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GolNar - The Voice Poet
Golnar Shahyar - Voice, Guitar, Piano
"Golnar is a millennium voice. The only voice that ever moved me to tears when I saw her live. Every single note she sings contains incredible magic." - Mira Lu Kovacs
In Persian "Golnar" means the flower of Pomegranate. Here, it represents a journey or rather the emotional imprints of a woman who sees her music as the reflection of her changing identity and the coming together of many different worlds, just like the pomegranate grains all together in one body.
Golnar Shahyar is a Viennese based vocalist/composer/performer/lyricist, who has already made a name for herself as the lead singer of her bands Sormeh, Choub, Gabbeh and Golnar & Mahan. She has been performing internationally for years in many renowned venues and festivals and has done many collaborations in the field of dance and theatre.
"The hypnotic polyphonic weave of Golnar Shahyar s voice, her guitar or piano, takes place so naturally as a floating story about the diversity of life, crossing her fondling fingers over your mind and heart." (Danas Newspaper). Golnar s musical signature is her ability to connect different music styles and cultures in such an organic way, that makes the complexity of her compositions and singing almost effortless. Her voice is powerful yet very subtle and covers a whole range of emotions. In her performances, she creates an atmosphere where authenticity, vulnerability and empathy are celebrated as strength. "I don t play to please" she says, "I play to be Honest". She sings in many languages; Farsi, English, Turkish, Arabic, Kurdish, Sephardic etc., and sometimes compromises actual language for her fantasy language to be more authentic. Being a true improvisor, she constantly breaks out of her comfort zone in her performances and seeks to make new musical dialogue. The core of her work is communication, personal expression and storytelling.
In her solo act, GolNar, she accompanies herself on the guitar and writes and sings about human essence, emotions and social struggles. Her lyrics are simple yet deliberate and direct. They pass through personal experience, culture and gender identities and speak to the audience in an empathetic and unifying way.