Paria has released her new single Despite All Crazy with an evident expansion of her R&B sound into modern pop vibes.
From her home in Oslo, Paria, who grew up in Iran presents her new sound keen to establish a unique brand of contemporary pop.
We first heard Paria on her well-received R&B fused debut EP Popsicle with the utterly dreamy single Disappear a standout timeless gem.
And the singer-songwriter continues to draw, albeit now subtly, on her musical inspirations of Hip-Hop, R&B on her latest single Despite All Crazy. Parias’ vocals, deliciously sweet, coat the pulsating synth bass and electropop-based foundation.
Being true to oneself
Acknowledging her change of direction, Paria explains it is less about pleasing others and more about being true to oneself.
“Growing up, I’ve been exposed to a lot of music since both of my parents, where traditional Iranian musicians. I never quite felt like that kind of music was the one I wanted to make, I’ve been moving to different places all my life, so I have never had a place I felt 100% at home. I don’t feel like I belong to a specific place, culture or society. This has been shaping my personality and life in a way that is more diverse and mobile than others. This also reflects on my music keeping in mind that music is a huge part of my life.”
Following a debut, in particular, one that has proved to be internationally popular could confine an artist to continue immediately with a similar sound. And Paria is aware of those expectations.
“It’s been almost a year since I released my last EP and I know it’s expected from upcoming artists to be consistent with the music that comes out, but I had to take my time and try to put together pieces of ideas and stuff that I was going through all this time.”
“I’ve been into a lot of genres during my music development, and I loved listening and making these genres, and I feel like all this time that I didn’t put out any music. I needed time to find the sound I was comfortable with sharing all of my listeners so that I can proudly say that this project is me, 100% honest with myself and others. And it’s about giving my creativity the place and respect it needs to be written on pages – to come alive in the form of melodies and lyrics that gives me chills, makes me smile and makes me cry at the same time, without listening to anyone else’s opinion about how I should be expressing my thoughts through my music, or more maybe how I shouldn’t.”
“It’s not always so easy not to listen to people around you and everyone having opinions about how you should do your job to get the most out of it. But for me getting the most out of my job would be making people feel something, anything, then I have achieved my goal with putting out music.”
‘Despite All Crazy‘ is the first track from Paria’s forthcoming album and we will keep an ear open to see if any releases roll into the soul from Scandinavia ballpark we play in.