Shabnam Merali

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Shabnam Merali

Location

Edmonton 53° 32' 46.34" N, 113° 29' 28.47" W Arts Music Person

From a young age, Shabnam Merali, a Sufi and Qawaal artist from Edmonton, Canada, discovered spirituality in music through ginans — a form of Ismaili devotional literature. Reciting permutations of the word Ali, which held a special significance for her, has now become the hallmark of her singing. It permits a feeling of transcendence — a sense of being lost in the music. The theme of transcendence reverberates among many spiritual musicians.

When asked about how she feels during a performance, Merali responds: “Feelings are tremendously difficult to articulate, especially if they are characteristically transcendent.” She says that once she immersed deep in the music, she feels a freedom from her own self. Her identity merges with the collective; the energy of the audience returns through her singing in a progressively intensifying cycle. Merali emphasises that she must believe in the music, be truly devoted to it, in order for her to touch others.

This article based on content from http://www.theismaili.org/cms/675/A-symphony-of-the-soul. Original version: http://www.theismaili.org/cms/675/A-symphony-of-the-soul

This article based on content from http://ismailimail.wordpress.com/2008/12/01/exclusive-interview-of-ismaili-sufi-ghazal-and-qawaal-artist-shabnam-merali/. Original version: http://ismailimail.wordpress.com/2008/12/01/exclusive-interview-of-ismaili-sufi-ghazal-and-qawaal-artist-shabnam-merali/