Interview: clovers daughter on making an artistic home in the Midwest
by Diane
June 09, 2026
Noor Shami, who performs as clovers daughter, has lived a transient life. Growing up, she attended 10 different schools, including four high schools. The Palestinian American was born in Jordan, and when her family immigrated to the United States, they had stints in Portland, Miami, Los Angeles, and other U.S. cities. While studying at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Shami started developing her voice as a musician. Eau Claire’s arts scene and its proximity to the Twin Cities played a major role in her artistic development.
Now, the June Artist of the Month for The Current’s Local Show, the indie-pop artist — who recently moved to the Twin Cities from Las Vegas — has manifested this passion via hard work and raw talent. clovers daughter is a songwriter, collaborator, performer, studio musician, community advocate, and more. With two EPs, one full-length, and another LP due out later this summer, Shami’s dedication has blossomed into a full-time music career.
In this interview, Shami shared details about new music, developing her musical voice in college, collaborating with musician and producer Navid Fana, finding her place in the Twin Cities as a newcomer, and more.
Talk to us about this new EP.
Yeah, just released an EP called Fragile Feeling. It's a four-track EP following the journey of hurt, love, and loss. I really wanted to put together a vision of really raw, vulnerable storytelling. As you said, I have been releasing a lot of music throughout the last year, and I really went through a progression of starting in the folksy side of things, falling into a little bit of Daft Punk-inspired electronic dance music in my album. And then winter time comes around, depression hits, hard times hit, the society and the world that we live in hits. And I really wanted to be able to capture that into the project that I worked on, and that's Fragile Feeling for you. The title is self-explanatory in itself.
The first track is called "Pathetic," and I was really inspired by all the movements that were happening here in the Twin Cities. And really just having people hear that song and look in the mirror and see if they are doing something about all the hardship that everyone is facing in our country right now, in our state right now.
And then following that with "Pessimists," which is also following that theme of looking inward. So a lot of this EP is a lot of self-reflection, and diving deep into what makes a person who they are. And it's partially looking at myself and partially the people around me. And it's just kind of a hodgepodge and combination of both of those things.
You went to college in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and that was a breeding ground for you to get where you are today. Tell me about that experience of developing your voice there.
Yeah, Eau Claire was a really big turning point for me. I have always been into music ever since I was a little kid, but I never really took action on it. I used to play around here and there at home, running around, making music. But when I got to college, I knew music was my passion. I knew I couldn't drop it. It was the one thing that really brought me joy. I wanted to be able to storytell, and I thought Eau Claire was a perfect place for that. The art scene was incredible — a really small town for me. I moved around a lot, lived in really big cities. But Eau Claire was my first experience of such a small, artsy town.
I played open mics almost three or four times a week … I tried to really stand out of my comfort zone, play songs I've never played before, play music that I wrote, and things along those lines, and play instruments I wasn't familiar with, and just really try to home in into that craft. Forcing yourself into that discomfort really allowed me to understand who I am as an artist, and that's where the idea of clovers daughter was born.
I had my voice that I wanted, I knew the stories I wanted to share, I knew the artist that I wanted to be, and it was the foundation of starting clovers daughter. And so after college I decided to quit my job and do music full-time, and it was the best decision I've ever made. I started clovers daughter about a year ago now, and it's been a really incredible journey so far.
Take me back even further. Then you mentioned you've moved around in big cities. Where were you before Eau Claire?
Yeah, the journey's very long. So I'm originally Palestinian, born in Jordan. So, I spent most of my childhood in Jordan, and then I moved around the U.S. after that. So I lived in Miami. I lived in Los Angeles. I lived in Vegas, Madison, Portland, Oregon, and then I knew I wanted to come back to the Midwest. I really loved it. I went to college here, and I felt like I could be my true, authentic self here.
And so when I had the opportunity — I was last in Vegas. And I started clovers daughter, and I was like, I know the perfect place for me to begin my project, and to begin my journey, and really feel supported and invested. And Minneapolis was the answer for me, and the Twin Cities.
