Los Angeles, CA · neo-soul · neo-classical · jazz

Qur'an Shaheed

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LA pianist, poet, and film composer blending jazz training with neo-classical and neo-soul improvisation — meditative, deeply personal, and quietly virtuosic.

Qur'an Shaheed is a pianist, vocalist and composer from Los Angeles whose work sits between jazz, contemporary classical writing and neo-soul. Her playing leans on improvisation and space, often paired with spoken and sung text, and she has worked in composition for film alongside her own releases. Performances tend toward the intimate end of the scale, built around piano and voice rather than large arrangements.

Her training runs through jazz, classical and contemporary music, and her film scoring work has centered on projects dealing with history, society and moments of collective unity rather than straightforward soundtrack duties.

She released an EP called Process on Preference Records before completing her debut full-length, Pulse, put out through Leaving Records in the summer of 2025. The record moves between structured writing and open improvisation without losing its sense of craft.

Pulse drew attention beyond the usual jazz and experimental press, picking up coverage from the New York Times, the BBC and UNCUT, among other outlets.

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