Haale

Born in the Bronx to Iranian immigrant parents, Haale Gafori took the stage name Haale—pronounced like the opening syllables of “hallelujah”—a word whose meaning is “the halo around the moon.” She fused the Sufi mysticism and poetry of her Persian background with progressive rock, joining New York’s downtown music community. National appearances at the Bonnaroo Festival and the South by Southwest music conference marked 2007, the same year she independently issued the EPs Morning and Paratrooper. Channel A Music released her debut full-length album, No Ceiling, on March 18, 2008.