Iranian santoor virtuoso and composer Ehsan Matoori has released a new single from his upcoming global full-length album, The Voices and Bridges today, entitled "Jete Nahi Dibo" ("I Won't Let You Go"), sharing a beautifully rich, tapestry of a video from director Omid Aeenehchi. Watch via YouTube. The track features vocals from legendary, Oscar-nominated, Indian artist Bombay Jayashri and famed Iranian artist Alireza Ghorbani, who provides vocals throughout the record. The Voices and Bridges will arrive July 16 via Bright Shiny Things. Pre-order the album here.
Discussing the very personal inspiration behind "Jete Nahi Dibo", Matoori stated, "'Jete Nahi Dibo' is the story of my own suffering of being far from the love of my life. This story goes back to 9 years ago, at the time that so many hard moments happened in my life. I was tired, frustrated and felt I could no longer live in my own country. The only thing that made me want to stay was the person I loved. But, one night I felt I was in a hurry to leave... and after a few hours I found myself at a destination I had never been to. But, I had left my heart behind.
I had nightmares every night saying to myself, "I wish you hadn't gone. I wish I hadn't let you go." But my body was gone, and my soul and heart were left there. This contradiction in life and all the moments when you want to be where you are not, made me feel suffocated.
A few years later, when I decided to start The Voices and Bridges project, one of my aims was to capture moments of my own migration. I felt that perhaps I could express a part of my life as an immigrant in this project. In "Jete Nahi Dibo," the storyteller is the girl I loved. She is pleading with me not to leave, but I have made up my mind. In this music, you see the end of beauty. But in reality, my story was different."
