Mamak Khadem is an Iranian-American songstress who blends ancient Persian poetry with a progressive, bold sound to create a new story of cultural diversity.

“As people who are pioneers, we really need to inspire our younger people and help them and move them forward,” Khadem explained.

Mamak Khadem: Music bridging cultures

Iranian-American songstress, Mamak Khadem shares her unique sound and talks about bridging cultures.

She’s been called “one of the wonders of world trance music”, a genre of electronic dance music developed in the 1980s.

“It’s cross cultural, it’s rooted in traditional music, it is about bringing some of the very beautiful melodies from the villages from the various regions of Iran putting into a form that is more available for the non-Iranian together with the Iranian second generation, third generation, that’s accessible to them,” said Khadem.

As Full Frame contributor Sandra Hughes found out, Mamak Khadem would most like to be remembered as a nomad who uses her art to bridge cultural traditions.

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