SHAB

Global pop sensation SHAB has topped charts worldwide and garnered glittering acclaim for her empowering hit-making, amassing 13 million global streams, 25 million YouTube views and a late 2023 tour across Britain with JLS. However, for SHAB, hers is anything but an overnight success. Set to release her first single ‘Afterglow’ from the upcoming sophomore album ‘One Suitcase,’ the artist is shedding light on World Refugee Day, which takes place on June 20th. We caught up with this artist about her life-altering experience as a refugee, the ongoing conflict in Iran, her road to success and how she hopes to inspire and uplift those in need - all in the name of music.

SHAB’s story reflects her journey from Iran to Germany, where she sought independence from the age of eight, and then to the U.S, where she has gradually built her career. Amidst this inspiring tale, it is also one of great loss, strength and unwavering perseverance.

Born in Tehran during the tumultuous years following the 1979 Islamic Revolution, her family faced persecution and her father's petroleum company was burned down by pro-state forces. Her brothers were kidnapped, and the family’s residence regularly became the subject of drive-by gunfire. Shab’s father died of a heart attack when she was only six months old, which the family attributes to the severe stress from this persecution. SHAB’s mother was left to raise 13 children, with one brother starting a small business to support the family.

Despite the dangerous restrictions present in Iran and tragic consequences, their home sought solace in music and dance, which provided a place of comfort amidst the oppressive outside world. “Music was my family’s refuge during the strife and the turbulence during the years that we lived in Iran,” Shab shared. “My older siblings would hold dance parties at the house, which were marked by a mix of Persian traditional and contemporary songs as well as Western pop music. Music was always a cornerstone of my upbringing, but it wasn't something that I thought to pursue as a vocation until later in life. I was always intrigued by musicians and singers, yet my family was very much against me pursuing music when I was a younger girl, due to the more unsavoury aspects that everyone hears about the music business. Moreover, I really didn't think that it was feasible to pursue a career in music until the last few years when my partner encouraged my latent interest in doing so.”

Eventually, SHAB’s mother decided to send her to Germany for safety, where Shab lived independently and pursued education. After six years, she reunited with her family in the US, learned English, worked multiple jobs, attended college, and studied law.

It wasn’t until 2020 that SHAB became a breakout star of the pandemic, pursuing her passion for music and poetry. After releasing her first song, "Down to the Wire," she rapidly gained a global fanbase. Music became a healing process for Shab, which began to help her cope with the childhood traumas she faced.

“It was all part of a twenty-year plan!” SHAB joked, “I don't want to necessarily pigeonhole myself as an accidental pop artist, but I had no idea roughly a decade ago that I would be engaged in this vocation. To be truthful, I thought I would somehow be involved in the Health & Wellness sector: owning a med spa or maybe even a string of yoga studios. And while I had been singing on a hobbyist basis for a number of years, it was not until 2020 that I made the decision to give music a full-time and dedicated shot.”

In her earlier years, pursuing music was merely a distant dream. “Music was always a cornerstone of my upbringing, but it wasn't something that I thought to pursue as a vocation until later in life. I was always intrigued by musicians and singers, yet my family was very much against me pursuing music when I was a younger girl due to the more unsavory aspects that everyone hears about the music business. Moreover, I really didn't think that it was feasible to pursue a career in music until the last few years, when my partner encouraged my latent interest in doing so.”

In light of World Refugee Day, SHAB believes it’s more important than ever to raise awareness and support for refugees in need. Hoping to use her platform to encourage worldwide solidarity, the singer told us “My peers and fans in the West really have no awareness as to the incredible desperation and bravery that most refugees exhibit in escaping authoritarian regimes and restarting their lives from scratch in foreign and strange lands where they can be free. I myself have shared their meagre beginnings in new lands: and I want my story, if anything, to give my fellow refugees hope for a better future for themselves and their families -- with hope being one of the greatest conditions of the human experience.”