Eastern Influence
Musician Ariana Delawari is a California girl -- born and bred in La Cañada. But a piece of her heart will always belong in Kabul, the capital city of war-torn Afghanistan where her father was born and raised. The city plays a central role on Daswani's first album, Lion of Panjshir, a heavenly hybrid of 60s pop grooves inlaid with ancient Afghani sounds. Produced by David Lynch, music junkie and king of surreal cinema, it's both an ode to her Middle Eastern roots and a big wet kiss to the Golden State.
The globe-trotting Delawari, 29, even recorded a portion of her album in Afghanistan, tapping indigenous musicians deft in ancient instruments. The album, which was released in the fall, is set for an upcoming vinyl printing via L.A.-based label Manimal (the first 100 pressings will feature vinyl crafted with “splatter-paint” colors of the Afghan flag.)
But Delawari hasn’t forgotten her left coast roots -- the music artist makes her permanent residence in Silver Lake, and still hangs out at some of the same places she frequented while growing up in SoCal. You might just catch her strolling into the Rialto Theatre to check out the latest art flick or taking in the waves from El Matador beach.
We sat down with the musician on a sunny day in Venice to talk shop, wax poetic on her Angeleno-cum-Afghani style and discuss her undying love of all things shiny and sequined.
Style Section L.A.: How did you hook up with David Lynch?
Ariana Delawari: David came to my very first show at the Silverlake Lounge, in December of 2006. His now wife, then girlfriend, is the one who brought him to my show. He expressed interest in wanting to produce my music and I didn’t really take it seriously at the time. I was like, Wow, really? Okay... Then after I got back from Afghanistan I was with David and Emily and he said, 'I should have been producing your album' and I said, 'Well, I didn’t really believe you. Why don’t you do one song?' And so he produced one song, Suspend Me.
I was really blown away on the effect he had on what I had originally written. When he came in and mixed it, he said 'I’m going to start a label and I should put this out on my label,' but I still didn’t believe him. I was like, 'Yeah, yeah.' Several months later, I was at his house again and he said, 'I should put it out on my label!' And I said to myself Ok, he really means it. And it was the best decision.
What's he like to work with?
David's a storyteller and the way that I wrote this album, I was definitely thinking in [terms of] story. As he was mixing it, he created a landscape within each song through the sounds he would mix in and out. I mean — I can’t claim to know exactly what’s going on in David’s head [laughing.]
How did your Afghanistan roots help shape the album?
One morning, in February of 2007, I awoke to a phone call from my mother — my parents have been living in Afghanistan since 2002 — they’ve been part of the reconstruction process there and I’ve been traveling there since then. I could tell by this conversation with my mother that things had really shifted. At the time, my band was called Lion of Panjshir and we were integrating some Afghan sounds into our more wild psychadelic music. I had always had this dream of recording there and I had this concern that this window of opportunity would close because of the rise of the Taliban. So I said, “Let’s go record there.” I found people to help fund the trip and within a few months we were there collaborating with the ustads. Then we came back and worked on all of that here in Los Angeles and it became my solo project, my very first album.
Moving on to more shallow waters -- Does your heritage influence your wardrobe?
Definitely. In the Afghan textiles you’ll see these deep earth tones and mahogany colors woven together with florescent pink and florescent yellow and then you’ll see these coins mixed in.
It looks like your personal style also incorporates the same East-meets-West vibe we hear on your album...
Definitely. There’s a parallel between Taos, New Mexico and the mountains of Afghanistan that I see. Even the way that they both have these adobe homes with brightly colored doors, blue and green doors. I love the contrast between a destaurated environment and then colors that pop.
I am kind of a chameleon. I do like vintage pieces a lot. In my closet I have a lot of dresses from the 30s, 40s and 50s. I also like modern things, things that have clean, classic lines. I really love Alexander McQueen, Cynthia Vincent, Chloe and Rodarte. My friend Angeline Rivas and her business partner Adam Tullie, they have a really cool line called Cavern. I like mixing all those things. I like glitter. There’s definitely a little guido in me from my Italian side. My grandmother wore a beret [emblazoned] with sparkle sequins until she was 97.
I like things that are natural and have a history to them and are handmade, but I also like glam—a lot, especially because I’m a night person, a moon person. My sister laughs and calls me a vampire.
Do you keep it sexy during the day?
It changes. These days, I like wearing a pair of white jeans and a really sexy pair of heels. To me that’s a comfortable outfit. I love it when a girl talks about a sexy pair of heels being a comfort staple. I love heels. I’m also a dancer, so when I put on a pair of heels, I immediately feel sexier, like I’m working my legs and my body in very feminine way. I just tried on this amazing pair of bright red patent leather Louboutins. Totally fell in love.
I also love hats. I actually have one of grandmother’s sparkly hats that people love. They’re like, “Where did you get that,” and I say, “It was my 97-year-old-grandmother’s.” She wanted to be sexy forever.
