Lion Hearted Girl : Ariana Delawari on Her Type of [Afghan]-American Modern Life
I must become a lion hearted girl, Ready for a fight
To Afghan-American singer Ariana Delawari, the job of an artist is to take risks and to stand by their vision, no matter the opposition. Perhaps this is why the girl who grew up in Los Angeles with stories of revolutionary leaders and global politics as Madonna and Ahmad Zahir played in the background finds the Taliban-era deprivation of education and art to be the most terrifying aspect of the militant group’s brutal regime.
In 2007, prompted by fears of a Taliban resurgence in Afghanistan, Delawari traveled to Kabul where along with three Ostads (masters) of traditionally Afghan musical instruments, Delawari began sessions for what would ultimately become the Lion of Panjshir, her debut album produced by film auteur David Lynch.
Like her iconic heroes of Politics and Music — Ahmad Shah Massoud (for whom the album is named), Ahmad Zahir, Madonna, and Janis Joplin — Delawari’s music has managed to make the personal political through the explorations of universal issues of home, peace, and freedom. Also like her heroes, Delawari’s mix of the traditional and contemporary have earned her both the respect and ire of her peers, but based on her answers to our questions, we get the feeling she wouldn’t have it any other way.
Currently in Los Angeles writing new music and planning a tour to promote Lion of Panjshir, Delawari took the time to answer our questions about returning to Afghanistan, her fated connection to Janis Joplin by way of Bessie Smith, and what the success of Afghan Star says about Afghan culture:
The album title is said to be inspired by Ahmad Shah Massood, do you feel a particular affinity to Massood the person, Massood the icon, or both?
Yes I do feel a very strong affinity toward Ahmad Shah Massoud. My mother raised me talking about revolutionaries and people who made sacrifices in order to create necessary change for their people. She would talk about Che, Fidel, and Massoud. Ahmad Shah Massoud sacrificed so much to fight for his people.
He drove out the Soviets and I believe that he would have eventually driven out the Taliban. He also seems to have been a very honest and sensitive spirit. He had his men reading poetry. He appreciated art. I interviewed a former member of the Mujahadin while I was in Kabul a year ago. He told me some very beautiful stories about massoud. I titled the album “Lion of Panjshir” in honor of him. This kind of human being, someone who risks their life in order to create a better world, this is who I am interested in. And I believe that there are many among us and more yet to come.
LA Weekly compared you to Janis Joplin and Cat Stevens, you referred to Janis Joplin by name on the track “San Francisco“ what do you feel draws you to Janis Joplin?
(hey it was actually Cat Power not Cat Stevens)
I was definitely influenced by Janis Joplin as a kid. I think that Janis was a very powerful artist. She had a really fiery unconventional spirit. She really sang from the depths of her heart. She was actually really influenced by Bessie Smith who I love. I read a biography about Janis Joplin a few years ago and discovered an interesting parallel- It’s a story of how when she was a teenager, she was in the car with friends and someone turned on a Bessie Smith song. Janis started singing and her friends thought she sounded like Bessie. When I was 15 years old I was in my friend Caroline’s car and she played Janis Joplin’s cover of the Kris Kristofferson song “Me and Bobby McGee”. I remember being so deeply moved by her cover and I remember silently thinking to myself “I want to be a singer”. And I really love Cat Power too. I had never heard of her, but I kept hearing that I sounded like her. I started listening to her music and found it beautiful. So I feel like both comparisons are compliments.
Which musicians do you admire?
Oh man, so many. Many many. Some of my favorites are John Lennon, the beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Prince, Bessie Smith, David bowie, Sparklehorse, Elvis, Johnny Cash, Björk, Outkast, Led Zeppelin, The Doors, M.I.A., The Entrance Band, The Arcade Fire, Nat King Cole, Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison, Ahmad Zahir, Dungen, Radiohead, The Strokes, Devendra Banhart [to whom Ariana was compared by Pigeons and Planes], Hecuba, all of my friends who play music. There are so many.
What lead you to decide to cover Madonna’s Crazy For You specifically? What stood out to you about that single?
I actually did two covers at first- two demos. “Crazy for you” and “Burning Up”. Then I read that someone else was already covering “Burning Up” so we ended up recording “Crazy For You”. I knew we were gonna record it in Afghanistan, so I wanted to take the song out of romantic love and create something that was more about universal love. Love as peace.
