Chaii: Safar (digital outlets)

Born in Iran, raised in this country and already with appearances in Australia, London, New York and at SXSW in Austin, Chaii (Mona Sanei) has had a rapid rise based on strong singles, colourfully exotic videos and ambition.

Her songs have been licensed for Netflix films and advertisements.

The album's title – which means journey in Farsi – is appropriate for this impressive debut which brings together R'n'B, hip-hop and Persian music.

It delivers familiar hip-hop tropes (“bitch Imma vibe like this”) and sometimes doesn't move far from the obvious (the recent single We Be Killin' It) but with a seasoning of Middle Eastern sounds (Dande, the rhythmically busy Beshinam, Rahe Ma, Vay).

The explicit lyric 2023 single Dripping in Gold is catchy, perhaps revisionist autobiography but in lock-step with US rap aspiration: “I'm a bad bitch. You better treat me like it. You wanna keep me happy . . . pour me the champagne . . . I don't wanna man, I got a man. What I need is a mansion”.

The title track is mostly in Farsi and sounds exactly like the sort of dance track you'd imagine hearing in a hip nightclub somewhere in the Middle East, although probably not in the Islamic theocracy that is Iran.

As an album it perhaps tries to cram in too much information into the 12 tracks, but as an announcement of arrival and attitude it's impressive.

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You can hear and buy this album at bandcamp here