Zeshan B Seeks Hope Against Despair and Elitist Oppression on New Song "Only In My Dreams"

Today, Zeshan B shares his new single "Only In My Dreams," born from an actual dream he experienced during a previous period of his life that was filled with insomnia, undiagnosed sleep apnea, and depression. Now, though some of those restless nights have returned in the midst of COVID-19, worrying for his wife while she works on the frontline as a Johns Hopkins Hospital anesthesiologist, "Only In My Dreams" has by far become Zeshan's favorite song from Melismatic, his debut album of original music out next Friday, May 15. 

Instead of turning to despair, Zeshan channels the influence of his late idol, Bill Withers. It's a noted connection - American Songwriter says that like Withers, Zeshan "seems to relish using his music to bring people together." And similar to "Brown Power," Zeshan's civil rights anthem released earlier this year with a music video that united Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, Hasan Minhaj, Jesse Jackson, Dr. Cornel West, and dozens of other activists, "Only In My Dreams" is a call for social justice, soundtracked by gritty American grooves and a belting sense of Indo-Pakistani pride. It is a wise kind of hope that continues to show how the Muslim soul singer and first-generation immigrant "grounds his voice into uplifting the ones who have been discriminated against" (The FADER). 

Listen to "Only In My Dreams" here: https://youtu.be/4snBjuH8zac 

And read more at PopMatters. As Zeshan explains, "This song is a stream of consciousness that parlays the anguish of my past, the uncertainty of my future, but also the tiny morsel of idealism that I still cling onto for dear life as I continue to sleepwalk through this strange world."

This past weekend, in alignment with Mental Health Awareness Month, Zeshan B teamed up with Men's Health and licensed therapist Dr. Drew Ramsey for a conversation about practical and accessible mental health strategies during the pandemic. Watch their full interview here, and tune in to their follow-up discussion on Medscape's Instagramlivestream at 4pm ET today. 

On Saturday, May 9, from 2pm-4pm ET, Zeshan joins Senator Tim Kaine, Representative Rashida Tlaib, and others for Emgage and the Muslim Public Affairs Council's virtual Ramadan panel. Find more information here, and check out a feature with NowThis to see how Zeshan hopes music like "Brown Power" can stir people into positive action and empathy.

Other fans of Melismatic's previous offerings include Brown Girl Magazine (where Zeshan shares what it was like to sing for President Obama), Consequence of Sound(dubbing "Nausheen," his single about Indo-Pakistani gender inequality, a "Song You Need To Hear"), and FLOOD (who says Zeshan "often sounds like David Longstreth collaborating with Rostam"). 

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