"Far from a typical album, Mannat is Shumaila Hemani’s extraordinary, contemplative debut...her own lyrics are arranged to create audible sculptures evoking powerful imagery and stirring potent emotions."” - Jenny Feniak

Edmonton Journal

Sufi singer pens powerful album in support of victims of catastrophic floods in Pakistan” - Eric Volmers

Calgary Herald

Shumaila Hemani’s Powerful Track “Displacement” Evokes a Spirit of Perseverance in the Face of Devastating and Uncertainty in the Wake of the Floods in Pakistan.” - Simian Thinker

— Queen City Sounds and Arts

BIO

ACOUSMATIC COMPOSITIONS

Perils of Heavy Rainfall Receives Second Prize at Listening During Covid Contest (2020) by Canadian Society for Sound Ecology (CASE)

Accepted for publication in the Goose, Journal of Environment, Arts, and Culture in Canada

 

Monsoon is typically a season to rejoice in South Asia because it cools off July's hot summer weather. In the poetry of Sufi mystic, Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai, Monsoon is a time of abundance, and his verses are prayers of abundance for Sindh and the entire world. In the past few years, however, climate change has led to heavy floods and massive displacement of poor people in Sindh. This year, floods even reached Karachi's urban city, the biggest metropolis of Pakistan, causing the displacement of 500,000 families and more than 1.2 million people. Amidst the outbreak of COVID-19, the displaced families face an even greater risk of being affected by the region's spreading virus. The soundscape composition, "Pitfalls of Heavy Rainfall," is based on field-recordings collected from July to September 2020 in Karachi, my hometown. 

Traditional Sufi MUSIC Performances

Once Upon a Time in Kobé, Japan

Commissioned by the New Music Edmonton, 2021

This piece is a surreal sound walk across streets of Kobé, Japan based on the author’s travels as a Music Faculty, Semester at Sea, Spring 2020 voyage. Based on field-recordings capturing urban soundscapes of this Japanese in February 2020, this soundwalk introduces to the listener the urban street sounds of the port city from street entertainment at the Chinese New Year’s festival to more upscale sounds of American Jazz.

The narration in Japanese and English in Kobé communication services is juxtaposed with communication in English by the American faculty within a Japanese environment. This highlights the composer's simultaneous experience of two foreign cultures: American and Japanese and portrays the experience of sailing amidst the outbreak of the global pandemic: COVID. 

SONGWRITING & COMPOSITIONS

Living with Purpose

Poem featured in Alberta's Literary, feminist magazine: New Forum's Issue # 3 (2021)

Song #1 in Ethnocloud's World Music and Asian Music charts between February to December 2020. 

MUNTAZIR (ANTICIPATING)

FEATURED in the Cross-Canada Tour for Suicide Prevention Awareness & Hope (2020) and Apple's #1 mental health app: Shine's Spotify Playlist 2020

Blending languages to convey a universal sentiment of helplessness and waiting, Anticipating bears a visceral emotionality and a deep musicality -expertly ushering listeners into a place of contemplation and consideration. Vocally, this performance bears an impressive amount of emotional vulnerability -something that listeners will respond to, especially in conjunction with these thought provoking lyrics. 

Listeners seeking a musically authentic expression of frustration and isolation will find Anticipation to be a prophetic and poetic composition, and with lyrics expressed in both Urdu and English, the potential reception and impact of this song is massive! Thank you for the opportunity to listen in! - Jon Wright (Radio-Airplay)

Featured Interviews

Starlite Sessions, 2021

CBC Edmonton, 2016

Interview conducted by Portia Clark

Not Available Digitally.

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MEDIA

Featured Composer in the NYC-based Ear to Earth

The Banff Arts Centre,

Reviewed in Calgary Herald, 2015

FEATURED MUSIC PERFORMANCES