* En anglais uniquement
With a communist father from Syria and a politically conscious mother from Lithuania, socialism was very much a part of her upbringing. But when Silvana’s parents spoke of poverty and injustice, it came off as boring. When she heard The Fugees at age seven – and found out about Xzibit on a trip to New York as a nine year old – it all made sense. The way The Fugees talked about politics and Xzibit’s mixing in of classical elements on “Paparazzi” got her hooked. Classical music and the Lebanese singer Fairuz was being played at home. To mix genres and add conscious lyrics to great beats became a whole new way for Silvana to look upon music and the world.
Initially, she called herself Silvana Solo, but changed it to her given last name, Imam. (In Arabic, Imam translates as “the one who stands in front,” and is a religious leader or expert in Islam.) She’s labelled a Swedish hip hop artist, but it is probably more accurate to call her a rapper who raps over different music. She listens to everything – from Drake and Jay-Z to Antony & The Johnsons, CocoRosie, Banks and Swedish indie pop acts Håkan Hellström and Kent. On one track from her debut album, “Rekviem”, you can hear her rapping deep, personal poetry over church bells. Her latest EP sees her referencing Simone de Beauvoir, Valerie Solana and the Swedish feminist party leader Gudrun Schyman.
As you might expect, her shows are hardly conventional. In a mask and a sort of superwoman outfit she enters the stage with her fist in the air. One critic described it as “the wildest and most punk rap show I’ve ever seen.” Either way, it’s not music that can easily be ignored. Everybody who has heard her – even the ones who don’t like it – seem to agree that she’s got that “something.” The rest of the world seems to be catching on to as well. Even though she raps in Swedish, the latest single “Imam Cobain” has gained higher numbers of listeners in the United States on Soundcloud than in Sweden.
It’s a far cry from her first performances at house parties, where she’d rap her own verses written the night before over Drake and Jay-Z instrumentals. Nowadays, Silvana works closely with the management team and record label, Respect My Hustle, based in Stockholm. With their support, Silvana now sees no boundaries.