Seeta Qasemi

Afghan singer Seeta Qasemi (Persian: سيتا قاسمى‎‎; born 6 April 1983 in Kabul, Afghanistan) also known as Seeta Qaseme, is an Afghan singer/songwriter.^[1] She entered the Afghan music scene in 2008. She sings both in Pashto and Dari and lives in Germany.

Early life

Ever since Seeta Qasemie was a child she wanted to be a famous singer. Unfortunately, due to the civil war going on in Afghanistan, Seeta had to leave her country at a very young age. Her family moved to Pakistan where she stayed for a short while before she got married to a much older man at 15.^[2] She has encountered a lot hardship in her first marriage after she found out she was not his first wife. Since then Seeta has worked herself out of this abusive relationship and got divorced. She has two children and lives in Germany.

Career

Seeta's career started by performing at small functions with renowned singers from the music scene like Jawid Sharif and others.^[1] At one of these functions Seeta met Valy Hedjasi who was still a camera man back then. Valy had asked Seeta if she was interested in collaborating. Seeta composed, wrote and sung the songs 'Bia Tu' and 'Dilbare Mehrabanam'. After this she started solo with her single 'Ba Taswiram'. The song did reasonable well and Seeta Qasemie had established herself as an afghan singer even though many didn't know she was the voice behind Valy's songs as she wasn't credited by the singer nor was she featured in the video clips. This had caused some tension between the two as Mariam Morid took all the credit away for a song she actually lip synched.

Seeta's first commercial success came with the song 'Dukhtare Kuchi', which was based on a love story between an Afghan nomad girl and a boy. She followed this up with her next song 'Mastam Mast'. Seeta had established herself as an music artist among the Afghans outside of Afghanistan and it wasn't until her collaboration with Shafiq Mureed when she got also popular inside of Afghanistan. This was Seeta's first Pashto song and she was praised for her well versed accent and the video, 'Ta Sara Meena Larem'. The song was shot inside Afghanistan, depicting a love story between an Afghan villager and an Afghan girl from the west who visits the village. Another collaboration followed with Shafiq Mureed, 'Lamba Di Shoma'. However, no video clip was made for this song. Seeta followed this up with a Pashto Na`at song and featured in Shafiq Mureed's 'Da Afghanistan' video clip alongside Mozhdah Jamalzadah. A nationalistic song with a message of peace between Afghans. While she stayed in Afghanistan she gave a series of concerts and interviews. Her next hit was the Hazaragi song 'Watandar'. On international woman's day Seeta released her song 'Zan', meaning 'woman'. The song reflected on the important issue of the role of a woman in Afghan society. She followed this up with several other songs until her next and latest success 'Gharanay'. A Pashto song, showcasing the life of a simple Afghan girl who enjoys the simplicity of live.

Unlike many other music artists, Seeta made her television debut with a charity show. During the month of Ramadan, Seeta visited families in need with a camera crew to let them tell their heart felt stories and experiences. The show provided the families with help and food and was aired on Khurshid.

Controversies

Private pictures and a wedding video of Seeta Qasemie where uploaded on YouTube allegedly by her former husband. Seeta went on an interview to clarify the issue and stated her husband had put the material on internet as a way of attacking her.

Valy Hedjasi was criticised for not crediting Seeta Qasemie for the songs 'Bia Tu' and 'Dilbare Mehrabanam'. Seeta had stated in an interview ^[1] she did the singing, writing and composing of the songs.

Seeta Qasemie was accused of converting to Christianity from Islam in Afghanistan by her former husband. Seeta has said there is no truth to these claims and she has proven them wrong by making Islamic songs.

Discography

References