Ive always been very good at helping other people finish their songs, the 33-year-old musician tells EW.
But when it came to finishing his own?
I was hard on myself in terms of the storytelling aspects of the lyrics, he says.
Credit: Alex John Beck
I wanted to ensure that the songs were always telling the whole story.
The story Rostam tells on his debutHalf-Light, out Friday, examines the intersection of identity and culture.
I have a really complicated relationship with American music, says the U.S.-born son of Iranian immigrants.
This record is me exploring those relationships and doing my version of what I think of as American music.
I was trying to make something honest out of my experiences.
The tunes, meanwhile, blend everything from Shaker and Welsh folk songs to ancient Persian music.
Ultimately, Rostam concludes, the project just required initiative and focus to complete.