I spent a lot of time here when I was in college. I drove maybe once a week to come to shows or play my own shows and interact with all the local artists here, and there are such talented musicians around here. And I learned so much myself, and I thought it was a really perfect place for me to really be immersed.
Wow, to think about the amount that you've moved around. It does influence your worldview, and I think it enriches lyricism as well.
I agree. I think if I didn't have the experience I had, I don't think I would be as passionate as a writer as I am. Not to say that I wouldn't be, but I think hopping around, having the external experience of going through many different cultures, many different environments — that external environment really impacted my writing, but also internally.
I was a kid. I moved around up until I was in college. I went to four different high schools, 10 different schools in a row, all over the place, different states, different countries. And so it gets lonely sometimes having to meet new people all the time, and having to do all these things. I had a lot of internal thoughts that I really wanted to share, and the only way that I felt I could really truly honestly share them was through music, and that's why I really went for it.
In the last year I put out so much music because I had so many things to say, and I just wanted to put it out there. I didn't want to follow any sort of timeline, I just wanted to release whatever felt right for me.
I'm a big believer in writing music based on how I feel at that moment. And adding on to all the moving, too, is the one thing that I could always go back to was music. Besides my own music, listening to people's music. Such a universal feeling, such a universal thing. No matter what language you speak, no matter where you came from, what your upbringing was, music was always the only thing that I felt really invested and connected with.
It shows in your recordings, it shows when you're live on stage. Tell me about finding your comfort on stage, because that's an art in itself.
Thank you. Yeah, I really appreciate that. I do think that's an art itself. I enjoy both sides of making music, being in the studio and being alone and being vulnerable. But I also think it's important to have that same mentality live.
It all goes back to the open mics, it all goes back to being uncomfortable. I had a lot of stage fright growing up. I wasn't comfortable in who I was. I wasn't confident in the things and the songs that I was singing. And once I started writing my own music, I think it was a lot easier for me to express myself confidently, because it was coming out of my soul. It was coming out of my words, it was my feelings. It was something that I could really fully relate to, and not have to paint a picture for. And so being on stage, I am just bringing that same energy and sharing it with the people, and I think that's so important for me. I love performing live. I think it's equally as important for me. And I find a lot of joy in connecting with people through that as well. I really try to feed off of the audience when I'm playing live. And I think that also helps me feel a lot more comfortable on stage.
I also think going to a lot of shows myself and knowing the feelings that I felt being in the audience, looking at one of my favorite artists, or an artist I've never heard of before. If I'm going to a new show and feeling that connection, I make sure to stick with that mentality when I'm playing, when the roles are reversed. Because I know there will be some people in the audience having that same special feeling. And I know that for me those moments have stuck around for my whole life, and those moments will continue to stick around, and I hope to bring that same joy to people.
Tell me about your collaborator Navid Fana. Fantastic producer, fantastic musician. It's moody, it's vibey, and it really fits into this modern pop aesthetic right now.
Yeah, I met Navid Fana in Vegas. That was the moment where I started clovers daughter, and I wanted to play my first show live with a band. I happened to stumble across him at this restaurant that had a studio above it, and he was leaving the studio and heard me talking about wanting a guitarist, and he was like, "I play guitar," and I was like, "Great, let's connect."
We played a show, it was a really rough show, but it was the first experience. And he was like, "Hey, I produce music. We should try something." And I was like, "I would love that." We went into the studio, and we immediately clicked. Our music chemistry is on another level. We understand each other. We're both extremely driven. And so ever since, every single song that I have on my discography, except my first one, “Are You Coming Home,” is all both of us co-producing. And it is a really incredible experience. Very, very talented musician, very talented guitarist, and has a lot of the same goals and creative aspirations as I do. And so, we really find it easy to sit in a room and get lost in the music, and then look at the clock and we're 12 hours into a session. And it doesn't even feel like that.
