Ani Zonneveld (born 1962) is a Malaysian singer, songwriter, activist, and writer based in Los Angeles. She has released three original albums, produced music for other artists, and participated in the writing of
Grammy
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...
-winning songs. She is the first Malaysian person to have won a Grammy.
She is the president and founder of
Muslims for Progressive Values
Muslims for Progressive Values (MPV) was founded and incorporated by Zuriana (Ani) Zonneveld and Pamela K. Taylor in 2007, headquartered in Los Angeles with a regional office in Malaysia and The Netherlands.
It is a grassroots human rights org ...
(MPV), a nonprofit organization in the United States with affiliates in Canada, Europe, Chile, Australia, and Malaysia creating inclusive communities that welcome and support
interfaith marriage
Interfaith marriage, sometimes called a "mixed marriage", is marriage between spouses professing different religions. Although interfaith marriages are often established as civil marriages, in some instances they may be established as a religiou ...
s,
gay marriage
Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same sex or gender. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 33 countries, with the most recent being Mexico, constituting ...
s, gender & sexual minorities, as well as sectarian minorities.
[Jaweed Kaleem]
Progressive Muslims Launch Gay-Friendly, Women-Led Mosques In Attempt To Reform American Islam
''Huffington Post'', March 29, 2012
Zonneveld is also the editor, along with Vanessa Karam and Olivia Samad, of ''Progressive Muslim Identities: Personal Stories from the U.S. and Canada'', a 2011 anthology that features a diverse groups of progressive Muslims, with a foreword by
Aasif Mandvi
Aasif Hakim Mandviwala (born March 5, 1966), known professionally as Aasif Mandvi (, ), is a British-American actor, comedian and author. He was a correspondent on ''The Daily Show'' from 2006 to 2017. Mandvi's other television work includes the ...
, published in the United States by
Oracle Releasing.
[Muslims for Progressive Values (MPV)]
Anthology
Early life
Ani Zonneveld was born in
Kuala Lumpur
, anthem = '' Maju dan Sejahtera''
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia
, pushpin_map_caption =
, coordinates =
, su ...
, Malaysia, along with five other siblings, and was raised in Germany, Egypt, and India as the daughter of a Malaysian ambassador and a stay-at-home mother. In 1981, she moved to the United States, where she studied economics and
political science
Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...
. After college, she moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career as a musician instead of following in her father's footsteps.
Music and activism
As a musician, songwriter, and producer, Zonneveld has had a bustling career that has included producing several pop songs for singer
Ziana Zain
Siti Roziana binti Zain (born 2 May 1968) is a Malaysian pop singer and actress. Her music career began in the early '90s with her signature single, "Madah Berhelah" followed by hits like "Terlerai Kasih", "Setia Ku Di Sini" and "Puncak Kasih ...
, as well as composing pop tracks for
Fauziah Latiff
Siti Fauziah Sheikh Abdul Latiff, better known as Fauziah Latiff, is a Malaysian singer and actress. One of Latiff's first public performance was at a charity concert at Stadium Merdeka in 1987. Talent scouts from Happy Records spotted her and ...
,
Aishah
Aisha ( ar, , translit=ʿĀʾisha bint Abī Bakr; , also , ; ) was Muhammad's third and youngest wife. In Islamic writings, her name is thus often prefixed by the title "Mother of the Believers" ( ar, links=no, , ʾumm al- muʾminīn), referr ...
, and vocal boy band Kool in Malaysia. She has collaborated with singer
Siti Nurhaliza
Dato' Sri Hajah Siti Nurhaliza Tarudin ( Jawi: سيتي نورهاليزا بنت تارودين ; IPA: ; born 11 January 1979) is a Malaysian singer, songwriter, actress and businesswoman with more than 300 local and international awards. ...
, for which she won several awards at the
Anugerah Industri Muzik
''Anugerah Industri Muzik'' (literally: "Music Industry Award"), commonly known by the acronym AIM, is an award ceremony which celebrates the Malaysian music industry. The award is organized by the Recording Industry Association of Malaysia (R ...
, including Album of the Year twice with Siti's ''
Adiwarna'' (1998) and ''
E.M.A.S'' (2003). She is also a three-time finalist of
Anugerah Juara Lagu
''Anugerah Juara Lagu'' (literally: "Song Championship Award"), commonly known by the acronym AJL, is a popular annual music competition in Malaysia, organised by TV3 since 1986. It features the best musical and lyrical compositions of each ye ...
, a local song competition, through her collaboration with Kool (in 1997 for "Cemburu" and 1998 for "Satu Arah) and Siti (2003, "Ku Milikmu").
In Hollywood, Zonneveld's collaborations with
Keb Mo'
Kevin Roosevelt Moore (born October 3, 1951), known as Keb' Mo', is an American blues musician and five-time Grammy Award winner. He is a singer, guitarist, and songwriter, living in Nashville, Tennessee. He has been described as "a living link ...
earned her a
Grammy
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...
award, becoming the first Malaysian ever to be nominated and to win this accolade. After the
September 11 attacks
The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercia ...
in the United States, her religion became a strong part of her identity, leading to writing and producing spiritual-themed music, including an album titled ''Ummah Wake-Up'', in which she sings the praise of Islam while encouraging Muslims to rise up for progressive causes. She also began performing at various interfaith organizational events in an effort to raise awareness of Islam as a religion of peace.
A few years later, Zonneveld joined other concerned Muslims of a progressive background as a board member of
Progressive Muslim Union of North America (PMU), launched on November 15, 2004, in New York City. Before disbanding in 2006, the group met with controversy when in 2005 they supported a public woman-led prayer in New York City, raising a global uproar.
[Andrea Elliott]
Woman Leads Muslim Prayer Service in New York
''New York Times'', March 19, 2005
In July 2007 at Sarah Lawrence College, New York, Zonneveld spearheaded the founding of
Muslims for Progressive Values
Muslims for Progressive Values (MPV) was founded and incorporated by Zuriana (Ani) Zonneveld and Pamela K. Taylor in 2007, headquartered in Los Angeles with a regional office in Malaysia and The Netherlands.
It is a grassroots human rights org ...
(MPV). Since its founding, Zonneveld has presided over the expansion of MPV into several chapters across the United States, Canada, Chile, France, Germany, Australia, and Malaysia, and helped it secure a consultative status at the United Nations. The organization's successes include "Literary Zikr", a project that turns scholarly works into everyday language aimed at youth and the general public; and "Progressive Muslim Identities", an anthology highlighting personal struggles of progressive Muslims in the United States and Canada, including women of interfaith marriages,
LGBT Muslims
Attitudes toward lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people and their experiences in the Muslim world have been influenced by its religious, legal, social, political, and cultural history. The Quran narrates the story of the "people ...
, and other minorities.
Discography
* ''Ummah Wake Up'' (2003)
* ''One'' (2005)
* ''Islamic Hymns: Celebration of Life'' (2012)
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zonneveld, Ani
Living people
1962 births
American Muslim activists
Malaysian Muslim activists
Malaysian emigrants to the United States
20th-century American musicians
21st-century American musicians
20th-century Muslims
21st-century Muslims
20th-century American women musicians
21st-century American women musicians
Muslim reformers