Qais Essar is an Afghan-American musician based in
Phoenix, Arizona.[1] A
rabab player and songwriter, he is most noted for the song "The Crown Sleeps", from the 2017 animated film The Breadwinner, which won the
Best Original Song prize at the
6th Canadian Screen Awards in 2018.[2] He co-wrote the song with Joshua Hill, a bandmate in the now-defunct band Qosmonauts.[2] Essar often features instruments more familiar to Western music to complement the more traditional sound of the rabab and the
santur in his compositions.[3]
Discography
The Green Language (2014)
Klasik (EP, 2015)
I Am Afghan, Afghani Is Currency (EP, 2015)
Tavern of Ruin (2016)
I Am Afghan, Afghani Is Currency Vol 2: Beltoon (EP, 2017)