Conversations with Bita Aghaee

Today we’d like to introduce you to Bita Aghaee

Hi Bita , so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I was raised in The Valley by my parents who had immigrated to the US from Iran to escape religious persecution. I think it’s safe to say that everyone knew I was a cycle breaker as soon as I was born. My name ‘Bita’ actually translates to unique in English. I grew up very shy and kept to myself most of the time, which led to me feeling like an outsider for a majority of my childhood, especially growing up in such a loud and vibrant community where everyone is in each other’s business. As every little persian child does, I took piano lessons. My mother overheard me singing in the shower one day and peered her head in and asked me if I’d like to take singing lessons. I went on to take singing lessons from my piano teacher for a couple years. Singing brought me out of my shell more than I ever thought it could. I went on to study musical theatre while growing up. It was my safe space, a place I could be myself, and one of the only places where I felt confident in myself and my abilities. In high school I dipped my toes into actually starring in plays and musicals and I fell even harder. The world of theatre was immensely healing and helped me through my anxiety better than any medication ever could. When it came time to graduate, my theatre teacher sat me down and told me I needed to go with this for the rest of my life, and I wanted to. I made the decision to study theatre when I went to college, and after seeing me in ‘Little Women: The Musical’ my junior year, my mother and father agreed. I received enough push back and judgement from the rest of the persian community throughout my journey in high school and college. People called me “bold” for actually studying what I wanted instead of commiting to a life of sitting behind a big desk in order to bring home a hefty paycheck. Careers in entertainment in our culture are considered heavily taboo, but that didn’t and will not stop me. I’ve found the one thing I’m passionate about and I plan to do it for the rest of my life despite how it might make members of my community feel. And I plan to convince other young brown girls to actually chase their own dreams instead of those of their parents. There was very little representation in Hollywood when I was growing up so I never felt like the path I chose to take was okay, I plan to be there for the other little persian girls who wonder if it’s okay to stray away from our cultural norms.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It’s never been a smooth road. I have something to prove. I’m the one who made it out. And I will not fail. Not just for me and my own future, but to create a safe space for the other little persian girls who feel different. It wasn’t easy to gain support and respect from those in my community. I always felt looked down on because I chose to do something outside the world of academics. I’m no stranger to petty, passive aggressive comments about how I’ve wasted my life. It comes with the territory. It was hard to find people in my community that believed in me, and I thought when I went to college I would find more people who could actually believe in me and sadly I was mistaken. Don’t get me wrong, there were a few professors and mentors here and there that actually did believe in me and for them I will forever be grateful, but I wasn’t expecting what had happened when I went to school. I was met with racism, discrimination, and a consistent feeling of imposter syndrome. I’d always felt like an outsider in my own community, but this was a different feeling. Feeling outcast because of my race, my skin color, my body, it was all a terrible feeling. To give up everything to go to school and pursue your dreams, only to be torn down at every turn. My self esteem was shattered day after day at school. I was met with ‘you’re just not good enough’ more times than I care to admit. Some argue that it’s all a method to build you up stronger, but it still hurts.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’d like to think of myself as a multi hyphenate. I could never belong to just one aspect of performing. My first love was music – of course. But then I went on to musical theatre, and then theatre, and then film and TV and all of it is so intoxicating. it all brings me the best kind of joy imaginable. However, I’d like to say I specialize most in musical theatre – I’ve been singing since I was ten and it’s just unlike anything else I could ever do. I feel the most confident when it comes to musical theatre – no second guessing myself, no need to wrack my brain for the meaning of the lyrics – it all comes naturally, like instinct, and it’s the best feeling in the world. To know there’s at least one thing you excel at, to know there’s at least on area where you can stand 10 toes and be confident in the work you’re doing. My old professors would tell you I have a ‘hell of a belt’ which I will forever be proud of. I’m so proud of how hard I’ve worked to develop my voice, something I struggled with finding all throughout my childhood. I enjoy being a belter, rooted in emotion. I love to feel the strength behind my voice, not just a pretty sound, but real strength. Power. I’d like to think the way I bring emotion to my performances is what sets me apart from others. I don’t like to take the traditional, ‘weeping – pretty when I cry, leading woman’ approach. I like to go deeper into the real feelings that are present in the material. I want to find what sets this song or character or piece apart from others. I want to find the deepest meaning and deepest emotion I can bring. What can take the material to the next level?

What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
I love the opportunity in our city. There’s something at every turn. That being said, it’s hard to land opportunities. Sure, there are tons of them, but landing them is a whole other issue. it feels impossible sometimes. I love how LA is the center for entertainment. You can find anything you want to do here – ‘Hollywood is literally two streets over’ type of thing. There’s always something to see, to witness, your favorite productions are being made right in your own backyard. Nothing is out of physical reach here in LA – which is what makes rejection so bitter. It’s so close! Yet so far…
The thing I like least about LA is how hard it is to find genuine people. it’s immensely difficult to know who you’re dealing with right off the bat. You never know if someone is going to throw you under the bus the first chance they get. You meet so many people who are willing to step on anyone to get to where they need to go, which is admirable in a sense but also incredibly disheartening. It’s hard to find people that restore your faith in humanity really. Everyone in LA wants something, and of course we do, some people you can just feel them almost vibrating at a weird frequency and you tend to just want to stay away. It becomes exhausting trying to find the genuine and sweet people, and sometimes right when you think you found someone who seems that way – they stab you in the back.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bitaaghaee/?hl=en
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@bitaaghaee1882
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/bita-aghaee
• Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm11354228/

Image Credits
Graduation Picture credit: Emiko Ohta – @emiko_ohta