Martina Attili Gives Voice to Afghan Women with New Song Le Sirene
- Italian singer Martina Attili and London-based Afghan artist Alia released their collaborative single Le Sirene on August 27, 2026, according to reporting by Dilei.
- According to Dilei, the song addresses the ongoing restrictions placed on women in Afghanistan since the Taliban returned to power five years ago.
- The collaboration originated in September 2024 at an event dedicated to Afghan women held at the Circolo AR in Pomezia, as reported by Dilei.
Italian singer Martina Attili and London-based Afghan artist Alia released their collaborative single Le Sirene on August 27, 2026, according to reporting by Dilei. The track serves as an anthem dedicated to women silenced by the Taliban regime, blending Attili’s Italian lyrical style with Alia’s traditional Dari and pashto vocal performances.
An Anthem Born in Exile
Five Years of Silence Under the Taliban
According to Dilei, the song addresses the ongoing restrictions placed on women in Afghanistan since the Taliban returned to power five years ago. Under the current administration, women face bans from schools, universities, workplaces, and public life, with particular restrictions targeting music and the female voice.
A Pomezia Meeting Sparks Collaboration
The collaboration originated in September 2024 at an event dedicated to Afghan women held at the Circolo AR in Pomezia, as reported by Dilei. Attili debuted a draft of the song in front of an audience that included Afghan refugees, whose emotional response inspired Alia to write an original section in Dari.
Reimagining the Myth of the Sirens
Musical arrangements on Le Sirene feature a prominent acoustic guitar alongside eastern musical elements. The lyrics frame sirens not as mythical lures, but as figures persecuted throughout history simply for wanting to sing, speak, and dance.
Bridging London and Rome Through Song
Alia performs from her perspective in London as an exile maintaining a connection to her cultural roots. Meanwhile, Attili constructed her verses by imagining what it would feel like to be stripped of her own creative freedom.