Sevdaliza

Sevda Alizadeh (born 1 September 1987), known professionally as Sevdaliza, is an Iranian-Dutch singer, songwriter, record producer, visual artist, and director.

Alizadeh was born on 1 September 1987 in Tehran, Iran.

She is of Azerbaijani, Russian, and Persian descent.

She moved with her family to the Netherlands at the age of five.

At 16, she left home after obtaining a basketball scholarship, eventually playing on the Dutch national basketball team.

She went to university, graduating with a master's degree in communications.

Sevdaliza is fluent in Persian, Dutch, English, French, and Portuguese.

In March 2014, Sevdaliza released her single "Clear Air" along with a music video.

It was later followed by "Sirens of the Caspian" and "Backseat Love".

In 2015, she released two EPs, The Suspended Kid and Children of Silk.

In January 2015, her extended play (EP), The Suspended Kid, was issued, which she had worked on for over a year and half.

The title of the EP is about how people responded to Sevdaliza in social situations, saying "I realized that those things that deflect me from social situations—not getting along with your coach or your boss or whatever—it made me realize I had to choose a different path."

The Suspended Kid was produced by Sevdaliza and Rotterdam-based producer and frequent collaborator, Mucky.

In September, a music video for the last remaining track on the EP, the industrial R&B "That Other Girl", was released.

In June, she released "Marilyn Monroe", which served as the lead single from her second EP, Children of Silk.

The song has been characterized as trip hop and was accompanied by a music video which was released in March 2016.

Children of Silk was released in November.

Sevdaliza cited textures such as skin, glass, and silk as the main inspiration behind the EP.

In May, Sevdaliza released a short film titled The Formula, which tells the story of how "the pain of losing an unborn child destroyed balance in marriage and leads to tragedy."

Directed by Emmanuel Adjei, the short film features three songs by Sevdaliza, "The Formula", "The Language of Limbo" and "Mad Woman"; the latter was issued as a single the following year in October.

A new single titled "Time" was released in the same month.

In the following month, another single titled "Human" was released along with a music video.

"Human", "Marilyn Monroe" and "The Language of Limbo" would later be included on Sevdaliza's debut studio album, ISON.

While her music is typically in English, she released her first Persian-language song, "Bebin", in early 2017 in protest of Executive Order 13769.

Her debut album, ISON, was published on 26 April 2017 via her record label, Twisted Elegance.

In January 2017, Sevdaliza released her first Persian-language song, "Bebin", in response to Executive Order 13769.

She stated, "In protest of the inhumane political climate, I could not rest my head in privilege. I wrote 'Bebin' in Farsi (referring to Persian), to solidify. I stand strong with love. In this case I choose to avoid mainstream media, because I have no interest in part taking in a victimized concept. Take this message without lights, camera, action. I am solely a messenger. In the brain of love, there is no place for racism nor bigotry."

In February, a music video was released for "Amandine Insensible", which showcases the limited roles women are expected to fill in modern culture.

Sevdaliza said, "The story of Amandine explores the concept of 'identity' in a contemporary world that is rapidly changing due to the disappearance of 'boundaries'. Amandine is everything you want her to be. An extreme extraction of average life, representing a world where we have become so universal all feelings have disappeared. Paradoxically, this makes you feel uncomfortable. Her life takes place in an infinite white space, composed with minimal objects that represent different facets of the cycle of daily life."

In April, "Hero" was released as the second single from her debut studio album, ISON.

The album was released in April 2017, and is named after Comet ISON, a sungrazing comet.

In 2018, she released a third EP, The Calling, followed by her second studio album, Shabrang, in 2020.

In January 2018, Sevdaliza released a new track "Soul Syncable" and it was released on the day of the super blue moon.

"Soul Syncable" is the first song from Sevdaliza, following her debut album ISON.

In February, she released the track "Human Nature".

"Soul Syncable" and "Human Nature" are part of her EP The Calling, which was released in March.

In May, she released a Portuguese-language version of her track "Human", titled "Humana", to celebrate and thank its 10 million views.

On March 8, 2019, Sevdaliza released a new single which would be the beginning of a new musical chapter in her career, "Darkest Hour".

It was succeeded by the non-album single "Martyr" the following month.

Sevdaliza then released three singles in 2020, "Oh My God", "Lamp Lady" and "Joanna", before announcing her second studio album Shabrang, which released 28 August 2020.