BROADCASTS.com

This interview was very personal to me as Shab has a very similar story two my cousins James and Banipal (You can't get much more ancient than being named after Assyrian King Ashurbanipal). Following the Iranian Revolution, during the war between Iran and Iraq, my cousins left Iran through Germany and came to the United States before settling in and becoming Mechanical Engineers...I know, I know, who would have ever guessed Middle Eastern Engineers, it's almost unheard of (insert eye roll).

Similar to my cousins, Persian singer, Shab's family left Iran following that same time frame, moved to Germany and resided there for several years with her widowed mother and 12 older brothers and sisters. At age 14, Shab moved to the United States to the Palm Springs area, as she had another set of older siblings from her father's first marriage, eventually becoming educated here in America and then finding her calling as a singer, who's music is influenced by Persian, European and Latin beats.

Shab, who is now a mother, recently released her new single Spell On Me in the United States after creating a successful career overseas.

We caught up with Shab to discuss our similar family histories, the heterogeneous aspects of Iran, what it means to be an American now, how much family truly means and how music transcends languages.

Follow Shab on Twitter @shabmusic_ and on Instagram @shabmusicofficial. Visit her official website at www.shabofficial.com