Poetic Songwriter Naghmeh Shares Bittersweet Single “Burn”
Naghmeh is an Iranian-Canadian singer/songwriter, poet, and community organizer. She began performing as a solo artist in 2016 while living in San Francisco and decided to abandon the corporate grind to pursue her dream of becoming a musician. Naghmeh jumped head first into the world of rock ‘n roll and set off on the road over the following year with performances across Europe and South America.
After a year on the road and a few international collaborations, Naghmeh moved back to Montreal to focus on the next step of her career. She assembled a band, performed in every corner of the city, and recorded, co-produced, and released her debut album, Naghmeh and the Southern Shores, in 2019. Shortly after the album’s release, her longtime bandmates moved to different cities which Naghmeh poetically interpreted as a sign to close that chapter. The songs had always been her personal stories and thus came the decision to release future music as a solo artist under the name Naghmeh.
Speaking on her latest single “Burn,” Naghmeh says:
“In 2019, I left an abusive relationship and in the rush to move out and distance myself from the person, I left a lot of things behind. Those objects became a thread connecting me to that ex and became his excuse to remain in touch, only to make me relive those traumatic experiences. One day, I realized I had started a whole new life and didn’t need any of the things that connected me to that home and that relationship, and I felt ready to let it all go and burn it.“
First off, care to introduce yourself to our readers?
I’m Naghmeh – it means melody- and I’m an Iranian-Canadian singer-songwriter, most recently based in Tiohtià:ke/Montreal. I’ve been playing music for almost a decade and started out writing and performing in San Francisco. I moved back to Montreal to pursue music professionally and fronted a band called Naghmeh and the Southern Shores, with whom I released my debut album in 2019. Once all my bandmates moved out of the city, I decided to launch my future project as a solo artist. My newest single, “Burn”, still draws influences from the folk-rock vibes of that project, and also features some of my former bandmates.
Tell us a bit about your most recent release.
I left a psychologically abusive relationship and moved out in a rush, forgetting a lot of my belongings behind. I tried multiple times to get my things back, only to relive the breakup and the trauma over and over. I realized I was still trying to protect their feeling by trying to remain amicable out of fear that they won’t hold their end of the bargain, which they still never did. I wrote “Burn” as a way to honour my anger and frustration, and to remind myself that nothing in the world is worth bringing me back to that pain and into that home.
I co-produced the track with Derek Orsi at Freq Shop. “Burn” features me on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, Dave Traina (of the Damn Truth) on the drums, Arthur John Pascau Smith and Seth Suin on lead guitar, Tim Charman on bass, and Ali Overing on back vocals.
The music video is directed by Evan Wintschel and produced by me. We shot the entire video in my apartment, which we turned into a fantasy world. Costume design and hair and makeup were done by local burlesque artist, Winona J. Fox. Kevin Britten was our set assistant and grip.
Do you have any upcoming shows you’d like to tell us about?
On November 22, my new bandmates and I are putting on a show with our good friends Uñas Escondidas (@escondidas.music), and DJ lil hailey to close out the night. The show marks the song and video release for Burn. We’re lucky to have one final hurrah at the current location of the Diving Bell Social Club.
If given the chance, which Canadian artist would you love to work with in the future?
Before recording “Burn”, it was a dream to collaborate with members of “The Damn Truth” so I just wanted to highlight how much I loved working with Dave Traina, and how dreams sometimes do come true.
As for future collaborations, there are so many, but in the spirit of dreaming:
Alanis Morissette – she was a huge influence on my artistic expression and continues to be;
Patrick Watson – Wave is one of my favourite albums of all time, and inspired a lot of my newest writings;
Feist – She is consistently putting out amazing work and remaining true to her craft.
What’s your goal for 2024?
My goal is to record an EP and play more shows in Ontario, Quebec, and the Maritimes with my new band. It’s been incredibly fulfilling to play with a new band and to bring fresh energy into my songs and I’m so excited for this new chapter.