Zohra Atash

Zohra Atash is a singer, songwriter and musician. Her projects are Azar Swan and Religious to Damn. She is an irregular columnist at slutist.com. Her family founded and runs the Nooristan Foundation. You can follow Azar Swan on Twitter here.

(photo credit: Julia Comita)

Bio

Formerly the core members of orchestral goth project Religious To Damn, Zohra Atash and Joshua Strawn turn their once instrumental ensemble into a sprawling electro-encased duo whose narrative is framed by noise and driven by drum machine. Two parts hard percussion and shimmering ambience, and one part majestic yet pointed vocals, the shift was sparked by a two-fold realization from Atash and Strawn who were looking to consolidate the writing process by eliminating the unnecessary weight that comes with coordinating multiple musicians, combined with a mutual revived interest in electronic music and hip-hop beats. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.

Talks

On Terror and Marissa Nadler’s Art

By Zohra Atash | September 16, 2016

On Terror and Marissa Nadler’s Art

Zohra Atash (Azar Swan) set out to write about Nadler’s record, but kept getting sidetracked by the news.

Zohra Atash (Azar Swan) Follows Up Her Sexwitch Critique with This Informative Playlist

By Zohra Atash | November 10, 2015

Zohra Atash (Azar Swan) Follows Up Her Sexwitch Critique with This Informative Playlist

After taking Sexwitch to task for cultural appropriation without appreciation, our writer shares some of her favorite tracks from other cultures.

Zohra Atash (Azar Swan) Talks Sexwitch’s Sexwitch

By Zohra Atash | October 27, 2015

Zohra Atash (Azar Swan) Talks Sexwitch’s Sexwitch

Cultural appropriation without cultural appreciation is a recipe for disaster.

Zohra Atash (Azar Swan) Talks Lumisokea’s Mnemosyne

By Zohra Atash | October 1, 2015

Zohra Atash (Azar Swan) Talks Lumisokea’s Mnemosyne

Lumisokea’s nocturne of an album is replete with oceanic disasters and haunted mansions — but it might just quiet the nastiest voices in your head.

Zohra Atash (Azar Swan) Talks Jenny Hval’s Apocalypse, Girl

By Zohra Atash | July 13, 2015

Zohra Atash (Azar Swan) Talks Jenny Hval’s Apocalypse, Girl

Horribly sleep-starved, our writer is completely insane right now. But she finds solace in Jenny Hval's dreamworld.

Zohra Atash (Azar Swan) Talks Them Are Us Too’s Remain

By Zohra Atash | May 12, 2015

Zohra Atash (Azar Swan) Talks Them Are Us Too’s Remain

Them Are Us Too might have a Cocteau Twins influence. But what’s wrong with that?

Zohra Atash (Azar Swan) Talks Backing Tapes and Authenticity Guilt

By Zohra Atash | April 11, 2015

Zohra Atash (Azar Swan) Talks Backing Tapes and Authenticity Guilt

Azar Swan uses backing tapes. Got a problem with that?

Zohra Atash (Azar Swan) Talks Hierophants’ “I Don’t Mind”/”The 16th”

By Zohra Atash | January 16, 2015

Zohra Atash (Azar Swan) Talks Hierophants’ “I Don’t Mind”/”The 16th”

The sonic time travel of Hierophants sends Zohra Atash on a trip through her memories.

Zohra Atash (Azar Swan) Talks the Anxiety of Influence and the Double Standard of Female Fandom

By Zohra Atash | December 30, 2014

Zohra Atash (Azar Swan) Talks the Anxiety of Influence and the Double Standard of Female Fandom

Azar Swan’s singer talks about the feeling of having the music you love held against you.