Delara (singer)

Delara Nikman was born in Sweden in 1997 to Iranian parents. Her mother grew up in Iran during the war with Iraq and was raised by a single mother. Her original plan was to become a doctor. At the age of six, she heard "Numb/Encore" by Jay-Z and Linkin Park, which had a lasting impact on her; she describes it as the first time she felt a love for music. Delara won a school talent competition, which led her to think that she could pursue a career in music. She started making music full-time after secondary school. As a teenager, Delara would post videos on Instagram of her singing while playing piano. At the age of sixteen, she got a hold of the Snapchat account of , a fellow Norwegian–Iranian artist who was popular at the time, and sent him videos of herself singing. He invited Delara to his studio in Økern, Oslo, and became a mentor to her, helping her with recording her self-written songs. == Career ==

Debut single "Paper Paper" was released in August 2016 under the name Amanda Delara, through the independent record label GR:OW. The dark pop song reached Spotify's Viral charts both globally and in the US. She additionally signed with Sony Music Norway in 2017, prior to the release of R&B follow-up singles "Dirhamz" and "New Generation", and Delara's first EP, Rebel, released later that year. In the same year, she also released a cover of "Gunerius" by Karpe, which was featured in the Norwegian television series Skam. The single "We Don't Run from Anyone" was released in early 2018, and was used as the theme song to the television series . The EP, along with the follow-up single "Soldiers" produced by Askjell Solstrand, garnered Delara a nomination at the 2018 Spellemannprisen in the category of Pop Artist of the Year. Its cover features Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, considered one of the most influential Norwegian writers, and its lyrics discuss Delara's identity as a minority in Norway, as well as the Law of Jante, crime, and self-confidence. Some of its content was incorporated into the national curriculum for secondary schools in Norway. In September 2020, she decided to use the mononymous Delara as her stage name. Later that year, "Checka", a collaboration with rapper Loredana, became a hit in German-speaking Europe, (depiction pictured) from One Thousand and One Nights. In May 2023, Delara was one of seventy women of colour who accompanied Alicia Keys in a reimagined version of "If I Ain't Got You" for the soundtrack of Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. In June 2023, Delara's Norwegian-language cover of the Swedish-language "Josefin" by Albin Lee Meldau became popular on TikTok, resulting in her releasing a studio version. It charted at number two in Norway and has been certified double platinum by IFPI Norge. At the 2023 Spellemannprisen ceremony, Shahrazad won in the category of Release of the Year. It became a top-five hit in Norway and went on to win the P3 Gull for Song of the Year at the 2024 ceremony, where Delara had two additional nominations. It reached number-one in Norway in November 2024, becoming Delara's song to do so. == Personal life ==

Delara has an Iranian passport and has been active bringing awareness to social issues affecting Iran such as human rights abuses. Delara speaks Persian and was interviewed on the Persian-language channel Iran International about her activism. Though most of her songs are in English, she has also released songs in Norwegian. In addition, Delara revealed she was teaching herself Spanish during the COVID-19 pandemic. == Discography ==

Studio albums • Shahrazad (2023) EPs • Rebel (2017) • Running Deep (2018) • (2020) • Timepiece (2021) Singles Featured singles == Awards and nominations ==