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
SHERVIN BOLOORIAN (IRAN/UK/USA)
Shervin Boloorian’s authentic musical presence and deep connection with his audience is a rare gift. Known for inducing deep peace and leaving listeners with a lasting sense of tranquility, Shervin's performances are marked by exceptional musical breadth and profound emotional depth. His magnetic singing style, combined with his diverse ethnic roots and broad musical abilities, allow him to create interactive, inclusive spaces that resonate with audiences of all ages and backgrounds.
Shervin's delicate heart-opening vocals stand out most prominently, elevating his material: whether original songs, authentic ancient world music, or culturally diverse healing sounds as forms of “medicine” at his events.
His third studio album, "I Hear You, Mother Earth", released in 2020 in response to Covid-19, won three Global Peace Song Awards. His prior album, One With The Beloved, a music for peace collection of Rumi wisdom and Sufi-inspired songs, was endorsed by worldwide bestselling Rumi translator and poet, Coleman Barks.
Dedicating his life to music’s power to heal, Shervin launched Bali's first live healing music program at the famous yoga barn in Ubud in 2012. He has since served tens of thousands of guests in 14 countries worldwide. Aside from being a celebrated vocalist and award winning natural music artist, Shervin certified as a sound practitioner from 2011-2018, and trained in Urban Shamanism in 2007. He is now recognized as an accomplished sound healing teacher-trainer. He published his first book, "The Three Zones of Sound" in 2022 and is author of numerous articles on his method.
Website - Shervinboloorian.com
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Spotify - Shervin Boloorian
Facebook - Shervinartist
YouTube - Soundhealingbali and Shervin Boloorian
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Download - Bandcamp
"I create music that brings listeners home to natural and peaceful sensations. No matter what you're going through, music can be there as a guide and a friend. It helped me with making sense of my darkest struggles. What I present to the world in turn says “you don’t have to feel alone in facing your hardship.”
~Shervin Boloorian
SHERVIN BOLOORIAN (EXTENDED BIO)
UNBROKEN: UNITING THROUGH MUSIC IN A FRACTURED WORLD
In a time when the world feels more divided than ever, Shervin’s forthcoming album, “Unbroken,” like his prior material, offers a powerful and necessary antidote. Shervin’s music has always transcended cultural divides and personal boundaries, and his new material weaves together Western influences and his Iranian refugee story into a deeply moving narrative of love, loss, and self-acceptance. Through his latest release, Shervin gets personal and vulnerable, exploring the daily complexities of alienation and life as an outsider. Ever since being forced to leave his country of birth, he grappled with identity while staying true to his lifelong dream of a harmonious life—for others and for the self. Look out for this new release in 2025.
A CROSS-CULTURAL BRIDGE
Shervin’s passion for healing music and his dedication to bringing communities together through music were behind his launch of Bali’s first sound healing program at the famous Yoga Barn holistic campus in 2012. Having collaborated musically with Sufi initiates, Bali spiritual leaders, a Tibetan Lama and Native American wisdom keepers, his events invite authentic cultural understanding and appreciation as well as a rich live music experience. His album, One with the Beloved, a music for peace project involving several guest musicians and producers from around the world, was endorsed by best-selling translator of Rumi, Coleman Barks, for aiming to heal the wounds between Western cultures and Islam through music. His live music night events in Bali appeal to all audiences, remaining most popular at Yoga Barn, with regular sold out events (close to 80 guests on average).
AWARD-WINNING MUSIC
Shervin’s talent and versatility as an award-winning multi-instrumental musician, and world class vocalist make each program he offers exceptional in quality. Because of his own diverse roots, and interactive group space-holding skills, Shervin can touch audiences of all ages, persuasions and backgrounds. When he applies his musical skills, caring presence and ability to read and respond to the individual energies within a group, the energy at his events alternates between euphoria and inner stillness.
INSPIRING RECORDING ARTIST
Shervin sings and composes in a variety of different languages. His vocals carry a timeless and boundary-less quality and have been described by best-selling author and spiritualist, Margot Anand, as “angelic! A unique blend of the gentle, soft and seductive.” Lines of separation between musical genres are blurred when listening to Shervin’s recordings. His albums often contain hybrid styles not attempted before such as his groundbreaking Gospel version of Depeche Mode's "Enjoy the Silence"; Western Jazz with Middle Eastern and New Age musical flavors; and Sufi Zikr in Arabic in a West African style. His highly acclaimed 2020 album conveyed the experience of sound medicine into a meticulous and high quality studio format through “I Hear You, Mother Earth.” Shervin recorded every instrument or sang on every track, earning three Global Peace Song Awards and launching his unmistakable brand of ancient and globally inspired healing music to notoriety.
WORLD CLASS SOUND THERAPIST
Shervin’s depth of knowledge and experience set him apart as a respected authority on natural music. He has appeared as an expert on several podcasts, is author of the book, “the Three Zones of Sound,” (2022) and has published numerous articles on the subject of non-digital sound therapy. Collecting his vast expertise and depth of knowledge, Shervin designed and created the ‘Three Zones" system that he teaches to future sound workers throughout the world in his praised training program. He draws from his Iranian and Indigenous lineages into all his programs- incorporating world music, authentic medicine songs, and Sufi chants in Persian and Arabic, among other styles. Shervin trained and certified with sound healing pioneer and world authority, Fabien Maman, and is a graduate of Maman’s renowned Tama-Do Academy of Sound, Color and Movement,