You have spoken of your love for Ahmad Zahir in the past, what made you choose Laili Jaan and Chashmeh Siya Dari as the Farsi covers on the album?
Chashmeh Siya Dari was my favorite Afghan song as a child. I really wanted to cover the song, so one night I did. And I started thinking about the meaning of the song. I know it was originally a love song “Chashmeh Siya Dari… you have dark eyes, take me to your home.” When he wrote the song in the seventies Afghanistan was very different. Today the country has one of the highest numbers of refugees in the world. So the notion of “home” had really changed. I kept his original chorus and wrote my own verses and melody for the verses. I wrote them as if they were my love letter to the people I had met during my travels. Laili Jaan was taught to us by the Ustads. I wasn’t familiar with the song. The Ustads said, “we want you to sing Laili Jaan” so we went for it.
When did you start singing?
When I was three. I was obsessed with Madonna so I would dress up like her and dance and sing like her.
What are your earliest musical memories?
That Madonna memory is definitely the earliest. I also remember Afghan parties in our home and dancing to live music that my father’s friends would play. So Madonna and Ahmad Zahir are my earliest music memories.
Did you have any trepidation before returning to Afghanistan?
No. Actually, I remember everyone trying to discourage me from traveling there the first time I went in October 2002. My father had already moved back and my mother was about to move there. My parents encouraged me to go, but my friends and other family members were pretty worried. That trip completely changed my life. I am so glad I didn’t listen.
Given what you have seen in Afghanistan, are there stories about Afghanistan that you think are not being covered by the media?
I think the media tends to focus on the war and the Taliban. Afghanistan is such an incredible land. I think people have this idea that it’s a desert landscape in the middle east. Most people don’t realize that Afghanistan is actually Central Asia, and that the landscape is actually high mountain desert. I think people would be totally blown away by Bamian and Band-e-amir. And in terms of stories, there are so many. Cultural and historical stories. Stories of survival and hope. You see a soundbite and it’s easy to mistake that one tiny view for the whole picture. When I show my friends the photos I took in Band-e-amir they say, “wow where is this???” It’s like the bluest lake you’ve ever seen nestled in a rock formation that looks like the grand canyon. Certainly more interesting and beautiful than “terrorism”. Ultimately, our world mirrors whatever we focus our attention on. So I think we need to collectively shift our attention.
Did you have many opportunities to interact with the Afghan people while in Afghanistan? If so, what was that experience like? Are there are any memories that stand out in particular?
Yes. Many many people. I am a photographer so I have spent time in refugee camps, schools, orphanages, villages, Kuchie camps. I’ve met several ex-pats from different countries who are in Afghanistan for various reasons. I’ve been invited into peoples’ homes and drank tea with them and played with their children. The first time I ever met the Kuchies (Afghan nomadic people) was definitely one of the most incredible moments of my life. My mother and I went into a tent of women and children. They were so curious. I remember the little girls staring at me with so much wonder. It felt so alive in that tent. I could feel the vibration of their spirit. I had never met human beings who were living so close to the earth and who had been for centuries. They were so wild and present. And so gorgeous- I couldn’t stop taking pictures of their faces. It absolutely took my breath away. Another memory I have is of a refugee camp in the winter of 2005/2006. There were little kids barefoot in the snow. I will never ever forget what I saw in that camp. The children would say “come to my house ariana! Come to my house” and they would guide me into a tent where they lived with several family members. These two little girls were cousins and they reminded me of my cousins and I when we were little. They took me to their “home” which was a tent at the end of the camp. Their grandparents were there and started telling my mother and I stories of their lives. As the grandfather was speaking, the grandmother started to cry. When the little girls saw their grandmother crying they started crying too. It really broke my heart. I have portraits of the grandparents and little girls that I keep framed in my home as a reminder of my dedication to Afghanistan and the future of these children. It is quite a responsibility making friends with little kids there. One night I dreamt that a little Afghan boy ran into my bedroom and was seeking refuge from bombing. It is very much a part of my life.
How have Afghans in Afghanistan and in the diaspora reacted to your work?
