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Astray

A Choir of Helping Voices

Venus Kiani releases her debut single “Astray”, a pop soul song with gospel influences. The track was written in collaboration with producer Alexander Asp, shining a light on the importance of asking for help. Influences ranging from the divas from the sixties and seventies to modern Swedish pop are stitched together in Kiani’s hopeful sound.

“This song is about getting rid of the shame surrounding asking for help,” Kiani comments. “Knowing that there are people who care and want to be there for you.” 

This comforting feeling is reflected by the Gospel choir that grows slowly throughout the song, taking more and more space to support Venus Kiani’s leading vocals. 

Up to her debut release, the artist had mostly worked with folk-oriented sounds in her parallel duo project Gudmor. So the Gospel choir wasn’t part of the initial version. “It emerged in the studio”, the artist explains. 

Venus Kiani is attending the Academy of Music and Drama at the University of Gothenburg. In 2020, she got signed to Rexius Records and started recording “Astray”. While producer Alexander Asp is known for acoustic singles like “Cold Winter Love”, the song has a modern pop sound that supports Kiani’s retro-influenced vocals quite well. 

Cover art by: Tanja Berkö (design) & Elika Henriksson (photo)

Instagram: Venus Kiani

Venus Kiani