Shab’s journey has not been easy, though you’d never assume it considering her vibrant optimism. An Iranian refugee who moved countries twice before the age of fifteen, working three jobs while learning English and putting herself through college — a career in music couldn’t have been further from the young refugee’s mind.

Born in Tehran as the youngest of 13 children, Shab grew up in a family ravaged by the fallout of post-revolutionary Iran. Her father, a petroleum executive, died suddenly when she was just six months old, leaving her mother to raise their large family.

The socio-political turmoil and persecution that befell Iran in the ‘70s and ‘80s necessitated her family to flee for Europe and the United States when Shab was only eight years old. With little more than a suitcase, she was sent to a boarding school in Germany. She resided there alone until the age of fourteen, when she emigrated to the United States to reunite with her family in Baltimore.

Looking back, the Iranian singer recalls that the experience “was really scary, but I believed even then that God gives us strength and I always tried to tap into that strength.

“As a 14 year old, I felt this invisible protection from my guardian angels during my passage to New York. I was counting the days until my green card was waiting for me at the airport. So when I got the call, I was just so excited to finally reunite with my family”.

As she arrived in New York, Shab was greeted by a couple of agents, who took her to another room for testing and a fingerprint scan. For several hours, she waited anxiously at the airport for her connecting flight to Baltimore.

“When they put the green card in my hand, I was just looking at it and burst into tears. I knew that my life was going to change,” Shab says, fighting back tears. “I’m just so grateful for this life and the ability to get away. But I feel sad inside for my brothers and sisters that are stuck there.

“But at that moment several years ago, I was just grateful to get on the plane. As soon as I came out, I saw my family and I just lost it. I was smelling my mom and hugging her. When I was in Iran, I’d have my mom send her t-shirts to me so I could sleep with them”.

Living in Baltimore, she struggled to settle into Western culture, as did her family. When the family originally fled Iran, they left behind their wealth. As a result, Shab’s mother grappled with financial hardship and ended up finding a job in a restaurant, which she eventually purchased.

“We worked really hard for the life we had in America,” says Shab. “What a lot of people don’t understand is that it’s hard to start a new life somewhere, especially when the government takes everything from you. They froze our assets and took all of the money my dad left us. We had nothing to start a new life with.

“I started ninth grade and helped my mom in the restaurant on weekends. I’d always see my friends going out when we were off school, but I didn’t care. I was really proud. I was one of those kids that had to grow up really young. I saw the bigger picture”.

THROUGH SETBACKS AND SORROW

Shab’s experiences as a refugee inform her second album, One Suitcase. Detailing female liberation, the acceptance of love and her experience as a Persian refugee, the record charts her journey through hardship and heartbreak.

“One Suitcase has been more than a labour of love. It reflects my experience fleeing fundamentalism in Iran and learning to exist in Western culture. It’s been a deeply personal journey that I started about 18 months ago.

“The reason I titled the album One Suitcase is because I arrived in the United States with a one-way ticket as a teen refugee, coming to America after escaping Iran to be reunited with my family again after five years of not seeing them. So this record reflects the lessons I’ve learned through setbacks and sorrow, as well as the happiness and joy that I’ve known.

“What I want my listeners to take away from this is that every note and every lyric carries the weight and joy of my story, whether in romance, adapting to the American mentality or relearning what it means to be a woman”.

At the heart of One Suitcase is a declaration of female empowerment. Having escaped the relentless persecution of women in post-revolutionary Iran, Shab made it her mission to uplift femininity and sexual liberation. The album is therefore a document of the struggle of women, especially refugees, where the artist confronts the pain of her past and situates them in a new light, one of reflection and hope.

“One Suitcase reflects the lessons I’ve learned through setbacks and sorrow, as well as the happiness and joy that I’ve known. Every note and every lyric carries the weight and joy of my story, whether in romance, adapting to the American mentality or relearning what it means to be a woman.

