Sheherazaad – Gulukara (feat. Irfana)

American singer and storyteller Sheherazaad releases “Gulukara (Songstress)”, featuring childhood friend and Kodaikanal-raised rapper Irfana Hameed. The track follows her spring 2024 Erased Tapes debut EP “Qasr” and addresses the historical intersection of sex work and female artistry through a dialogue between two songstresses.

“Gulukara” is an ominous carol filled with the ghosts of a hundred thousand women who were silenced or slaughtered in pursuit of artistic glory,” Sheherazaad says. “When I sing this song, I feel these girls’ fatigue, their street smarts. The lyrics taste of tobacco and blood and a fruit-flavored condom. The sultry, clandestine activity of these desperate, feminine infiltrators who move through the world as elegant double agents—their ammunition being a lethal breed of ambitiousness.”

Shunya plays bass, cello, violin, and harmonium while handling string arrangement and additional production. Gilbert Mansour handles percussion. Runar Blesvik mixed vocals, J. Valleau engineered the mix, and Heba Kadry mastered the track. The minimalist folk production keeps things sparse, letting Sheherazaad’s voice emerge ghostly and wounded yet defiant against the bare-boned arrangement.

Sheherazaad and Irfana trade verses in Hindi-Urdu and English, moving between carol and dirge. “Bazaar mein, main baithi / Yeh chehron ka hai samandar” opens the track before shifting into Irfana’s rap: “We paint up our hands put rings in our noses / Brown paintings with the water of roses.” The Bay Area native continues her approach to contemporary folk that pulls from both Western classical and South Asian traditions.

She’s been touring Europe and UK this summer, playing Fusion and Deershed festivals plus a sold-out London headline at Servant Jazz Quarters. She returns to Europe for Belgian theatre shows in January.