I have read and re-read Afghan singer Elaha Soroor’s biography and I am convinced a movie needs to be made of her life.
From her beginnings as a devotional singer in a female music group in Iran, to being one of the first women to perform live after the fall of the Taliban, to gaining fame on the television show Afghan Star, and eventually being forced to flee the country after fundementalists threatened her life–Elaha is proof some people have music in their blood and they will do anything they can to share it with the world.
As a refugee in England, Elaha met up with World Music collective Kefaya. Their 2020 collaboration, “Songs of our Mothers,” is a collection of folk songs that have been passed down from mothers to daughters.
As my favorite type of new global music is one to do, “Songs of Our Mothers” organically blends traditional and contemporary sounds seemlessly. As Elaha’s biography states, the album is a “bold protest against patriarchy and a joyous statement of resilience and emancipation.”
Elaha’s voice soars through this album with such transcendent power and beauty. I feel deeply grateful she has done everything she has to make sure the public can basque in the beauty of her musical gifts.
I have barely touched the tip of the iceberg of everything Elaha has accomplished. You can read more about her life here. Take a listen to her amazing voice in the videos below.
Musical Passport 