No Nazar

“We want everyone to feel included and enjoy life together. It's in the name.” Says Aku, one of the seven members. “We’re all here together in the parties and everyone has equal representation. We try to play everything from Afro beats to Arab music, Indian music, anything.” 

No Nazar’s ever-evolving music choices, drawing from a plethora of minority cultures, speak directly to the people whose cultures are being celebrated. “We had a lot of Arab people come to us and express how they felt when we played their music, and that most people usually don't. [Others come up to me] and they're just like I can't believe you play Palestinian music. I'm just sitting here playing this music because I think it's awesome. But for them, it's like someone's speaking for them.” Says Aku, reminiscing about their latest show in LA. “When we're listening to [a culture’s] music, we genuinely appreciate that culture and we genuinely want to support them too.” 

Leaning into the universality of music, No Nazar routinely uses their platform to meaningfully help different communities, whether local or worldwide. “One thing that was important to us even from the start was the element of giving back,” says Bianca. “In the pandemic, one of the ways we kept No Nazar alive was through fundraising live streams focused on different causes.” In the past, No Nazar has fundraised for causes such as the Indian farmers’ protests against the Farm Bills, aid for Colombian Caribbean islanders affected by Hurricane Eta & Iota, and a donation drive for the unhoused population of Skid Row, providing meals, water, and COVID-19 vaccines.

More recently, No Nazar’s events seek to show solidarity with Palestinians. In a statement supporting a free Palestine, the group asserts that “No Nazar will continue to stand with our brothers & sisters of Palestine. We grieve for the innocent lives lost to colonial oppression and pray for the families affected. End the apartheid. Free Palestine.” As individuals, members aim to actively stand in solidarity by protesting, boycotting, and writing to representatives.

When asked about their plans for the future, No Nazar wants to take what they already have and make it way, way bigger. Reach more communities, celebrate more groups of people, take a dip into fashion, put out original music, form a music label, and play in more cities and countries—to name a few. “The coolest thing about diaspora is that you’ll find community in some of the strangest and furthest places”, shares DJ Sudi.

Most of all, they’re excited about other artists experimenting with similar cultural sounds and adding their own fresh takes. “Not that we're the first people to infuse Southeast Asian sounds into other types of genres, but I feel like when we came on the scene, we were bringing something really fresh, with sounds from regions that people weren't really experimenting with that much,” says Bianca. “I would say from when we started to now, it’s blown up, and people are experimenting using kind of the same raw sounds that we've been focusing on, doing their own kind of offshoots. I love to see that! I love to see what people are doing that's new and innovative and that always keeps me excited.” Especially in the arts, inspiration is a driving force for invention. Being energized by other artists’ works and adding your own twists to create something brand new—that is the north star that steers self-expression, the wood and coal of craft and community.

Timelessly, music prompts stories, gives voice to the silenced, and is at the forefront of social change. It keeps cultures alive for their children wherever they are, uplifts communities in trying times, and shines a spotlight on those who have to fight to be seen. To the artists of No Nazar, that is where the future lies: in the ever-changing and embracing power of music and community.