Israeli-Persian singer Liraz presents a one hour mix of 70’s Persian music through to psychedelic contemporary music, blended with stories of her heritage.
She brought together musicians from conflicting countries Iran and Israel to work on an album in secret and release it in the midst of a global pandemic.
Called “Zan” (2020) Persian for women, the album is a long-held dream for Charhi, fusing her Israeli roots and Iranian upbringing and paying tribute to the women of Iran. She’s set to perform Sunday in Schenectady on the Music Haven Stage in Central Park.
“These musicians are my brothers and sisters, but our countries are enemies. If they were caught, they would be jailed,” Charhi told Songlines Magazine.
Charhi was born in Israel, after her parents, who are Sephardic Jews of Iranian-Jewish descent, left Iran in 1970. That was years before the Iranian Revolution and during a time when Iran and Israel had close ties. In the ensuing years, the two countries entered into a proxy conflict.
However, growing up, Charhi felt like she was part of both cultures.
“I grew up in a very Iranian old-school home and through the second hand, I was very Israeli,” Charhi said. She spoke Farsi at home and Hebrew in school.
Her family has been rooted in music for generations. Her grandmother was a singer, though because she was a woman, she was prevented from performing and having the career she hoped for.
Chahri’s aunt Rita Yahan-Farouz, known simply as Rita, is a popular contemporary Israeli singer.
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