Paria is a nomad, both musically and in terms of literal globe-trotting. Originally from Iran and now based in Norway, Paria’s rich sonic palette extends far and wide, influenced by the myriad of sights, sounds and cultures she has experienced along her musical career. The singer’s impressive self-produced "Casual" is a unique fusion of Iranian, Latin and UK sounds amalgamated into her own genre of pop. Paria’s sound is truly all-encompassing in nature, incorporating her DIY essence with the use of traditional Iranian instrument samples and heavy, layered vocals. Her pop meets electronic production style brings to mind the likes of EDM trio, Major Lazer.
“Casual”, the second tease from Paria’s upcoming debut EP, piques the interest of listeners with the echoes of gospel-choir samples, husky percussion loops and abundant bass-synth fragments. Showing off her signature DIY flair, Paria sprinkles the track with the humming and whispers of her multi-layered soulful vocal parts. The song explodes into a fusion of electro-pop textures when it reaches the chorus, as a gradual build-up of snare drums leads to the sounds of synthesized traditional Iranian instruments looping on a panoply of Dhaf drum samples.
Paria describes the production behind “Casual”, detailing, “I am obsessed with melodies and harmonies, and I actually always overdo it. I record at least 100 vocal tracks per song and then go to just delete most of them, to give listeners a chance to breathe. I recorded the chorus a thousand times but it just didn’t feel right… I found a Vox sample that just blew my mind and used it for an instrumental chorus, which I almost never do, but it ended up being my favorite part of the track!” Elaborating on the meaning behind the banger, she reveals, “Keeping it casual is good sometimes, people shouldn’t feel the need to rush into relationships and make commitments for the sake of loneliness or traditionalist views of arranged marriage – just like my parents.”
Paria is paving a new path for DIY pop artists with her unquenchable taste for sonic adventures and bold experimental spin on the sounds of her native Iran’s musical identity.
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