A lot of our creative process is really sitting in a room and coming with absolutely nothing. I really love to just write based on how I'm feeling in that moment. And so I'll come in, I'll express my mood to him, how I'm feeling. We'll sit down on an empty day, and we'll just start noodling with some instruments and seeing what sticks. A lot of our work is very haunting and moody, like you said, very vibey. And I think we really try to make a conscious effort of trying to create atmospheres instead of just music.
Very cool. Is he based here now?
He is based here now. He did follow me.
Yes, that's awesome.
Yes, it's really awesome. clovers daughter wouldn't be clovers daughter without Navid. I kind of got us a little head start of trying to play shows and get familiar with the area. And I told him that I love it, and I told him that this is a great scene, really incredible musicians. And I feel like I'm learning every day, and I'm getting really incredible opportunities. And he really believes in the project, so much, so he packed his stuff and moved here.
By the time that this airs, you will have performed For Our Neighbors, a benefit show supporting rent relief for families affected by the recent immigration enforcement. Tell me about what inspires you to be a part of events like this.
I think this event is really important for me as an immigrant myself. I think it's really important to support your community. I'm privileged enough to live in this country and not worry about stressors. And what I can do as an artist is spread joy through music.
Things can get really dark, things can get really deep, and that is a lot of the reality. But I think it's also really important to have the uplifting moments to continue to keep the community members who can help motivated. And moments like this, benefit shows like this, mean so much to me to be a part of that.
Tell me about representing as a Palestinian-American right now in this time.
It is the only thing in life that I really want to achieve. [I am] Palestinian through and through, my entire family. I am ingrained. It's in my blood. I am so proud to be Palestinian, and I think it's so important for me to represent that, especially because most of the time, in this day and age, especially in this country, you mostly hear negative numbers. You hear stats on the TV. And you don't really hear the beauty and the art that comes from Palestine. There's so much art, there's so much culture. It's ingrained.
And myself, as someone who's privileged enough, I want to bring the beauty and the light in moments like this. It's all I've known for my whole life, and I have the talent and the opportunity to share the beauty. And so representing myself as a Palestinian artist is so important to me. It makes me so proud, it makes my brothers and sisters so proud. It makes my family so proud, and it's something that's really important to me.
What else do you have coming up? You're really flourishing. You've got three LPs, you got some shows coming up also this summer.
I'll break the news here on The Current. I am working on my sophomore album. It'll be coming out in the summer.
Wow!
Yes, so very excited. 11-track album. I'm working with Navid Fana once again. It's going to be a combination of things that you've heard before, and also some new elements to it as well. And alongside that will come a lot of shows in the books here in the Twin Cities. I have a show at Amsterdam Hall and Bar on July 17. I'm also playing in St. Paul at Music and the Cortile on July 23, and then maybe a little surprise tour coming up this summer as well, in support of the album. More details later for that one.
It's so cool to hear you talk about the Minnesota music scene, and integrating into it. As someone who's still fairly new here, you got to open for Yola at First Avenue. The music scene obviously is really celebrating you. And now you're here, Artist of the Month on The Local Show. Tell me about finding your footing in this scene.
As a music lover myself, I love going to concerts. And I think as soon as I got here, I made the conscious effort to go out to local shows at least once a week — twice, maybe three times, as much as I can. And I think that's so important, because typically a lot of people, they have their go-tos, they have their go-to mainstream artists, but I think it's so important for a city to have the foundation of local music. And so I've made the active effort to consistently go to local shows, and through that I've been able to make a lot of connections with talking to musicians, learning about their experiences, reaching out to venues myself, connecting with them, grabbing a coffee, asking them for advice.
I think that's really important as a young artist coming new to the city. I'm also not just looking for opportunities, but also looking for advice for hearing people's stories, their experiences, and taking all of that in has really allowed me to understand the scene, and then be able to apply that to my own music, and also support the scene in a way.
clovers daughter will perform at Amsterdam Bar & Hall on July 17 and Music on the Cortile on July 23.
