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Filed away in an infrequently opened yet impeccably maintained drawer is a printed copy of a Wikipedia article inside a blue folder. Its corners are softened from being handled and folded, and the black‑and‑white ink of the copy is just beginning to fade. Several phrases are underlined in dark blue pen. In the margins are several notes and question marks in careful handwriting in the form of a tight, slanted cursive that presses just light enough into the paper to not leave an imprint on the sheet beneath, save for a sentence near the middle scored over so many times that the letters are almost smudged into a single dark bar.
Leila Roshan (born 7 August 1998), known professionally as Shah, is a Persian-American singer‑songwriter, guitarist, music producer and activist. She is best known as the lead vocalist and primary songwriter of the alternative rock and art rock band Widow Creek, with whom she has released four studio albums: Saplings (2018), Heartmend (2019), Keep the Fire (2021) and Dripping Tongues (2023). Within the band’s discography, Roshan’s songwriting on singles such as “Aluminum” and “What’s in the Glass?” has been noted for its intense emotional delivery and complex, theatrical vocal arrangements. Her work is characterised by autobiographical and often self‑lacerating lyrics, a dark, instrumentally‑driven art-indie sound, and recurring explorations of trauma, intimacy and addiction. She has been described by Rolling Stone as “a refreshingly honest, vulnerable artist who treats the stage as a confessional battleground.”
[A photo depicting Roshan performing with Widow Creek at the Riverglass Indie Festival in 2024. She is wearing a long batwing dress and tinted rectangular sunglasses, her fresh wavy pixie cut catching the green hues of the stage lights as they reflect off her blonde curls. Her eyes appear to be closed as she bends over the microphone in her hands, one arm extended toward the crowd as if serenading someone in the audience. She looks magnificent.]
- Name: Leila Roshan
- Also known as: Shah
- Born: 7 August 1998 (age 27), Los Angeles, California, U.S.
- Nationality: American
- Occupations: Singer‑songwriter, guitarist, record producer, activist
- Years active: 2016–present
- Genres: Alternative rock, art rock, indie rock
- Instruments: Vocals, guitar, cello
- Labels: Independent
- Associated acts: Widow Creek
- Website: [www.widowcreekband.com]
Early life and education
Leila Roshan was born on 7 August 1998 in Anaheim, California, to Iranian immigrant parents.
As a teenager, Roshan attended a public high school in Orange County, where she began writing songs and recording rough demos of her vocals accompanied by guitar and, occasionally, cello. She has described herself during this period as “being positively furious but not knowing what she was angry about or what to do about it.” During her later high school years she started playing at small open‑mic nights with classmates, including guitarist Rowan Hart and bassist Devyn Powell, along with drummer Jazzy Drake and Seven Duckstein (aka Lawless), the group would go on to form the band Widow Creek. The band initially rehearsed in Powell’s parents’ garage, where they developed their first songs and live set before beginning to perform regularly.
Career
2016–2018: Formation of Widow Creek and Saplings
Roshan and her high school bandmates formally established Widow Creek in 2016, initially performing under various names at house shows and small clubs. Roshan and Lawless acted as co-vocalists and songwriters, with Roshan making her debut under the stage name Shah. Widow Creek self-released their first album, Saplings, in 2018, recorded largely at night in band members’ makeshift studios on a minimal budget. Although Saplings did not chart, it attracted attention on independent blogs and local college radio for its lo-fi production and Roshan’s strong lyricism.
2019–2021: Heartmend, Keep the Fire and growing acclaim
The band’s second album, Heartmend (2019), marked a shift towards more sophisticated arrangements while retaining the emotional intensity of their debut album. During this period, Widow Creek began touring across the West Coast and opening for other alternative and indie acts. Their third studio album, Keep the Fire (2021), produced the single “Aluminum,” which gained a modest cult following online and was frequently cited by critics as a turning point in Roshan’s songwriting.
2023–present: Dripping Tongues and wider recognition
In 2023 Widow Creek released Dripping Tongues as their fourth studio album. It was met with increased critical attention within the alternative and art rock press. The record, noted for its darker tonal palette and more experimental structures, solidified Roshan’s reputation as the band’s central creative force. Following the album’s release, Widow Creek secured slots at several regional festivals and embarked on their first headlining tour of small and mid-sized venues in North America. Lawless departed from Widow Creek around the time of the album’s release. The end of Lawless and Roshan’s romantic relationship / Not public. and his exit from the band were later widely speculated to have influenced the themes of “What’s in the Glass?” and other songs from this period.
Artistry
Critics have described Roshan’s music with Widow Creek as a blend of alternative rock, art rock and dark indie. characterised by guitar‑driven arrangements, dramatic shifts in dynamics and her highly expressive vocal delivery. Reviewers frequently note her use of layered harmonies and unconventional song structures in her music. Roshan has cited artists such as Florence and the Machine, alt‑J, Ethel Cain and other experimental indie acts as influences on her approach to synchronising her vocals with instrumentals. Roshan is generally considered a contralto, with a notably dark lower register and a markedly different tone between her chest and head voice, both of which she often implements in live performances and studio recordings. She has been described by reviewers and collaborators as having absolute pitch, and has said that her connection to music allows her to “translate whatever I’m feeling about something.”
Roshan’s songwriting is widely regarded to be autobiographical. Her lyrics often explore themes of trauma, intimacy, addiction, and cultural identity. Many of the band’s songs incorporate visceral and nature-inspired imagery with heavy emotional metaphor. Critics have noted her recurring use of specific symbols and motifs as a kind of private lexicon through which dedicated listeners attempt to decode Roshan’s emotional states and the events in her life that she took as inspiration. Across albums, she frequently explores the blurred boundaries between romantic and self‑destructive attachment, as well as bringing forth private experiences into public performance on stage. Several commentators have described her work as a contemporary iteration of the “confessional” singer‑songwriter tradition.
Public image and activism
Roshan’s public image has been shaped by her openness to discussions around mental health, trauma and cultural identity. In interviews she has spoken candidly about her Iranian heritage and childhood memories of Iran, describing herself as having grown up “with two versions of home, one in my heart and one I saw on the news.” She frequently encourages fans to look after their mental health and seek community support, and has alluded in her lyrics and public statements to periods of relapse, depression and self‑harm. She has participated in benefit shows for refugee and immigrant‑aid organisations, as well as grassroots groups focused on mental health access for young people and women of colour, and often uses her social media platforms to highlight local mutual‑aid efforts.
Commentators have often described Shah separately from Roshan herself, as a heightened and more uninhibited side of the singer. //Relevance? Under her stage name, Roshan displays intense physicality, unchoreographed sharp gestures and an unconventional use of breath and vocal strain, with some critics characterising her stage presence as “possessed.” The persona stands in vivid contrast to Roshan’s comparatively reserved offstage demeanour. Roshan has said that the persona of Shah allows her to reclaim power on stage in the face of gendered violence and male‑centred spaces in the music industry, while also allowing to externalise experiences she does not feel able to discuss plainly in conversation. She has also noted that performing as Shah provides a degree of separation between her increasingly visible public image and her private life.
Personal life
Roshan is bilingual in English and Farsi. She has described herself as agnostic.
Roshan has been open about identifying as bisexual, but has generally declined to discuss specific relationships in detail. She was reported to be in a long‑term relationship with Widow Creek co-vocalist Seven Lawless, ending in early 2023 shortly after Lawless left the group. It has been speculated that several songs on Dripping Tongues were informed by the end of that relationship, although she has not confirmed which tracks directly reference it. Roshan is based in Los Angeles.