What I love most about my work is that it reflects my true nature. And it has allowed me to travel and meet people of different cultures. Music is my passport and it enables me to deliver a message and express ideas that any other language would have failed to deliver. I feel like my music is making a difference and spreading joy, hope and beauty. Because I’ve traveled a lot and worked on a series of documentaries — “Ethnopholia: Music of the People” — I’ve met a lot of people who are not particularly famous, but who carry music in their hearts and lives. They have had a great influence on me as a person and as an artist. I feel so lucky to have met them. Along with my friends, they are like guardian angels. I believe every person we meet leaves their fingerprint in one way or another. My list of musical influences is long. But it starts with my father. He had a great voice and also played the lute. He introduced me to traditional Oriental modal music when I was very young. That’s how my journey started. Professionally, my biggest regret is the opportunities I maybe missed because I lacked maturity. But I consider all my experiences to be lessons, rather than regrets. Personally, I regret not spending enough time with precious people like my mom, dad and siblings. I regret the time I did not spend with people who were so close to my heart and who unfortunately passed away. I cannot go back in time and make up for that. As a woman in the music industry, the biggest challenge I’ve faced with men was to keep things professional and preserve boundaries. But sometimes men are actually easier to deal with than women. I believe things are starting to change in our society, and women are starting to be more valued and appreciated. Women have a very important role to play: We are the symbol of life, of earth. We perpetuate life. What is more important than that? Women should be given more opportunities in the political field. Men have been ruling the world so far and all we’ve seen is war, violence, bitterness… I believe women can come up with important changes if they could take political decisions. We have a strong ability to multitask, and endurance that exceeds that of men. I’m not saying men are less important, but women should be given more chances.