Global Pop Star Shab Drops ‘Perfume’ – Exclusive Interview
“It’s a glamorous track infused with beauty and mysterious rhythm“. That’s what global pop artist Shab toldThe Garnette Report when describing her new single. June 26th, 2026 saw Shab release ‘Perfume’, a track that’s vibrance and good vibes speak for itself. TGR had the pleasure of talking to the Persian-American singer-songwriter on all things ‘Perfume’ in an exclusive interview.
To say it was a pleasure speaking to Shab is an understatement. She’s more than just a pop artist, she’s a wonderful human being. A kind soul with a big beautiful heart, Shab is a rarity in this world. She was open to any/all questions and gave the most detailed, thoughtful answers she could have. Her energy is infectious and that shines in her musical output. By integrating her Persian culture into her career, Shab’s uniqueness makes her a tantalizing weapon in the pop industry.
Her selfless devotion to not only her career but helping the world is remarkable. Shab, a former refugee herself who fleed the tyrannical Iranian Regime at the age of 8, is involved with a number of charities to help the displaced people of the world. And she talked about this exclusively with TGR, “Let my blessings bless others, that’s always been my motto. I never just wanted to have a selfish fame rather than selfless fame.”
But that’s not all. Upon the conclusion of the detailed and inviting discussion, Shab dropped a bombshell, “I have a new song coming out that I wrote with Bonnie and J-Hart called ‘Best of all times’.” She describes it as a Disco-Persian track that’ll pull you out of a bad time and transport you to somewhere magical. She’s looking for it to aid people who need it most. Her belief in this track is off the charts, claiming fans will love it even more, “I mean ‘Perfume’ is good, but the next one is really about empowering somebody.” The full interview can be seen below.
Full Interview With Shab
1. For someone who’s never had the pleasure of listening to your music, how would you describe yourself as an artist?
“I’m a pop artist with a global heart. I’ve traveled the world and I’ve seen so many different things and my music kind of blends with modern pop and a little touch of Persian heritage. But more than anything I want people to feel something, you know? I love making music and just making people feel uplifted and empowered. I want something that makes you get up and dance. If you’re sad, dance, if you’re happy, dance, if you’re mad dance, if you’re angry dance. Just dance through life! Dancing is so healing music is so healing. I want people to smile a bit more and feel more confident. I’m just here to uplift humanity in every way I can with my music.”
2. If you could choose 3 words that shape your musical style sonically, what would they be and why?
Cinematic: “I love music that paints pictures in your mind and that could be anything.”
Addictive: “I want melodies that you accidentally sing in the shower 3 days later and then you just laugh about it. That’s how I started and look where I’m at. So just don’t give up on your dream, keep doing it whether it’s in the shower or in the car it’s gonna happen for you.”
Global: “I grew up between different cultures like the Old World versus New World, the Persian empire etc. They allowed for my ancestors to be here and living in America and living the American Dream and just a proud American too.”
3. You have been on quite the remarkable journey to get here and you’re just getting started. What does music mean to you? When did you know you wanted to become an artist?
“I think music has always been my safe place. When I came to America as a refugee with literally one suitcase, speaking no English at 14, music became the language I never needed translating for. I think I wanted to be an artist the moment I realized songs could make people feel less alone. Fame has never been the dream, connection has for me. At the end of the day I think kindness travels further than any passport.”
4. I understand you serve as an ambassador for the UK-based charity ‘Choose Love’. Does this drive come from once being a refugee yourself? Where’d the idea to donate all the profits of your “One Suitcase” album to support displaced people around the world come from?
“Choose Love is such a beautiful cause. I just love the name Choose Love, you know? I just absolutely loved everything about it and being a refugee was… sort of like the hardship I went through and all the different things, and I was like, you know what? These people obviously come to a different country to find out about life and we work really hard because we have no other choice right? Educating ourselves about certain things is important. If you help people it comes back to you. Let my blessings bless others, that’s always been my motto. I never just wanted to have a selfish fame rather than selfless fame.”
“I was sitting with my husband, Rob and I always make decisions with him. It’s important to respect your partner and he actually came up with it because we both have charitable hearts and we have a charity here for homeless moms and children called Hope Supply here in Dallas and the surrounding Texas area. But anyway I told him I’d be more than happy to help in any way I can. So both of us just basically had very big hearts, very charitable.”
5. In relation to “Perfume”, you’ve been on record stating, “It’s inspired by my Persian roots while embracing a modern, playful energy.” In what ways do your roots shine through in this track? How do you balance that while keeping an energetic modern pop feel?
“I think with ‘Perfume’, I didn’t want to make a traditional Persian song. I wanted to create a modern pop sound record that carries the spirit. It’s like adding saffron to a recipe, you might not immediately identify it, but it kind of goes with everything with all of the unique flavors. So basically, my culture is woven into everything I create. I grew up admiring Persian women and just really as women as goddesses as the divine feminine to come and heal our world. I support Persian women. I support Latinas, I support everyone you name it. The whole global humanity of women is just powerful. I don’t ever compete with them and never have because a goddess doesn’t compete with another goddess. I honestly feel like my new sound is sort of like bringing my culture into this. I’m really happy about it because I’ve been pushing for this for like 4 years and it’s finally happened. I feel like I can be more myself and when I’m performing I feel like it fits me.
6. “Perfume” is undeniably catchy and has a hypnotic vibe to it. Was that a conscious part of production or does that happen naturally?
“I think it was very intentional. So we wanted this song to feel like perfume. You don;t see perfume but you experience it, right? We wanted the music to slowly pull you in, sort of like taking you layer by layer until you couldn’t stop singing. So we just kinda asked ourselves the question: Does this feel irresistible? We want listeners to wear the song like they wear their favorite fragrance. So it’s nothing you can touch, but you can feel it in your body because it’s the scent you leave behind.”
7. You wrote “Perfume” alongside songwriters Damon Sharpe, Bonnie McKee and JHart. What was it like working with these three ultra talented minds? How has that experience affected you and helped you grow as an artist?
“Honestly, it felt like being in a master class everyday. Each of them brought something unique and completely different. Damon has an incredible instinct for creating records that connect globally. Bonnie has the gift for writing lyrics that are clever, memorable and emotional. And Jhart has this amazing ear for melody. He just starts singing or humming and I’m just like ‘Wow this is incredible’. I cannot wait to keep learning from the best and keep growing. I worked with Jhart on my 2nd album, ‘One Suitcase’, so it’s been a great experience. This is the new hide for me right now and I’m just really excited. I mean, it was just magical”
8. The song’s main themes of individuality, femininity and confidence clearly shine. Upon first listen, what do you hope fans get out of “Perfume”?
“I think that’s a really good question. I want them to feel confident, mysterious and the feeling of you leaving that invisible energy behind. It’s the feeling where people are looking back to say, who was that when you just walked into the room. I want the song to invoke individuality – You don’t need anybody else’s approval to tell you who you are and ‘Perfume’ is the start of something really beautiful. It’s a glamorous track infused with beauty, mysterious rhythm and takes you to that mystery beat you haven’t really heard before with pop. I’m trying to introduce something new and give listeners that confidence and feminine power back.
Featured Photo By: Shab/Maverick Alexander