Selected recordings

Remembrance

Mamak Khadem

Remembrance is a musical journey to healing the huge loss of my beloved father, Mohsen Khadem. After his passing during the global pandemic of 2020, my grief could no longer be for him alone, but for all of those we lost.

Being unable to be by his side was profoundly difficult -- yet for so many immigrants in our world, life itself is like an infinity of limitations.

Knowing in my heart that my father knew how much I loved him gives me a sense of completion and peace. He is with me now wherever I go. I dedicate this work to his beautiful soul.

ACROSS THE OCEANS

MAMAK KHADEM Featuring CHRIS MARTIN

“Across the Oceans” is inspired by Khadem’s work in refugee camps where she sings and hosts workshops for underprivileged children. One of her goals is for the kids to find strength and hope through music. During the COVID pandemic, she couldn’t do such work in person, but she still managed to record the children’s choir remotely, bringing a youthful uplifting energy to the song. The track also features the vocals and piano of special guest Chris Martin (Coldplay), whose performance was key to the song's foundation. Khadem also enlisted the renowned poet Coleman Barks to recite the verse of Rumi. Barks is considered one of the world’s leading Rumi scholars and Mamak notes “It was an honor when Coleman accepted my invitation to record and translate the beautiful poetry of Rumi for this song.”

Khadem worked with Iranian director and cinematographer Sam Javadi on the creation of the song’s striking video, which visually illuminates many of the key themes. The children in the video transcend their impoverished circumstances with the purity of their intention, while the whales they are trying to save symbolize the Earth and the current state of global warming, environmental degradation and ongoing water issues. Filming in Bushehr, Iran and Northern California, Javadi and his team used special effects and editing to bring the visual manifestation of the song to life, with brilliantly magical results.

THE ROAD

MAMAK KHADEM

"The Road", Mamak's newest project, continues a journey started with her celebrated first solo album Jostojoo.  Following her passion for new influences, Mamak has crossed borders from various regions in  Iran to Serbia, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Greece, and Arab-Andalusia. Searching for common threads and powerful traditional melodies remains a driving force behind her music using elements from her Iranian heritage such as the poetry of Rumi to re-imagine a song from another culture, time and place.  The freedom of her musical expression is intoxicating.

NOTABLE FILM & TV APPEARANCES

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