Dear Friend,

I am a refugee singer and songwriter born in Iran and raised in the UK and USA. Tomorrow I turn 50. Every single year of my life I have witnessed the region of my birth become more engrossed war/massacres, political and economic destabilization, displacement, and despair. Many of my family members I have never met. Against this backdrop of mass loss and heartbreak, I have dedicated my life to creating and sharing music that can heal and unite. I sing in a variety of languages and seek to serve as a bridge between estranged cultures during a time of deep fracture. I play a variety of ethnic instruments and run a training program for those wanting to present sound therapy. I also wrote a book on the subject, which I use as the basis for my live music events and trainings. People say that my music speaks to the soul and awakens a depth of inner presence. My music and message is a call to peace and an invitation to move past our differences.

I got some critical acclaim in 2020, after winning three Global Peace Song Awards. I have a new album coming out soon about my personal journey as a refugee from a Muslim country trying to find his way in a Western world that often rejects the refugee experience. The album is called Unbroken. I teamed up with Grammy Award winner Kipper Eldridge (Sting's Brand New Day-2003) to record this album. The lyrics take listeners on a deep dive into my personal struggles to overcome self-contempt and confusion about my hybrid identity. I have had to face and release the shadows of collective and personal pain that came from my family losing everything and starting from scratch. My story is one of emerging from darkness with a newfound sense of serenity and strength. My songs fit the definition of healing music, the kind which can nourish the spirit. They are crafted with the intention of guiding us back to the essence of being human. I hope my story of self-discovery and healing and my musical art can help anyone who has ever felt like an outcast to transcend their struggles and I would love for you to help me tell my story during this time of fear and widespread conflict in my region of birth.

Don’t Ignore the World of the Refugee

Approximately one in three refugees and asylum seekers experience high rates of depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), living with psychological scars and limited access to benefits or hostility from their hosts, whose governments often financed the conflicts that displaced them.

The life of a refugee is a journey marked by profound psychological and physical hardship often from the experience of forced displacement. For many, the trauma begins with violence, persecution, or fear that precedes that displacement. Then there is the journey that follows. Imagine what it must take for you to flee the place you have called home for generations. This type of trauma leaves a lasting scar that makes it harder to adjust wherever we land. Safety, stability, and a sense of belonging can often feel out of reach within the family unit itself because of the stressors from displacement.

Having to live with overwhelming anxiety, depression, or post-traumatic stress was a daily reality I had to grow up with. I struggled to find hope in my life and to come out of the victim mindset. Eventually I had to abandon my parents’ home at 16. Refugees life me often suffer in silence, unable to access mental health support due to cultural distancing, stigma from the new society, and a lack of resources. Extraordinary resilience is also a part of the refugee experience—the strength to keep moving forward no matter what scars we may carry makes refugees some of the bravest people you will ever meet!

Many of us had to navigate a system that often overlooked our humanity and we relied on the generosity of new friends in our adopted countries, who taught us what really matters in life. Thank you to all of you who have ever helped people like myself!

Loss, hardship, and immense courage is what has shaped the lives of many refugees. It is my hope that our institutions and leaders provide the support needed for our world’s refugees to properly heal, not feel isolated, and to empower, and honor the resilience of those who have endured the unimaginable.

"Behind every refugee statistic is an outsider who is painted often in subhuman or hostile ways. Every person longs for hope, dignity, and a place to call home, where they can feel that they belong."

~Shervin Boloorian