|  | 
 
Mahsa, a newcomer to the Persian music scene, emerges with her debut album, "Ageh Beri". This highly sought after production includes hypnotic rhythms and deep, soulful lyrics. The album's fresh and energetic style, a long with Mahsa's distinguished voice, make "Ageh Beri's" long anticipated release well worth the wait.
Release: May 2002
All Lyrics by Paksima Zakipour
eWorld Records' Exclusive Interview...
Q: Mahsa, thank you for giving us this opportunity to get to know you
better. First, tell us a little about yourself and your background. Where
did you find your passion for music and when did you decide that a career in
music is what you really wanted?
A: I would first like to express my pleasure for the opportunity of having an
interview with one of the greatest music sites on the Internet.
To get back to your question, I was born in Tehran. I always had a passion
for music and singing as far back as I can remember.
I remember when I was a little girl; I found it so thrilling to stand in
front of a mirror, and sing for an imaginary audience pretending that I was
a famous singer. As I grew older, friends and family always encouraged me to sing.
I realized that I needed to take music more seriously if it was indeed what
I wanted to do at a professional level. I took vocal lessons to improve my vocal ability and I'm learning to play a few chords on the guitar and enjoy fooling around on a variety of instruments.
I think we all have a desire to communicate with the world, a desire to be
heard. A writer communicates with his words, an artist with his paintings
and I want to express my feelings and my thoughts through singing songs. I
want my album to reflect me.
I strongly believe in having goals and dreams. And I work hard to achieve them.
Q: As "Ageh Beri" is your debut release, what challenges did you face in
producing this album? Was this experience what you expected it to be? How
long did you work on "Ageh Beri" before its release?
A: Before I started working on this album, I didn’t have any idea of how
much effort and real hard work is involved in the production of an
album. Being as picky as I am, it took approximately two and a half years to
finish this album.
Regarding challenges: I've always believed in the power of dreams. To be anything and to get anywhere, you have to allow yourself to dream about it first. You have to
let your dreams take the control seat and drive you to your destination.
There are always obstacles on the way to any dream. I've learned however,
that the most difficult obstacles to overcome are those existing in the
mind. Once you conquer them, nothing can stop you.
I also think we all have great potentials, all it takes to fulfill them is a
strong will power and a strong desire to keep going despite all
obstacles, whether they are imaginary or real.
Having said this, my first challenge
was to convince myself that I could do this.
The next was to find the right people to work with -- the right lyrics to
express my feelings in her words, the right musician to complement the songs
and to make them shine even more and the right coach to recognize my potential
and bring out the best in me.
Traveling back and forth between Toronto, where I live, and Los Angeles, where I had to do all my recordings and ideography and basically everything that had to do with the completion of this album, was
another challenge for me.
After one and half years of working so hard, the album was finally ready
to be released. This is the time that any artist looks forward to, but something was wrong and I was
not happy with the whole package and most of all my own vocal.
I stopped the whole production and re-recorded every song and spent another
year working with my dearest friend Ramin Zamani, which is well recognized within the entertainment industry. Ramin coached me through all the songs. He brought out the
best in me -- he truly is the angel by my side.
Schubert Avakian is another wonderful person that I’m thankful for because of his
great support and his great coaching through the recording of the album. I also
would like to thank him for the great job he’s done with
arranging the song “Bad-e Man.” There are also many more incredible people that I'm indebted to including
my great friend Paksima Zakipour and all the others who helped me
complete this album.
I also enjoyed working with Siavash Ghomayshi who created two beautiful songs, “Ageh Bery” and
“Safar,” and I’m thankful for Manoochehr Cheshm Azar’s help in creating my two favorite songs
“Eshgh-e Man” and “Ghesseh.” It was also great working with Hamid and his help in “Bad-E-Man” and “Esm-E-To” is unforgettable. Last but not least, Farzad Mohebbi’s (Galaxy Productions) artistic talent and great ability to capture the mood of the song, in addition to his perfectionism, was instrumental in creating the great music videos which many people saw.
Q: Where do you draw your inspiration? Who or what are the strongest
influences in your life?
A: I draw my inspiration mostly from life itself. I believe the love
you give is the love you feel! My partner of life and my friends and family are the biggest influences
in my life. I thank God for all my blessings and continue to pray and
give thanks for my health and the abundance of love in my life and wish others
the same good fortune.
Q: All the songs on your album were written by Paksima Zakipour. What were
the reasons for choosing this well-recognized lyricist?
A: I believe one of the most important aspects of starting an album are the
lyrics. Beside the fact that Paksima has been a great friend of mine for
many years, I have always identified with her songs and admired them so. Her
words come from the heart, therefore it goes to the heart.
We also work really well together and her and I had a lot of fun preparing this album.
Q: Tell us about your upcoming concerts. Where can your fans expect you next?
A: I think for a performing artist the thrill of getting on the stage, watching
the excitement of the audience and singing for them while you can look at
them and see the emotions in their face is unparalleled to any other
excitement. However, I think it's a little premature for me to talk about concerts. I
would like to have more material, more songs before having a concert, which is
something that I'm currently working on. Perhaps this is something to ponder
on once my second album is released.
Q: Is there anything else you'd like to share with your fans?
A: I would like to dearly thank all the wonderful fans who encourage me and
bring warmth to my heart with their kind e-mails to my website. I never
dreamed of all this continuous support and am so touched by all the feelings expressed
from different parts of the world.
You make me feel "heard," which is every singer's greatest wish. What else
can I ask for? You're incredible and you make me feel incredible. I love you
all.
And last but not the least I would like to express my deepest gratitude to
eWorld Records for creating a medium between all artists and their
fans. I wish you the best of success in your endeavor.
|
|
|
