Adrienne Shamszad sings revolutionary anthems, prayerful power ballads, blues, lullabies, and love songs written from the depths of her heart. Adrienne’s poetry is intimate and genuine, inspired by the mystic Poets of Iran as much as the folk poet-songwriters of the 60s and 70s. Her strong and soulful voice, expressive guitar playing and bold performance style push her into the outer reaches of the singer-songwriter genre, and far beyond.

In 2018, Adrienne won the Living Cultures grant through the Alliance for California Traditional Arts (ACTA) to deepen her study of Persian Classical singing with master teacher and vocalist Mahsa Vahdat. She showcased her bi-lingual repertoire on the Freight and Salvage stage in August of 2019 to a full house.

After 2 years of production during the pandemic, in 2023 Adrienne released her second full-length album, Wash It All Away. The nine song record is a musical story of a powerful kind of love, surrender, and transformation. It features a stellar Bay Area rhythm section - James Small on drums (Fantastic Negrito) and Daniel Fabricant on bass (Rupa and the April Fishes)- co-production from Ram Dass Khalsa (Snatum Kaur), and string and horn arrangements from trumpetist and composer Arturo Solar (Bruno Mars, Shakira, Googoosh).

Adrienne Shamszad sings revolutionary anthems, prayerful power ballads, blues, lullabies, and love songs written from the depths of her heart. Her strong and soulful voice, expressive guitar playing and bold performance style push her into the outer reaches of the singer-songwriter genre, and far beyond.

Her musical artistry is a rare and special thing. She is mystical, yet earthy. Full of control yet wildly spontaneous. Adrienne’s poetry is intimate and genuine, inspired by the mystic Poets of Iran as much as the folk poet-songwriters of the 60s and 70s. She can transform a stage into a sacred place with the magic and power of her voice. Then, she sweeps you away on a musical journey through improvisation, folk melodies, Indian mantra, rock and roll, rhythm and blues, and Iranian classics.

Her mixed cultural background, international travels, and deep love of people reside in her music. It can open listeners’ hearts to the unfamiliar and, in doing so, invite more understanding, courage and curiosity into this world. ​Since beginning formal training in Traditional Iranian vocal arts and music in 2016, Adrienne's music has expanded to a genre of its own as she brings the messages of her ancestors into the present moment.

In 2018, Adrienne won the Living Cultures grant through the Alliance for California Traditional Arts (ACTA) to deepen her study of Persian Classical singing with master teacher and vocalist Mahsa Vahdat. She showcased her bi-lingual repertoire on the Freight and Salvage stage in August of 2019 to a full house.

After 2 years of production during the pandemic, in 2023 Adrienne released her second full-length album, Wash It All Away. The nine-song record is a musical story of a powerful kind of love, surrender, and transformation. It features a stellar Bay Area rhythm section - James Small on drums (Fantastic Negrito) and Daniel Fabricant on bass (Rupa and the April Fishes)- co-production from Ram Dass Khalsa (Snatum Kaur), and string and horn arrangements from trumpetist and composer Arturo Solar (Bruno Mars, Shakira). “Wash It All Away is a big, beautiful declaration of my love and respect for life, nature, the cosmos, God/Spirit, and for the human struggle… and it also happens to be the story of my life.”

Adrienne has performed with beloved and renowned artists such as Kitka, David Wilcox, SOVÓSO, Coleman Barks, and Mahsa Vahdat. She has been in productions by groups such as The Berkeley Repertory Theater, Golden Thread Productions, and Diaspora Arts Connection. She has supported dozens of other artists to develop and hone their craft as a teacher and music mentor.