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Music
Niko’s latest album – Songs for Gaza is filled with compositions he wrote for fundraisers for Palestine starting in 2024 and features collaborations with other Middle Eastern artists in the DC area. In addition to has composed music for a variety of groups including the Philadelphia-based Bebek and has performed with DC’s Sarmust. He performs regularly both as a soloist and in collaboration with artists throughout the Washington D.C. area.
I Am Not Afraid
Cannes Film Festival – Passed 1st round
Sicilian Film Rewards – Award Winner
Athens International Monthly Film Festival – Award Winner
Valkyrie International Film Festival – Award Winner
COliseum International Film FEstival – Finalist
Indie Short Film Festival – Nominee for Best Video
Indie International Short Film Festival – Nominee for Best Song
Golden Reel International Film Festival – Audience Award winner
Golden Rod International Film Festival – Finalist
Nordic Palestinian Film Festival – Quarterfinalist
New York Film & Cinematography Awards – Selection
Los Angeles Movie & Music Awards – Selection
Palestine House London Film & Arts Festival – Selection
Melody for What is Lost
Selected to So Limitless and Free International Film Festival, Al Raqs Film Festival, Eutopia Arthouse Film Festival
Sheet Music - Melody for what Is LostRecent Reviews
The track blends Michalopoulos’ gentle, searching piano with OPWDubs’ drum-driven production, which adds an urgent heartbeat underneath. It never feels overpowering. Instead, the rhythm pushes the song forward, like the will to survive pushing through fear. Jennah Mokhtarzada sings with a clear, steady tone that feels incredibly human—like someone carrying a story that isn’t hers, but one she refuses to let be forgotten. (latestrelease.today)
” At its essence, “I Am Not Afraid” is not just about fearlessness, it’s about transformation. It’s about finding strength in loss, faith in despair, and solidarity in silence. Through his masterful use of sound, Niko channels the voices of Gaza’s children into an anthem of survival, reminding listeners everywhere that even in humanity’s darkest hours, there remains a melody of hope that refuses to die” (Dulaxi.com).
“Songs for Gaza is a brave, necessary, and beautifully crafted album. It successfully transforms headlines and horrors into intimate, human stories without sacrificing any of its political urgency. It is a difficult listen, as it should be, but also an essential one, a work of art that bears witness, raises funds, and, most importantly, offers a platform for the voices of Gaza to be heard through the universal language of music” (Sputnikmusic).
“‘Mama died last night, Angels filled with fright, Airplanes day and night, Fireflies won’t light,’ each lyric is a testament to lived trauma. Yet in the chorus, when the refrain “I Am Not Afraid” returns again and again, the repetition becomes an act of defiance for the spirit, an impenetrable armor against despair. It’s a sonic embodiment of the existence children are daring to live. It’s resistance. It’s powerful” (musicmingle).