Are we really ever collective?

There’s something incredibly poetic about Natasha Khan, the half Pakistani-half-British chanteuse behind mystical Bat for Lashes. Her fluttery style and floaty lyrics are transcendent, enchanting, and kind of eerie. But in all honesty, I think I like her because of her mysterious bohemianism. She’s unlike many of the Pakistani girls I grew up knowing. Her inquisitive, introspective timidity are just so endearing. And the haunting, folksy avant guarde sound of her ensemble, Bat for Lashes, is creating a new cool for art school drop-outs (as if they needed it). The Guardian`s recent chat with Natasha captures her self-deprecating tortured artist spirit, and this video for “Whats a Girl to Do” makes you wonder what world her dreams take place in:

But perhaps what’s even cooler is that she is related to Rahmat (father) and Jahangir (uncle) Khan, that formed the ultimate Pakistani Squash Dynasty-which of course meant they were household names- when I was growing up. I still remember Jahangir’s face iconized in soda ads around the country in the ’90’s. He always kind of bore a resemblance to Fido Dido.

Jahangir Khan in fierce battle