Poetry by Hazara writer Aziza Fayaz opens “Our Freedoms Must Be Won”, the new single from Kefaya & Elaha Soroor, placing the piece within a documented tradition of Hazara literature centred on rights, resistance and survival. The London-based collaboration between Giuliano Modarelli, Al MacSween, Joost Hendrickx and Hazara vocalist Elaha Soroor shapes Fayaz’s verses through references to Qawwali, Gnaoua and Indian classical structures carried by electric instruments, synthesisers and cyclical percussion.

Soroor’s background as a Kabul-born Hazara singer who rose to prominence as a finalist on Afghan Star, later becoming the first female Hazara vocalist to perform on Afghan television, gives the track a clear vocal lineage. After receiving death threats for speaking against sexism and injustice in Afghanistan, she sought asylum in the UK, marking the beginning of her work with Kefaya.

The partnership gained wider attention with Songs of Our Mothers (Bella Union), which reinterpreted Afghan women’s songs and led to airplay from Gilles Peterson and Mary Anne Hobbs, sessions on BBC Radio 3 and BBC Radio 4 and a sync placement in Channel 4’s We Are Lady Parts. It followed the trio’s earlier album Radio International, recorded during travels and collaborations across India, Palestine, Spain, Italy and the UK. These projects formed the groundwork for the ensemble vocabulary heard in the new single.

Fayaz’s poetry addresses conditions faced by Hazara communities and the wider struggle against authoritarian pressure. The group state: “This song carries a message of resilience, liberation and revolution, reminding us that freedom is never simply granted to the oppressed; it is something we hold close, nurture and fight for through struggles and resistance.” Polyrhythms and synthesisers meet vocal traditions from Afghanistan and the Subcontinent, shaping a setting for her verses. A new album and tour follow in 2026.

Stream the new single HERE