I had tears in my eyes: Mehrnigori Rustam

For someone whose life has been ingrained in music ever since she was just a five-year-old girl growing up in Tajikistan, Mehrnigori Rustam couldn't help but revel in joyous euphoria when she received a text on Instagram from Coke Studio Bangla (CSB) stating that they were interested in collaborating with her on an upcoming project.

Like many of us, she had grown up as an avid follower of Coke Studio Pakistan, and so an invitation like this felt, in many ways, like life coming full circle for her.  

By then, she had already carved out a little name for herself—releasing originals that had found their audience, performing on stages across different parts of the world, sometimes even alongside major stars. Still, getting a call from Coke Studio was probably not something she had on her bingo card at the time.

"Words can't express the happiness I felt. It was a dream come true in a lot of ways. When they reached out to me, I actually had tears in my eyes!" said Mehrnigori.

What actually caught the eye of the Bangladeshi hub of the platform was her viral cover of 'Jamal Kudu' from the 2023 Bollywood hit 'Animal'—a cover that was trending at number one in India for a while. However, this time round, she was going to sing in her own language and that too for a foreign audience.

"It's a matter of huge pride for me to be the first Persian girl to perform on the platform. I am proud to have represented my own language, culture and my country," she added.

CSB wanted 'Moha Jadu', released just this past week, to be a blend of Persian and Bangla. They asked Mehrnigori to come up with lyrics with a deep, powerful, almost spiritual undertone—something in the spirit of Rumi's poetry—so that it could flow naturally with the rest of the song. 

"For the lyrics, I reached out to Iranian songwriter Hadis Dehghan—she was just the right person for this."

Sharing the track with her was none other than Habib Wahid—someone who Mehrnigori thinks and speaks of very highly, now having had the chance to work with the Bangladeshi pop icon.

Even though Mehrnigori's music already reaches different corners of the world—with huge followings in India, Afghanistan, Central Asia and beyond—it never hurts to grow one's listener base. 

Since the release of Moha Jadu, she's been feeling heaps of love, warmth, and acceptance from Bangladeshi fans—so much so that she's now added a Bangladeshi flag to her Instagram bio.

If the opportunity is there, I will come to Bangladesh to perform or make new music without a shadow of a doubt! Maybe I can even learn the language and sing in Bangla—who knows? I'll make sure that after listening, no one even realises I'm not Bangali.

Mehrnigori Rustam

"I see Bangladeshi fans commenting on many of my songs, even ones from years ago," she said. 

"Some people noticed that I usually put the flags of countries I regularly visit and perform in on my bio, and they asked, 'Hey, can you add our flag too? You've been to Bangladesh and we accept you!"

Touched by the heartfelt requests, Mehrnigori was quick to oblige. 

"It was so sweet of them, and from the bottom of my heart, I put the Bangladeshi flag on my bio with happiness."

During the ten days she spent in Dhaka working on and shooting the song, Mehrnigori wanted nothing more than an integration of culture. To her, the Persian and Arabic worlds feel deeply connected to ours, and through music—an art that knows no boundaries—she hopes to keep building on those bridges and composing new songs, even for Bangladesh.

"If the opportunity is there, I will come to Bangladesh to perform or make new music without a shadow of a doubt! Maybe I can even learn the language and sing in Bangla—who knows? I'll make sure that after listening, no one even realises I'm not Bangali, haha," she concluded gleefully.