sing for her and I am thrilled that she’s such a musical baby. She automatically moves her body anytime music is playing somewhere. Having her in my life has made me a stronger woman and I am more confident in myself. I was never the kind of girl that dreamed her whole life of becoming a mom but now that I am, I can’t imagine life without her. Musically, I am more inspired than ever to keep singing and to make better music. I owe it to her and I want her to be proud of me when she’s older. And seeing how she loves music so much, I am hoping we can do mother and daughter duet at some oint in the future! How would you describe your style of music? I usually tell everybody that it’s pop music but with a more subdued or serious feel. I am naturally drawn to heavier lyrics and moody songs and I guess those are the elements that I tend to incorporate in my music. Upcoming projects or albums? I am working on an “International” album with an Italian producer friend of mine, Giampiero Scuderi, which I hope will be available for distribution soon. The album consists of songs with Persian, English and French lyrics and the music itself has a Middle-Eastern and European ambience. I also just finished a song called “az man taa man” which is very personal to me and which I will sing live for the first time at my pcoming concert at UC Irvine. Which Iranian (or American) artists/musicians have inspired you? As far as Iranian artists, I’ve always been inspired by Googoosh and I adore her. I also love Farhad’s music and think that the album “Jom’e” (Friday) is a masterpiece. I also have a huge amount of respect for artists such as Dariush, Ebi, Marjan and Faramarz Aslani. There are so many to list and those were a few. As far as non-Iranians, there are way too many to mention. But I can tell you that John Lennon’s life and music have always fascinated me. In my book, he was a true artist. Any final words/ messages for the Iranian-American community? The Iranian-American community is such a strong and successful community and we should keep supporting and loving one another so we can reach even higher. I hope that we can continue making each other proud. Finally, I would love to see you all at my concert! facts about shahrzad Did you know... Shahrzad was a die hard fan of George Michael when she was a teenager. She lived in Paris and England for a total of one year. In high school she worked at Taco Bell. Shahrzad has had small parts in plays and short films t high school and while she was a student at UCLA. The first day she moved into the dorms at UCLA, he performed Madonna’s “Like a Virgin” at her elcome Karaoke party, and she brough the house down. She used to sing jazz songs at a restaurant called The Atlas Club” in Los Angeles. Her all time favorite movie is “Westside Story” Stats Place of Birth: ehran Residence: os Angeles, CA Sign: corpio Education: achelor’s in ociology from CLA Favorite Persian dish: hormeh Zabzi We appreciate your time and wish you all the best during your term as the Mayor of Costa Mesa.Ba Tashakor Ali Yazdanjoo