Tauranga singer-songwriter Yasamin will be supporting Bic Runga at Baycourt Theatre this month. Photo / Supplied
Tauranga singer-songwriter Yasamin will be supporting Bic Runga at Baycourt Theatre this month. Photo / Supplied
October 25 is a poignant day for Tauranga singer-songwriter Yasamin.
Not only is it the day she will be the support act for songstress Bic Runga at Baycourt Theatre, but it will be a year since hundreds of anti-government protesters were killed in Baghdad - the basis of Yasamin's newsongs.
"A lot of people died during those protests, but they weren't communicated and I just thought, 'I have a big responsibility to talk about it', but I don't want to just go on Facebook and rant and share stuff. So I thought, I am writing my second album and then the songs just came out."
Twenty-six years ago, Iraq-born Yasamin migrated to New Zealand with her family.
New Zealand is considered home but for a long time Yasamin felt disassociated with her birthplace. That was until she started following an Iraqi comedian, Ahmed al-Basheer, who fueled her awakening to the country she had left behind.
"They were peaceful protests, they weren't carrying any weapons. They weren't doing anything but were out on the street asking for basic human rights.
"People have no idea that these protests happened, and that so many people have died and no one has been held responsible."
Yasamin moved to New Zealand with her family 26 years ago. Photo / Supplied
It's what inspired the songwriter to incorporate the story and the trauma into her music. It also led to her new album's name, Songs of Baghdad, a nod to US hip hop act Outkast's Bombs over Baghdad, but reclaiming it without the violent imagery.
According to the Middle East Eye, official government figures stated 149 civilians died during the first wave of protests, mostly as a result of bullet wounds to the head. To date, around 550 people have been killed in the violence, with 300,000 thought to be wounded.
Yasamin connected it to the George Floyd riots, which have led to hundreds of protests around the world in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.
"The songs are about things other than me and they're quite important to me. I'm just using myself as a vehicle to put the songs forward, as opposed to this is all about me.
"I'm just seeing myself as the way to tell the story. It is not about me. I'm just like, doing my bit, remotely."
Yasamin's musical journey started when she came to New Zealand. Never before had she laid eyes on a guitar until she started school. She still didn't know how to speak English.
But since then, the instrument has been strapped to her hip, even while she was studying pharmacology. Now she has prioritised her music over the science.
"Three years ago, I made the decision to go contracting so that I could have more time to work on music so that I'm not saying I wish I could do it more."
• Yasamin is supporting Bic Runga on her North Island tour in Tauranga. The pair are performing at Baycourt Theatre on October 25. Tickets are available at Ticketek.
