Sevdaliza facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sevdaliza
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Sevdaliza performing in 2018
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Sevda Alizadeh |
| Born | 1 September 1987 Tehran, Iran |
| Origin | Rotterdam, Netherlands |
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| Occupation(s) |
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| Years active | 2013–present |
| Labels | Twisted Elegance |
Sevda Alizadeh (Persian: سِودا علیزاده; born 1 September 1987), known professionally as Sevdaliza, is an Iranian-Dutch singer, songwriter, record producer, visual artist, and director. In 2015, she released two EPs, The Suspended Kid and Children of Silk. While she sings mostly 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 2018, she released a third EP, The Calling, followed by her second studio album, Shabrang, in 2020.
Life and career
Early life
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.
2014–2018: The Suspended Kid, Children of Silk and ISON
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 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.
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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, 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 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.
2019–present: Shabrang, Ride or Die and Alibi
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, with a release of 28 August 2020. Shabrang also features the single "Human Nature", which also appeared on her 2018 extended play The Calling.
Shabrang was released on 28 August, 2020 to critical acclaim. It peaked at number 39 on the Dutch Albums Chart.
In 2021, Sevdaliza released a number of new singles including "The Great Hope Design" and "High Alone", which debuted alongside a robot that she had built over the course of several years. These were in preparation for her fourth EP, Raving Dahlia, which released February 25, 2022 and received considerable praise from critics.
On October 7, 2022, Sevdaliza released "Woman Life Freedom" in response to the Mahsa Amini protests in Iran, Sevdaliza's home country.
The song "Ride Or Die", featuring Puerto Rican rapper Villano Antillano, released on June 22, 2023, going viral on social media app TikTok.
A string of singles released in 2023 and 2024, including "Nothing Lasts Forever", featuring Grimes, released on November 3. The 23rd of the same month saw the release of "Who Are You Running From", a song featured in the Josef Altin-directed short film I Don't Know Where to Start.
Ride or Die, Pt. 2 was released on, April 18, 2024, featuring, along with Antillano, Dominican rapper Tokischa.
June 28, 2024, saw the release of viral song "Alibi", featuring Brazilian singer and drag queen Pabllo Vittar and French singer-songwriter Yseult. The track was Sevdaliza's debut at Spotify Top 50 chart, and was promoted with performances at The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and NRJ Music Award.
In October 2024, Sevdaliza released "No Me Cansaré", a collaboration with Colombian superstar Karol G.
Artistry
Musical style and influences
Sevdaliza's music incorporates electronic, alternative R&B, trip hop, experimental pop, and avant-pop. Critics have compared her music to the trip hop of Portishead with string arrangements recalling Siouxsie and the Banshees circa "Dazzle" and Homogenic-era Björk.
According to Sevdaliza, "I think my sound would mostly be described as pure and raw. I'm not necessarily drawn to a genre, but to a process, or towards a certain mood like melancholy. The interesting thing is that the music that my music gets compared to is not necessarily music I've listened to, which makes it super interesting. I was performing once, and a conservatory professor came to me after the show, saying that he could really hear that I draw inspiration from old Persian singers. I asked him, "Wow, that's really interesting. How do you hear that?," and he said because I use certain semitones and microtones when I sing. But I've never had a singing lesson in my life, and I've never listened to Persian music in my life! It's really interesting to me that some things just come to you unconsciously like that. It's like you have this brain and it's unconsciously and consciously registering everything and in combination with your DNA it just becomes... something."
Sevdaliza's music is inspired by ideas of womanhood, identity, and motherhood.
Music videos
Her album, ISON, is a visual album and has a video that is 1 hour, 6 minutes, and 28 seconds long. Unlike similar visual albums, the film is abstract and meant to be viewed in one sitting, as it subtly changes like a "moving painting". Her general goal with her music videos is to "make it vulnerable and more than human at the same time."
