Politics, race, religion, and gender are the main causes of humanity's constant division. Throughout history, lands were conquered and people were brutally treated like cattle because one group always believed themselves superior to their distant brethren. White Christian men had every opportunity and all the power for centuries, treating women as secondary humans and those with more melanin like dirt.

Europeans conquered the world and claimed nearly every newly discovered chunk of land for their nations. With each voyage, new continents and oceans unraveled more opportunities for power, pride, and wealth. Naturally, the Europeans used natives as slaves in Asia and the Caribbean. They shipped Africans through long voyages to wherever cheap labor was needed, inhumanely cramming them in ships where many died along the way.

People who looked and believed in different things, people who spoke different languages or loved differently—their lives were in jeopardy solely because they were different. It was survival of the fittest. Majority ruled and anyone who thought differently would be punished.

Women who thought progressively were even punished for not staying in their lane. What use is a woman outside of the house? They can't be educated because their brains can't handle complex matters, and they sure as hell aren't strong enough to do a man's work. Women are physically smaller, therefore weaker and more fragile than men. Science and politics should be of no concern to them.

This racism, sexism, and political divide is all left in the past. It's 2017. It's a new, fresh millennium where women are equal to men and you can express yourself however you want. You're allowed to be a Democrat and your bestie, a Republican. You're allowed to fall in love with someone who is the same gender. You're allowed to fall in love with someone of a different race or practices a different religion.

We're past the small-mindedness of our ancestors because the world is a progressive place filled with tolerance and love—a celebration of diversity.

I'm the perfect example of this acceptance. My mother's Persian, my dad's Italian, and I spent majority of my life living in the States. My mixed heritage never made me the target of bullies or prevented me from achieving my goals to ultimately live my dream. If anything, it's helped mold me into the strong, compassionate woman that I am today.

I learned Italian, Persian, and Arabic from my parents while English dominated my school and social environment. My friends thought I was insanely smart for being fluent in four languages. They were also confused by my religious views since my parents didn't enforce Christianity or Islam on me; they let me choose.

Growing up, I did have spurts of an identity crisis. Am I Italian? Am I Persian? Am I American? Surely I can't be all three. The concept of being mixed was such a strange concept that I couldn't accept being all of those races. Italian views clash with Persian views. It just never added up to me until I found music and my voice.

 My musical immersion began when I was five. Dad introduced me to opera and traditional Italian artists like Luigi Tenco and Domenico Modugno while Mom usually had Mahasti and Faramarz Aslani in the background while cooking or doing other chores. They figured music would help me understand that Mom and Dad didn't grow up so differently from each other, that music is a universal past time that anyone from anywhere can enjoy.

They were right. Though vastly different, their music helped me embrace my two identities and appreciate their heritages. I learned culture through music and expanded my appreciation for diversity as I grew older and listened to artists from beyond Italy, Iran, the UK, and United States. I fell in love with Selena Quintanilla, whose music introduced me to the Latin genre, and folky Scandinavian tunes brought me to some of my favorite musicians.

In this millennium, every divisive wall is eliminated through music. It brings people from all around the world together and produced the biggest annual international music event ever: Eurovision Song Competition. For over sixty years, Eurovision became a platform for European nations to brush aside their differences to enjoy three nights of music.

It's not just European nations who participate and vote on their favorite entries anymore. Asian countries such as Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Turkey have also competed, and Australia recently joined a few years ago. Next to the Olympics and World Cup, Eurovision can be appreciated and watched by everyone—live streams are a savoir if you don't live in Europe or Australia and want to watch—regardless of race, religion, gender, and politics. Politics and history have been known to factor into jury voting, but let's ignore that.

That's why I, a Persian-Italian female, wanted to become a singer. I dreamed of competing in Eurovision since my first exposure to the competition at the ripe age of five. I loved how campy the competition was. I loved how nobody took themselves too seriously unless they sung a ballad—some had out there moments like the figure skater in 2008's winning song. But most importantly, I knew I'd be accepted for who I was if I ever had the honor of representing Italy. I knew it'd be a blessing and could potentially kick start my singing career like Abba and Céline Dion.

And I did it—two years ago. I had traveled many times on holiday, but never to Stockholm. The entire competition flew by in a blur and I won it. I couldn't fathom how a seventeen-year-old like me with little experience could win such a huge competition. I'm still surprised Italy let me represent them! My song "Un'ultima volta" wasn't the bookies' favorite to win, but everyone said it had the potential to win. And it won.

Since then, I've toured in places I've never been and immersed myself in more cultures than I can count. From my travels, I can truly appreciate the beauty in Earth's diversity, whether geographically, culturally, religiously, or biologically.

Now, as I set on a massive world tour, I reminisce about how Eurovision—my identity shaped me into the artist I am today. It would be impossible had my parents not let music resolve my identity crisis. I can't imagine my life without music and culture now!

If music can break boundaries and build bridges across oceans, there's no reason why humans can't live peacefully. It's 2017 and we're STILL letting race, religion, gender and politics separate us. Why hold on to such backwards views when we should be tolerating and embracing everyone for who they are? Why torture others whose race, creed, and sexuality have absolutely NOTHING to do with you? I don't understand the hatred. I don't understand the heartless actions people will do solely because someone is different.

I became a singer to annihilate those walls, to create something anyone from anywhere can enjoy regardless of whether or not they understand English and Italian. Music is a universal outlet, a safe haven for everyone. I think we can all agree on that.

I've received countless tweets and comments saying how my music helped people feel like they belong. In some cases, I've created friendships for people from different countries thanks to their shared interest in my music. I'm humbled by the community—the family the Parisa Pack formed in my steed. They're why I love what I do and they're proof that music is a magical uniting art.

Since we do live in a world where ISIS exists and the president clearly thinks all Muslims are terrorists, I have endured a plethora of backlash for my Persian half. As if being a female and called derogatory sexual terms isn't enough, trolls and sometimes the media have to come for my mixed heritage.

A couple days ago, I posted a #tbt on Instagram of my mom and me at Stockholm enjoying the sights during my day off from Eurovision madness. Comments escalated to the stratosphere, ranging from heartfelt to absolute disgust. A couple negative ones that caught my attention compared our ensembles and dissed Muslim women.

findthewillis: The difference between you and your mom. Wow. I can't believe she let you out of the hotel dressed like that. Surprised you're not oppressed like her tbh. Maybe having an Italian dad worked in your favor but you still have relatives in Iran who would kill you for wearing that.

Jimmyvision: How you looking fine as hell when ur mom is a terrorist? Thank god she didn't feed you her oppressed views! Maybe she should leave Sweden so she doesn't hold you back from winning.

I can't deal with this behavior! It's so close-minded and disrespectful to not only my mom, but Muslim women in general. I don't understand why there are still people with such racist, uneducated views on specific cultures and religions. It stems back to the typical while supremacist belief, an idea that belongs deep in the depth of the past and should never see the light of day.

In a world that's supposed to be progressing sociologically and scientifically, there remains a handful of bad seeds who will never cease to attack innocents for being different, or simply for power.

As a millennial artist with a huge platform, I want to do everything in my power to contribute to a more hopeful future. Whether it's in my music or the words I say on social media or in interviews, I aim to bring people together, not tear them apart. I want to celebrate diversity because different is beautiful. My Parisa Pack should listen to my music and attend my shows knowing that I'll always have their backs. Even if it's for one last time, I want to be the reason for the smile on their faces. That's my goal for the Autobiography Tour.

A/N:

Hello, everyone! This is a super short chapter for me, but I thought it was a nice introduction to Parisa as a person. She is definitely my favorite character I've written. I love her! Thoughts on Parisa?