Hadja Rastagar

Hadja is a musician with Afghan roots. She became musically active at an early age. Her parents, Wajiha and Farid Rastagar, are well-known musicians in the Afghan music industry and supported her in recording her first album Olucha in Dari at the age of five. At 13, she released her second album Yak Qese Taza. As a child, she sang about educational topics for children, the war, and the longing for peace in her homeland. In her youth, she gave several concerts in Kabul and appeared on Afghan television. At the age of 15, she began writing her own songs in English and German.

In 2019, she released her first EP Dear My Lover, which she wrote and produced herself. This was followed by another EP titled Self Care in 2020.

Her musical style is shaped by the combination of electronic music with oriental influences and the layered use of her voice.

She is currently writing her master’s thesis on Afghan pop music in the 20th century.