In November 1995, along with Greg Ellis, Ali formed Vas, producing four albums: Sunyata (1997), Offerings (1998), In the Garden of Souls (2000), and Feast of Silence (2004).
In 2002 she released her first solo album, Portals of Grace, which saw her expand her repertoire even farther and prove her to be equally as adept in singing in 13th century French-Provençal, Galician and Ladino as she is in Arabic.
In 2005, Ali worked on a new project called Niyaz with solo artist Carmen Rizzo and Axiom of Choice member Loga Ramin Torkian. Its self-titled album, Niyaz features Ali's vocals sung in Urdu and Farsi, backed up by more electronica-style music.
In June 2006, Ali released another latest solo album, Elysium for the Brave, where she includes English singing in her repertoire.
Azam Ali collaborated with Keyavash Nourai and Shahrokh Yadegari on the album Green Memories, released in September of 2008.
In 2011, the latest album, From Night to the Edge of Day was released. It features Ali's unique take on traditional Middle Eastern songs and lullabies.
A Chantar m'er
Azam Ali Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
tant me rancur de lui cui sui amia;
car eu l'am mais que nuilha ren que sia:
vas lui no’m val merces ni cortesia
ni ma beltatz, ni mos pretz, ni mos sens;
c'atressi'm sui enganad' e trahïa
Com degr' esser, s'eu fos dezavinens.
Amics, vas vos per nuilha captenenssa;
anz vos am mais non fetz Seguis Valenssa,
e platz mi mout quez eu d'amar vos venssa,
lo mieus amics, car etz lo plus valens;
mi faitz orguoilh en digz et en parvenssa,
et si etz francs vas toutas autras gens.
Be'm meravilh com vostre cors s'orguoilha,
amics, vas me, per qu'ai razon qu'eu'm duoilha;
non es ges dreitz c'autr' amors vos mi tuoilha,
per nuilha ren qu'eu's diga ni acuoilha.
E membre vos cals fo’l comenssamens
de nostr'amor! Ja Dompnedeus non vuoilha
qu'en ma colpa sia'l departimens.
Valer mi deu mos pretz e mos paratges
e ma beltatz e plus mos fins coratges;
per qu'eu vos mandad lai on es vostr' estatges
esta chansson, que me sia messatges:
eu vuoilh saber, lo mieus bels amics gens,
per que vos m'etz tant fers ni tant salvatges;
no sai, si s'es orguoilhs o mal talens.
Mais aitan plus vuoilh li digas, messatges,
qu'en trop d'orguoilh o ant gran dan maintas gens.
The lyrics of Azam Ali's song "A Chantar m'er" speak of the complicated emotions that come with a love that is unrequited or not reciprocated as much as the singer desires it to be. The singer says she wants to sing about a man whom she would rather not think of due to the resentment she feels towards him for not returning her love. Despite this, she still loves him more than anything else in the world. She feels that he does not appreciate her kindness, beauty, or worth, and that he has deceived and betrayed her. She wonders what her fate would have been if she were unlucky and he had not loved her.
The singer seeks comfort in her friends, whom she loves even more than "Seguis Valenssa," the person she desires. She is grateful for their friendship and values their intelligence and worth. She wonders why they are so cold and distant towards her and wonders if it is because they are proud or have something against her. She wishes her message will reach her valuable friends and they will understand what she is feeling.
The song is a medieval Occitan poem by Countess of Dia and was first performed during the Troubadour era (1100-1350) in the South of France. It was written in a form known as a "trobar clus" or "closed form" where the poet uses imagery and language that is deliberately obscure to convey a hidden or deeper meaning. It was one of the few songs sung by a female troubadour and was a rarity in its time.
The song has been covered by various artists and has been arranged in different musical styles, including Celtic folk and Electronic Rock. The version by Dead Can Dance, with Lisa Gerrard handling the vocals, is perhaps the most well-known outside of medieval music circles.
In 2011, Azam Ali released her rendition of "A Chantar m'er" in her album "From Night to the Edge of Day." Her version features a hauntingly beautiful melody that matches the melancholy tone of the lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
A chantar m'er de so qu'eu no voleria,
I am compelled to sing of something I do not desire.
tant me rancur de lui cui sui amia;
I feel such bitterness towards the one I love;
car eu l'am mais que nuilha ren que sia:
for I love him more than anything else;
vas lui no’m val merces ni cortesia
yet he shows me neither kindness nor courtesy;
ni ma beltatz, ni mos pretz, ni mos sens;
he does not care for my beauty, my worth, or my intelligence;
c'atressi'm sui enganad' e trahïa
he has deceived and betrayed me;
Com degr' esser, s'eu fos dezavinens.
As is fitting if I were unfortunate.
D'aisso’m conort, car anc non fi failhenssa,
Still, I take comfort that I have not been unfaithful,
Amics, vas vos per nuilha captenenssa;
my friends, I am true to you without any obligation;
anz vos am mais non fetz Seguis Valenssa,
I have never loved anyone as much as I love you, my dear friends;
e platz mi mout quez eu d'amar vos venssa,
it pleases me greatly to express my love for you;
lo mieus amics, car etz lo plus valens;
you are my dearest friends because you are the most worthy;
mi faitz orguoilh en digz et en parvenssa,
you make me proud in word and in deed;
et si etz francs vas toutas autras gens.
and you are honest with all other people as well.
Be'm meravilh com vostre cors s'orguoilha,
I am amazed at how your hearts are filled with pride,
amics, vas me, per qu'ai razon qu'eu'm duoilha;
my friends, towards me, which is why I am distressed;
non es ges dreitz c'autr' amors vos mi tuoilha,
it is not right that your love for me is diminished by any other love;
per nuilha ren qu'eu's diga ni acuoilha.
no matter what I say, you do not listen or understand.
E membre vos cals fo’l comenssamens
Remember how our friendship began;
de nostr'amor! Ja Dompnedeus non vuoilha
of our love! May God forbid that we part ways because of my mistakes.
qu'en ma colpa sia'l departimens.
May my faults not be the cause of our separation.
Valer mi deu mos pretz e mos paratges
My worth and my accomplishments should be enough for me
e ma beltatz e plus mos fins coratges;
my beauty and my noble heart;
per qu'eu vos mandad lai on es vostr' estatges
which is why I send you this message from where you are,
esta chansson, que me sia messatges:
this song, which serves as a message to me:
eu vuoilh saber, lo mieus bels amics gens,
I want to know, my dear, noble friends,
per que vos m'etz tant fers ni tant salvatges;
why are you so cold and distant with me?
no sai, si s'es orguoilhs o mal talens.
I do not know whether it is pride or ill-will.
Mais aitan plus vuoilh li digas, messatges,
But I want you to tell me, my message-bearer,
qu'en trop d'orguoilh o ant gran dan maintas gens.
that too much pride or ill-will does great harm to many people.
Contributed by Hannah O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.