More and more
whole songs were coming.
As an interdisciplinary Artist -
she saw music at the core of atmosphere
& lead the journey for any performance -
and music is at the center of all of it.


At the center of music was singing and she began her own organic singing studies of the voice that she learned by following the gospel wailing of "The Great Gig In The Sky" off of PINK FLOYD's
Dark Side Of The Moon - note per note.

She was mesmerized by how much emotion was conveyed without any words and knew that was the deep place
that she wanted to sing from.

To Aliah, it was more than just studying music - it was a quest for the real authentic spirit of social justice and peace activism that the 60's music had inspired, along with unfolding the mystery of real love and revealing another angle into life's deeper understandings -
so we can find a way to get along.

She had played solo piano for a while when at 15 -
her vision of a rock band came to her -
as she picked up the sax to front the rock band.

ALIAH & THE SAX Then Aliah switched from drama to band to start playing sax on a dare from her boyfriend who said "A woman can't play sax!" But with her so determined... he took it down from his closet and said if she learned to play it - he would give it to her. So she worked really hard and improved very fast on it. Then, she surprised everyone when she dropped dance her senior year to sit 2nd chair sax to the top sax player at her high school last year - in the Phoenix College Jazz Band and he gave her the sax.

The Phoenix College Teachers
were especially gifted
at giving the next step to their students.

After studying Bach Chorals in her first year of music theory during her senior year of high school - they went on the next year of music theory to 2 & then, 3 part inventions that she was also playing on piano. Aliah asked the teacher where it was all leading... and he hesitated.. and then said conclusively - the fugue. She was inspired to challenge the whole class to write a fugue.

Scott Brazieal was another senior at a different high school who was also going to Phoenix College. The two became good friends and then he asked her to join his band CARTOON who played the whole Rocky and Bulwinkle theme in their shows that had visuals and were quite theatric at concerts.

Scott was a young piano prodigy who could actually play fugues on piano - so he started one to meet her challenge to the class to write a fugue. Much to her surprise, she was the only one who turned in a finished fugue. So her teacher supported her in getting players to record it - 3 voices on harp and 1 on flute recorded in the practice rooms
where the harp was - it was recorded.

Later, she added the spoken word poetry and sung vocals at Synchestra Studios where she hung out a lot at after that to learn about music recording. She called the songs"From The Breeze" about insights while chasing like the wind - a never ending artistic dream - years later she choreographed & performed the song in a Master Choreography Class at ASU.
(She danced to her own music - her vision in high school.)

New College of California in San Francisco
is where she could study with pro musician around the bay area...
as part of her BA in Humanities.



She studied voice with Judy Davis - teacher of Grace Slicks & Janis Joplin & so many more known singers.
She was told she was accepted as a student of Judy Davis - while painting her first oil painting - a 7 hour non-stop painting experience of a self-portrait - with paints from her artist roommate where she shared a flat during college.
Inspired magical experiences were common as well as long conversations about art and life... at the room they called
"The Corner' because it was right on the corner of Haight & Ashbury.

As part of her Degree she studied Video Acting, TV Productions, and Piano with virtuoso pianist Steven Dennis.
Many other artist friends who would often come hang out after her piano lessons for dinner as her gifted piano teacher
and dear friend Steven... would play his many classical pieces - often by memory.

He also encouraged her to play at the piano - as she had for years - just playing for hours...
in a meditation with whatever came to her... exploring the piano from deep inside.

He encouraged this and told her that was where her songs would come and that they did - more and more. Steven especially loved to accompany Aliah's singing & they began performing together beyond "The Corner".
He helped her to perform songs from Aliah's show she wrote "Songs Of Altantis" as part of her degree.
It was made into a presentation that promoted OTEC (Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion)
that produces fuel and fresh water with a desaltisation process along with wave energy -
as it was used in Atlantis. It can be used in areas closest to the equator where the warm waters are.

However, he saw her as the next Bette Midler and she wanted to play her own songs in a rock band.

So she played around in METRO opening for Bonny Hayes at The Stone and the Starry Plow.. in Berkeley.
After they almost got signed and then broke up.. Steven then encouraged her to do something
with all her intimate piano songs she kept to herself - while she wrote new songs to play in METRO where she played sax& was the lead vocalist. This encouragement lead her to San Francisco City College where she was taking dance classes.

On the main stage she performed her second one woman show called BELIEVE IN LOVE.
In the show she combined her thoughts... comedy & poetry, between songs she played
on a baby grand piano with cloud shaped lights from the play that was running in the theater at the time.
At the end she sang an a cappela song while the piano was moved for the finale of the show
where she danced to a song she had recorded with her former band METRO
"Another Place In Time" - following through on her vision of dancing to the songs she wrote.

