Roots & Iran - Seroya's
(Salome Hamidi) musical adventures began at a tender age of 6, when her
father introduced her to the Persian traditional string instrument, Setar.
She began improvising and playing along with legendary musicians and singers;
Shahram Nazeri being one of them. Her exposure at this young age set the
foundation from which she built upon later.
War and Transformation - This was a tumultuous time in
Iran, as destruction became the forefront of daily life during the Iran/Iraq
war. However, it was living through this life-changing experience that
Seroya was able to tap into a spiritual realm - something she bears within
her music to this day, taking influences from mystics like Hafiz.
Learning to be free - A move was made and at the age
of 11, Seroya entered a new world: U.S. Here, she studied classical music
at the age of 14. Throughout this time, she kept herself busy learning
classical piano and composing for TV documentaries and short animated
films. Winning many young artist awards, she was already composing for
an entire orchestra at the age of 17 and was accepted with scholarship
to study at DC's Catholic University of America. Too restrictive and limiting,
she became frustrated with the academic process and decided to venture
out on her own.
Musical Adventures - In 1998, she collaborated with singer
Jen Cho to complete "Fend," a recording experiment, in which
she incorporated classical with electronic music; all with pop sensibilities.
It was then that she met Holmes Ives, with collaborations leading to co-writing
for a soundtrack, "Tetrasomia" OVA, for a circus show in San
Francisco and the release of 2 dance singles, "Desire" and "Orchis"
Memnon, co-written by her as vocalist. Released under Renaissance and
Musicnow Records, these tracks have been well-received by many dj's, ending
up on numerous compilations and most importantly, dance floors.
"Mystic Maah" - It was a meeting of the minds
which led Holmes to co-produce her self-penned debut album "Mystic
Maah". Listening to her father's old Persian records, and constantly
under the influence of today's modern music, she was inspired to pay tribute
to both worlds that helped bring her up musically. It was then that her
experiences came together; and the end result is captured in this timeless
album that celebrated the spirit of love- a universal message.
Fast Forward - Currently, Seroya is busy with projects
that include remixes from "Mystic Maah" with Holmes Ives. They
are currently collaborating as writers on an upcoming album and running
their own label, Zan Records. Their alliance is sure to expose their talents
to the audiences of the world.
official artist website