Awards and nominations
| Award | Year | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
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| Berlin Music Video Awards | 2020 | Best Song | "Habibi" | Nominated | |
| 2022 | Best Director | "Homunculus (Oh My God)" | Nominated | ||
| Best Visual Effects | "Everything Is Everything" | Won | |||
| 2024 | Most Bizzare | "Nothing Lasts Forever" (with Grimes) | Nominated | ||
| Camerimage | 2018 | Best Music Video | "Shahmaran" | Nominated | |
| D&AD Awards | 2019 | Visual Effects | Nominated | ||
| Shark Music Video Awards | 2018 | Best Cinematography | Won | ||
| Writing/Idea/Concept | Won | ||||
| Best Music Video | Nominated | ||||
| Best Color Grading | "Hear My Pain Heal" | Nominated |
Discography
Studio albums
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | ||
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| NED |
BEL |
GER |
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| ISON |
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192 | — | — |
| Shabrang |
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39 | 166 | 100 |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart. | ||||
Extended plays
| Title | Track listing | Details |
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| The Suspended Kid |
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| Children of Silk |
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| The Calling |
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| Raving Dahlia |
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Singles
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NED |
BRA |
FRA |
GER |
IRE |
ITA |
SWI |
UK |
US |
WW |
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| "Colorblind" | 2013 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | non-album single | |
| "Race Against the Machine" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Lions" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Clear Air" | 2014 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | The Suspended Kid | |
| "Sirens of the Caspian" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Backseat Love" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "The Valley" | 2015 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | non-album single | |
| "One Armed Lullaby" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Time" | 2016 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Human" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ISON | ||
| "Bebin" | 2017 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | non-album single | |
| "Hero" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ISON | ||
| "Hubris" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Marilyn Monroe" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Children of Silk and ISON | ||
| "Mad Woman" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | non-album single | ||
| "Soul Syncable" | 2018 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | The Calling | |
| "Human Nature" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | The Calling and Shabrang | ||
| "Darkest Hour" | 2019 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Shabrang | |
| "Martyr" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | non-album single | ||
| "Oh My God" | 2020 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Shabrang | |
| "Lamp Lady" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Joanna" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Habibi" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Rhode" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Oh My God" (Sleepnet X Sevdaliza Remix) |
2021 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Raving Dahlia | |
| "The Great Hope Design" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "High Alone" | 2022 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Everything Is Everything" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| "Woman Life Freedom" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | non-album single | ||
| "Ride or Die" (with Villano Antillano or "Pt. 2" with Villano Antillano and Tokischa) |
2023 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 112 | rowspan="6" TBA | |
| "Nothing Lasts Forever" (with Grimes) |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Who Are You Running From" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Good Torture" (with Elyanna) |
2024 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Alibi" (with Pabllo Vittar and Yseult or "Pt. 2" with Anitta, Pabllo Vittar and Yseult) |
56 | 5 | 10 |
20 | 44 | 43 |
3 | 60 | 95 | 15 | |||
| "No Me Cansare" (featuring Karol G) |
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| "—" denotes items which were not released in that country or failed to chart. | |||||||||||||
Guest appearances
| Title | Year | Other artist(s) | Album |
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| "Haunted" | 2015 | Stwo | D.S.T.N.T. |
| "Sev" | 2019 | SebastiAn | Thirst |
| "Shlut" | 2023 | Shygirl | Nymph_o |
| "Samsara" | Anyma | Genesys |
Videography
Music videos
| Title | Year | Director(s) | Ref. |
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| "Race Against the Machine" | 2013 | Sevdaliza | |
| "Lions" | Sevdaliza | ||
| "Clear Air" | 2014 | ||
| "Sirens of the Caspian" | Atlynn Vrolijk | ||
| "Backseat Love" | Atlynn Vrolijk Lisette Donkersloot |
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| "That Other Girl" | 2015 | Pussykrew | |
| "The Valley" | Zahra Reijs | ||
| "Marilyn Monroe" | 2016 | Hirad Sab | |
| "Human" | Emmanuel Adjei | ||
| "Amandine Insensible" | 2017 | Piet Langeveld | |
| "Bluecid" | Sevdaliza Zahra Reijs |
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| "Hear My Pain Heal" | Ian Pons Jewell | ||
| "Duality" | 2018 | Emmanuel Adjei | |
| "Shahmaran" | |||
| "Martyr" | 2019 | Marlou Fernanda Sevdaliza |
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| "Oh My God" | 2020 | Sevdaliza Willemskantine |
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| "Joanna" | Marlou Fernanda Sevdaliza |
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| "Habibi" | Anastasia Konovalova Sevdaliza |
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| "Rhode" | Anna Himma | ||
| "Darkest Hour" | 2021 | Sarah Benjamin An Simin Willemskantine |
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| "Homunculus (Oh My God)" | Willemskantine Sevdaliza |
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| "Ride Or Die Pt.2" | 2024 | Sevdaliza Mathias Janmaat |
Films
| Year | Title | Role | Director | Notes |
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| 2016 | The Formula | Zillah | Emmanuel Adjei | Short film |