Aliah says that doing the show - BELIEVE IN LOVE - is what brought her Paz - in an interview she said:. "BELIEVE IN LOVE was about believing in love after you have been hurt in love... gaining the courage to start trusting in love once more. And because you believe in LOVE - agape love... not connecting love to the person who hurt you or someone else - but LOVE itself... that lives inside us all. Connecting to the way love makes us grow spiritually as we open up to a deeper love each time we open to love. Each time we trust LOVE over fear and take a step in LOVE'S direction - this is what brings us LOVE." The San Francisco Guardsman commented on BELIEVE IN LOVE her one woman show combining her music, dance, poetry, art, and comedy about life: "It's nice to find someone who tells it how she sees it- we can expect to see more of Aliah Selah, she has the talent & integrity to rise above the norm."

Paz, her soulmate/bandmate with their duo TOUCH, Paz on upright acoustic bass & Aliah on sax on Harvard Square, & promoting the Cambridge Earthday Festival on College Radio where they played full band as well as in Boston in cafes while on a singer/songwriter vocal scholarship at Berklee School of Music.
(The name TOUCH was blessed by Robert Plant who she bumped into on Harvard Square one day.)

SOULER SYSTEM the funk rock band in San Diego playing EathFair in Balboa park,
Whole Being Weekend & Del. Mar Fair, & weekly at the Betterworld Cafe - along with Special Events..
SOULER SYSTEM reformed when they moved to Austin to play at clubs on 6th Street and Earth Day Festivals
& on lots of local TV shows until they reformed as their band currently: SPIRAL.

Together Paz and Aliah learned TV production (and later web production after starting with music production) in Austin where she used her dance choreography as a graphic with all kinds of other cool graphics for her music videos of her songs
airing to thousands in the Austin airwaves for 10 years... on many TV shows on ACTV & the Austin Music Network.

From her first solo piano concerts at 16 where she was noticed by a Phoenix DJ
who called her the next Joni Mitchell - to later in Austin, when Texas Beat Magazine agreed with the comparison
to Joni - in a review of her first solo CD "ACOUSTIC PERFUME"
of her intimate solo singer/songwriter music that came out just in time for Lilith Fair.

These were the piano songs that she again - did not play in band projects that she wrote new material for..
these were her more intimate songs that she rarely played for anyone.

Tim Records (Austin City Limits) heard her play them before a gig where there was a baby grand piano -
and he began to produce these the songs for ACOUSTIC PERFUME
that played on several local Austin Radio & TV Stations.

It was also played at many births... and to Aliah & Paz, that is still - it's highest recognition.

It was played at the birth of their son & the CD was dedicated to him & Paz and Aliah's Romanian Gypsy Ancestors.

For her second solo CD SHADES OF IMAGES she worked with well known & loved Austin Producer Mitch Watkins
and had MCA and other major interest - interested in her...
then the whole industry changed and many labels were swallowed and she continued to do her own productions.

Paz helped Aliah with her solo CD's and many songs and videos have won
nominations, awards, and have been offered to help many causes.

Another upcoming CD Bless The Water
is devoted to Spiritual Activism.
Many songs have been used for
Earth & Peace Causes.

Most known is the song "BLESS THE WATER" - that came a week before Aliah knew that the Tibetan monks were coming to bless Barton Springs. The fragile watershed of central Texas was struggling for support against a developer who was harming the whole eco system by putting expensive home there. This song was made into a music video of the Blessing with the monks, their sand art and the spring - it was played many times on many shows for the S.O.S.cause.

"LUNA, TREE OF LIFE" is a song that came whole after a dream where an ancient indian medicine man asked
Aliah to thank Julia for all she had done for his ancestors who thank her as well - for taking a stand by sitting in a tree.
It is about the life of Julia Butterfly Hill
who lived in a Redwood tree for 2 years to help save the ancient forest. Aliah gave her a Creative Evolutionary Award and interviewed her. It will be in the first episode of their new TV show CREATIVE EVOLTUION with
Peacefarm Productions.

"SWEETWATER" is the title track for the movie that airs on PBS - a coming of age film about friendship and working together through hard times.

Aliah was given a rarely given out singer/songwriter vocal scholarship from
Berklee School of Music.
And while there received singer/songwriter awards from both the teachers - & student songwriters.



"Little Shelf" has inspired Aliah's new Electronica CD.

Aliah says, of the new CD SPHERE OF NOW:
"it's about the longer now... when you have to wait for something to happen - as you understand the sphere of all it will take. Taking the time to prepare further... instead of getting frustrated it is not yet happening because we are being asked to smooth down with the waters of life a bit first.
Knowing that blocks are the polishing tools and
the smooth texture is about being chill as it builds.

Flowing with what happens, learning from it,
taking it's reflection in &
allowing inspirations to fly.