“Sexuality has always been very hard for me to grasp. I had to come to terms with it because I was uncomfortable in my own skin. They taught us not to feel sexy and that sex is bad. All of this was engraved in my brain, so I had to reprogramme myself.

“This album is about liberation. Liberation as a woman and as an Iranian. No matter who you are, we all pass through adversity, hardship and triumph. I want people to listen to this album and dance through the lyrics and have a connection with it”.

Before Shab even considered a career in music, she attended law school with the hopes that she could help others in that line of work. Sitting in class one day, she realised she was pursuing the wrong calling. After dropping out of school, she reflected on her earlier days in Iran, where music became a source of comfort.

“I’ve always looked at music as something that transcends us to another plane,” she recalls. “When I was growing up in Iran, we’d hear bombs all the time, but we kept ourselves in a little bubble to stay positive and happy. My love for music started there.

It wasn’t until her 40s that Shab got her break as a singer. She began making music in 2015, writing songs in her native Persian. Following a move to Dallas in 2016, she set her sights on tapping into English-language songs. Two years later, she began collaborating with Grammy-winning producer Damon Sharpe, writing her first batch of English language songs. She released ‘Down To The Wire’ and ‘Spell On Me’, with the latter becoming an international hit. As a relative late bloomer, Shab was unperturbed by the pressures of entering the music industry in her 40s.

“It doesn’t matter what age you are,” she affirms. “I always say women don’t have an expiration date. We are just divine light from God. I believe God gives us a platform to do something greater than ourselves. I’m not selfishly famous, it’s a selfless thing. I feel connected to people’s struggles and I want to show them how to stay true to themselves”.

RHYTHMS OF LIBERATION

One Suitcase sets Shab’s experiences through turmoil and triumph to a high BPM. Sometimes the best way to liberate oneself is on the dance floor. The role of dance has long been a transformative medium for women’s emancipation. On One Suitcase, the singer-songwriter muses on her own spirit of female liberation through club-ready hits and out-and-out pop songs with an intriguing skeletal undercarriage.

The assertive third track, ‘Say It With Your Chest’, is just one example of this. The commanding rhythm drives a hypnotic groove, while the singer explores feminine power in relationships. Imploring her lover to “show their credentials” and insisting “it’s cuffing season”, Shab campaigns for a no-bullshit relationship, serving up a powerful message of independence and refusing to settle for anything less.

“‘Say It With Your Chest’ is probably the riskiest video I’ve ever done,” she notes. “I have two kids and it’s a fine line. I want to push boundaries, and I want to do it in a way that resonates. But then again, it's an anthem for the girls. You know what I mean? If you’re going to love me, then say it with your chest!”

But, for Shab, her proudest moment on the record is not one for the nightclubs. The toned-down resplendence of ‘One Suitcase’ outlines the singer’s own experiences through the trials and tribulations of being a refugee.

“I’ve never done a ballad before”, she says, “and ‘One Suitcase’ marked a first for me. I used to stay away from them because they’re heavy songs. It takes courage to write a ballad. I just want to dedicate it to all the strong women out there, and my Iranian brothers and sisters around the world, that are suffering from inequality and hardship. This song is really for them.

“I want to show them that if you have hope in your heart and you don’t give up, I guarantee your life will change. Just stay the course and stay positive. Giving up is not an option. Keep your heart open and think of all the hardship we’ve endured as a testimony. Because one day, we’ll be able to inspire others with our story and show them that this too shall pass. There’s something greater out there”.

It seems fortuitous that I’m speaking with Shab on the 46th anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution. With an eye to the future, as well as the past, Shab expresses her hope and optimism for her native country, following years of turmoil and oppression.

"I just pray that they finally achieve equality. I hope they can finally embrace liberty, life and more respect for women. The woman is always the centre of the household. She’s the glue that holds it together. She’s the root of the tree. I pray my brothers and sisters in Iran finally have their freedom. I’ll fight side by side with them until the end”.

One Suitcase is out now