"Khuda Bowad Yaret": Ahmad Zahir vs. Niyaz

Many artists covered "Khuda Bowad Yaret" over the years; most notably Naim Popal and Farhad Darya, two giants in Afghan music. Every artist treats the song differently, but the one common denominator among covers was gender. Naim Popal and Farhad Darya are men who cover a lot of Zahir's songs as do the majority of male Afghan artists. For this reason, I chose Niyaz's cover of "Khuda Bowad Yaret" to compare with the original instead. The lead singer of Niyaz is Azam Ali, an Iranian woman. Hers is the first recorded female voice I've heard singing Zahir's classic which must be the case for many listeners. Since she is a pioneer, I was intrigued by what Niyaz decided to do with that kind of responsibility. I was not disappointed.




First of all, this song is in Dari, a dialect of Farsi that is spoken most popularly in Afghanistan. However, Ali is from Iran where Farsi is dominant. They are the same language, their dictional differences being relatively insignificant, but it is unusual for an Iranian singer to cover an Afghan artist and vice versa. Artists from both countries generally stick with music from their respective regions despite a shared language. However, when an Iranian artist does cover an Afghan song, it's always popular and memorable. At least it always is when it's an Ahmad Zahir cover.

Language is a barrier Niyaz wants to overcome by covering an Afghan artist and offering English speakers a hint at the meaning by titling this "Divine Companion." "Khuda Bowad Yaret" actually means "May God protect you," but "Divine Companion" condenses the chorus further instead of simply titling the song based on its first line. Not only does this name change help connect different audiences to the music, but it sets the tone for the kind of cover this is. "Divine Companion" evokes feelings of mystery and mysticism, a mood achieved by Niyaz in Ali's wistful vocals accompanied by some strong drums.

Niyaz's rendition seems heavily influenced by Sufi mysticism in the trancelike rhythm and Ali's hypnotic vocals. The cover also relies more heavily on strings than Zahir's original and flexes its technical muscles with the amount of echoing on Ali's prolonged vowels. She puts more emphasis on the words that end verses unlike Zahir who did this sporadically. Specifically, Ali highlights, "Allah yaar jan khatar dara judayee./ Nehale besamar dara judayee" by elongating the vowels that end both sentences. The lyrics translate to "My love there's danger in being apart/ A fruitless tree must be forsaken." Ali gives the song its mystical vibe through echoing, deep vocals and emphasizing these lyrics.

Niyaz revamps "Khuda Bowad Yaret" by honoring its divine lyrics with equally divine instrumentation and vocals.