AVIJÉ - A New Beginning (EP)
“A New Beginning” is the debut EP from Iranian-born, Brighton-based vocalist, songwriter and storyteller AVIJÉ (ah-vee-jair). Singles from the EP have received considerable airplay from BBC Introducing, BBC Radio Shropshire and BBC Radio Wales, playlisting on FIP (Radio France) and further support from Alex Ruder (KEXP), Stereofox and EARMILK.
Recent months have also seen AVIJÉ supporting the likes of Sly5thAve, Jasmine Myra, Sam Redmore, corto.alto and Maya Lane, and joining Close Counters on UK and Europe dates. The EP hardnesses the power of music as a tool of resistance and education, amplifying the call for justice and empowerment.
Funded by Arts Council England, “A New Beginning” is driven by the ethos that every moment of our live, good or bad, influences our future, but that we must harness these moments and lessons to move forward and start afresh. The title track of the EP channels cinematic Persian soul, embodying this concept; “It’s an electrifying energy that fills the air, signalling the dawn of a journey that promises to be profoundly life-changing and yet it’s just a ‘feeling’”, AVIJÉ adds.
While in the studio with producer Oli Barton Wood and co-arranger Cameron Williams, the trio spontaneously decided to add a dramatic, cinematic twist to the end of the track, symbolising this ‘feeling’ – the light at the end of the tunnel. A Duduk takes centre stage, with its nostalgic sound evoking cherished memories of AVIJÉ’s childhood in Iran. The warm, emotive tone pulls on the heartstrings, enhanced by the additional sounds of a nylon guitar.
“A New Beginning” EP explores the subject of freedom and what it means to be free; spiritually, creatively, and politically, written following the female-initiated Iranian Women, Life, Freedom movement. Instrumentally, it speaks to AVIJÉ’s Persian heritage, incorporating sounds of Oud and Duduk that radiate with understanding, care and hope, alongside the discovery of her ‘lost’ heritage through her mum’s Jamaican roots.
“It speaks to the strength found in overcoming moments of shame and adversity, and how these very experiences forge the path to becoming our truest selves. As you listen, you’ll feel the resonance of each lesson learned and the empowering force of transformation”.
Born in Tehran, Iran, AVIJÉ moved to Shrewsbury as a child, before moving to Birmingham and then finding her home in Brighton. Growing up around a strong Persian family-oriented culture, AVIJÉ’s first experiences of performing centred around traditional Iranian song and dance at family events. Gaining access to MTV, AVIJÉ immediately fell in love with R&B, hip hop, and soul, leaning into the sounds of Sade, Lauryn Hill, Jill Scott and Erykah Badu. This love of music was bolstered by a keenness to perform at any opportunity. Singing her parents’ favourites from The Doors and Gladys Knight to Shirley Bassey and Barbra Streisand, alongside Persian Classical singers and jazz standards, AVIJÉ began to find her voice in the space between Jazz and Soul.
AVIJÉ’s sound is a cumulation of this journey and these experiences, drawing an eclectic mix of reggae, jazz, soul, Latin and 1970s Iranian music. Alongside receiving funding for the project from Arts Council England, AVIJÉ has been featured in Sussex Jazz Magazine and was named Vocalist of the Year by BBC Introducing Shropshire’s Michaela Brown. A confident and enigmatic live performer, she has taken to the stage at venues across Brighton and London and performed at One Love Festival, Victorious Festival and Nozstock.