Naaz

My name is Naaz, which means « soft » in Kurdish. I’ve learned to embrace both the soft and strong parts of myself. I was born in the west but also feel connected to mountains. I’ve experienced both privilege and oppression, and as a result, I’ve become both street smart and book smart. I wrote an album that helped me through a difficult time and has the potential to change someone else’s life.

I’ve lived many different lives, but when I was reborn last February, I wrote an album in just a few months with the help of some personal items that were important to me. After leaving a marriage, my dog and I had to couch surf in Amsterdam and Berlin. I was finally free and no longer controlled by anyone. It’s been three years since I was known by the world, and I can either start over or embrace all the different parts of myself and become more than just one person.

Never Have I Ever been a kid, but even though I’m 24, I’ve decided to embrace my inner child. I am a woman and a girl, a survivor and a victim, an artist and a mother (to my dog), and can feel both heavy and lighthearted. I am everything.

I’ve created a live show that will be empowering and fun, with a mix of emotions. It will be a dance through the ups and downs of life. When you listen to my album, you’ll hear a story that many have yet to live. It’s never too late to try again. The album has subliminal messages, so listen to your gut when you’re finished. Do what you need to do to be okay, and let me be the good story – the one where everything turns out okay in the end.

Remember that you are Azadî.