The life of an independent artist in the digital age is not easy, especially if you have the ambition to create something personal that does not compromise on quality. But Sevda Alizadeh seemed test tube made, she was so suited to the role; proudly lesbian, all-round artist and emancipated businesswoman, this Dutch native with Iranian origins has carried out alone for over a decade an interdisciplinary dialogue against prejudices, bans and budget constraints – just think of that Persian heritage of which she is proud, but which had denied her access to the large US market after the maneuvers of the first Trump administration. Never mind, the most attentive listeners witnessed great and excellent music performanceas well as excellent visual imagery – here is a brief account of his favorite video clips, which also shows the tireless work he does to uncover new ideas and technologies before they become popular in the mainstream.
But during her intercontinental travels, Sevdaliza landed in Puerto Rico, and in the summer of 2023, her collaboration with rapper Villano Antillano, “Ride Or Die”, proved to be an unexpected hit on TikTok, soon surpassed by the remix version “Pt.2” with the addition of Tokischa. Galvanized by the results, the author doubled down on a trip to Brazil the following year, this time in cahoots with the popular drag queen Pabllo Vittar and the French singer-songwriter Yseult: almost a billion plays later, “Alibi” is her first truly great global hit, which finally brought her to the American screens of Jimmy Fallon.
So here is “Hheroin”, the alienating Latin album by a singer-songwriter who does not speak Spanish or Portuguese and, despite the courage of the operation, struggles to find her own place – this summer, an uncomfortable feud against Arca around the themes of plagiarism and cultural appropriation created confusion among fans, a serious blow to her reputation given that it is Sevdaliza herself who presents herself as the statuesque and infallible protector of the LGBTQ+ community.
The fact remains that “Ride Or Die Pt.2” is the usual reggaeton from streaming as they are heard by millions, while the bulk of the success of “Alibi” is due to the chorus entirely occupied by sample of a popular traditional Cuban song, “Rosa, qué linda eres”. If productions already appeared in the previous “Shabrang”. trap not exactly exciting, but tamed by an unmistakable presence, with “Hheroin” Sevdaliza appears dismembered above the usual pre-set digital and suffocated by a handful of subcontracted guests.
The introduction of “On My Own” would be nice, soon lost in the usual riddimtoo bad for the title trackwhich unfortunately loses all the iconic power of the lyrics between a predictable flow and blatant muggings by Missy Elliott. But a high-sounding song like “MESSIAH” needed a completely different arrangement, even worse is the poor “MARIA MAGDALENA” which rants over a baile funk in Anitta style. When the latin-pop song “NO ME CANSARE” arrives, the result is all guest Karol G's.
The point is that Sevdaliza takes art very seriously, something that certainly worked in her excellent debut “ISON,” her most accomplished and fascinating work to date. But to compete with the Latin world, it would be appropriate to loosen your shoulders, hint at a smile and let yourself be overwhelmed by curiosity while maintaining a personal touch, all aspects that are largely lacking here. The best moments in the lineup are precisely the out of place ones – “Oxytocina”, adorned with a beautiful instrumental motif, “Postergirl”, which tries the Chromatics card (?) and the nineties pop of “Angel” which closes the listening together with another powerful icon queerEartheater.
Too little to lift the fortunes of a thirteen-track album; “Heroin” is a “color-the-dots” tourist version, a reverent but obvious homage – very different personalities have already tried, such as Elettra Lamborghini and FKA twigs, with not exactly exciting results, unfortunately not even Sevdaliza succeeds in the feat. The right to change sound and explore other markets is sacrosanct, but the listening, at this time, is truly insufficient.
04/11/2025
Antonio Santini for SANREMO.FM