I have received many letters from Afghans who really appreciate my work. I have also received some negative responses as well. Ultimately, we have no control over how our art is received. All we can do is create what we want to make and with whatever intention we believe in. My favorite artists are the ones who take risks and who see their visions through. It’s our job.
Some young Afghan-Americans are joining the call for a U.S. troop pullout from Afghanistan, what are your opinions of the U.S. mission in Afghanistan?
I think it’s a complicated issue. I look forward to the day when there is no war on planet earth or anywhere in our universe. It troubles me deeply to think of people killing each other. However, it also frightens me to think of what would happen if America pulled its troops out. I think the Taliban would probably gain control rapidly- not just of Afghanistan, but of the whole region. That thought is very sad. I will do whatever is in my power to make sure that little girls in Afghanistan get an education and have equal rights. 50 or 60 percent of the population of Afghanistan are youth. Our focus needs to be on education. It’s one thing to “target” the Taliban. But what about all of the children who grew up during the Taliban regime? Their view of their culture is completely warped by a regime that has nothing to do with their true heritage and the actual historical characteristics of their land. My father grew up in Afghanistan when his sisters could wear whatever they wanted and study whatever they wanted. Women were lawyers and teachers. These kids have seen war, a society where women have had no rights, and they have been completely deprived of art. This fact is terrifying. Much more terrifying than the Taliban itself.
You grew up in Los Angeles, your music has been called ‘Laurel Canyon rock‘ and yet you have a song titled San Francisco on the album about Janis Joplin and shopping in the Haight-Ashbury, what do you find most compelling about San Francisco?
When I wrote that song I was thinking about beat poets and the music revolution that once occurred in San Francisco. I often wish I could have been alive to experience that moment in time. I think San Francisco is really beautiful - the redwoods, beautiful architecture, the ocean. The people have historically been very liberal minded and educated. I appreciate that.
Do you ever find it difficult to balance being an Afghan-American Artist and just an Artist in general?
No, not really. I think of myself as an artist. I don’t really label myself. Some of my art has been influenced by Afghanistan because Afghanistan is a big part of my life and my heart. But I am an artist because I am inspired and driven to express what I feel and believe in. I try not to get stuck in an idea of what that is.
To what extent, if any do you feel your music is politicized? Do you believe your work to be political in nature?
I grew up in a house where we discussed the political situation of Afghanistan and several other countries of the world at our dinner table every night. My father has been very active in politics for my entire life and my mother is very educated and well traveled. And my parents have always been humanitarians. My sisters and I were raised to not only care about other people and our environment, but to also understand that it is our responsibility to do so. My art reflects my experiences and thoughts about what I see. So yes, I realize that my art is political at times. But ultimately I am telling the human story. It is our collective story. Our humanity transcends “politics.”
What are your tour plans? Any dates in DC?
I am currently planning that. I hope so. I really want to find a way to play some shows with the Ustads who played on my album too. That is something I am really praying for–opportunities to fly them out to different countries in the world and play with them and my band mates together.
Do you have any ideas for a follow-up to “Lion of Panjshir?”
I have been writing a lot of music. But “lion of Panjshir” is its own story. I think the story and sounds of my songs are changing with the events in my life.
Do you have any plans to return to Afghanistan again?
No plans right now. But I’m sure I will soon.
Did you ever watch the popular Television series Afghan Star? Any thoughts on the show and what it might say about where Afghanistan is at today culturally?
I just watched the documentary about it. I think that music can really lift people’s spirits. My hope is that “Afghan Star” will lift people’s spirits, but I do also hope that young Afghans continue to learn classical Afghan music as well as being interested in pop culture. I read an article that talked about young Afghans turning to pop music and not learning the rhubab, del rubah, tabla and other afghan instruments. I personally love these classical instruments, so I hope that in addition to Afghan Star there are youth orchestras born in Afghanistan. I am American and have actually never watched an episode of American Idol, so I am not personally drawn to the notion of being “discovered” or creating art in a competitive environment. I don’t like that aspect of American culture. The fame-obsessed tabloid culture. So I have mixed feelings about it all, but ultimately I think “Afghan Star” is probably a very valuable addition to Afghan pop culture. I’m sure that watching the show takes people’s minds off of some of the more difficult aspects of their lives and provides sheer entertainment and comradery. And it reminds people that anything is possible. Which is wonderful.