Parissa Zarifi

Parissa Zarifi is a Middlesbrough-born singer-songwriter and violinist making alternative folk with an atmospheric, often ethereal edge. Her music combines acoustic songwriting, poetic lyrics and melodic violin improvisation, giving the songs a sound that feels intimate without becoming slight.

Her 2024 album Sing For My Soul brought together many of those qualities, following earlier work including the Written In The Sand EP. Tracks such as Free Of You explore difficult emotional experiences with restraint, while the violin shifts naturally between accompaniment and a more expressive lead role.

Zarifi’s Teesside roots remain important to the project, with recordings developed around Middlesbrough and live appearances extending across the wider North East. The combination of singer-songwriter craft and a distinctive instrumental voice gives her a place of her own within the region’s current alternative-folk scene.