Diana Zaheer and Grammy-Nominated Lincoln Parish’s Reminder to Stay On “Your Side of the Street”
Photos by Tammie Valer
Diana Zaheer’s latest production is an extraordinary piece of spoken word poetry. The objective is clear: it is necessary to keep connected to your own paths no matter how distracting other possibilities are. Soothing and invigorating at the same time, “Your Side of the Street” is a piece of art that was carefully composed to move the listener emotionally and even spiritually.
Diana starts off the song by asking four thought-provoking questions that draw attention to ourselves and the relationship we have with our inner selves. However, it's the last question that resonates most with us - “Did you know you have one?” [side of the street]. It is an irrefutable statement, you have a side of the street, a path where you can walk slowly, run, or stop and admire the landscape as you wish. The freedom you can enjoy there is unnegotiable, but are you making proper use of it?
Zaheer's metaphor is precise by describing our place in the world and maybe our comfort zone as a street rather than a house. In our journey through life, we are not static, we constantly search for opportunities to evolve and embrace change. So, it is normal to get away from what we consider our home, friends, family, and childhood, but we still have a place where we can be fully ourselves and get in touch with our past, feelings, and dreams.
Diana Zaheer is a counselor and teacher of healing and wisdom traditions with more than 30 years of experience in her area. Through her voice, she transmits wisdom free of judgment, that feels more like a chat with a close friend rather than a speech. For this project, she worked closely with Lincoln Parish, founding member and original lead guitarist of Cage the Elephant. It is Lincoln then responsible for creating a pop song that evolved to become a soundscape that feels intimate and contemplative.
“This project was as much therapeutic for me as it's so vastly different from what I typically do in songwriting and music production on a day-to-day basis,” Parish explains and then adds “It allowed me to break down the confines of what writing a typical pop song would look like and forced me into creating a world that's main goal was to create emotion and a cinematic landscape whilst also not getting in the way of the topic at hand and allowing Diana's voice to stay in the forefront of it all. Truly a once in a lifetime experience for me.”
“Your Side of the Street'' is just the first single from the upcoming album “Over The Counter Meditations”. According to Zaheer, the album was created with the intention of giving us “companionship and wellness education along with the familiarity of music.” There is no doubt the album will be a valuable resource to those who are looking for support and healing to continue developing their full potential.
Innovatively refreshing the spoken word genre, "Your Side of the Street" brings a unique twist. By fusing profound lessons on well-being with music, both the debut track and upcoming album strive to captivate and motivate listeners in equal measure. So get ready to be mesmerized by this groundbreaking musical experience!