facilitating song prayers and vocal expression

You've got to hurt to heal. Through painfully honest self-reflection, Nadim Azzam addresses depression, addiction, and the dysfunctional realities of our times with his songs rooted in hope and connectivity. A singer, rapper, and songwriter who makes his own beats and plays multiple instruments on his tracks, Nadim has spent years evolving to where his music is at today. 

A symbiosis of programmed drums and organic live instruments creates a warm, sometimes surreal sonic environment. Smooth keys, angular guitars, and lush synth pads swim alongside melodic vocal hooks and bars that waste no time getting straight to the heart of things. The energy is chill, friendly and open-hearted, but the songs open up from this unassuming approach into statements of vulnerability and bracing honesty. Nothing is hidden, and nothing is off-limits. Graceful vocals and smiling lyrical flows reveal a personal truth that's sometimes almost hard to look at but always comes from a search for real understanding. 

Making songs for the deep-thinkers, the over-drinkers, and other sensitive souls, Nadim faces his own struggles head-on in hopes of offering some sense of solace to anyone else walking similar valleys of their own. These songs seek to remind that there's more to life, and that the pain any given individual feels can be transformed from a solitary torment into a vessel of connection.

Michael Stillwater is an innovator with music, words, and images.
An award-winning songwriter, recording artist and filmmaker, he provides
artistic and transformative reflection upon core societal issues, catalyzing
creative expression in people of all ages.

musical artist / songwriter / filmmaker / intuitive musician / educator / producer


MUSICAL ARTIST/SONGWRITER: Stillwater’s interfaith chants and healing songs are enjoyed in singing circles, gatherings, churches and communities worldwide, with multiple recordings by other artists as well as himself. An interfaith minister through the Chaplaincy Institute, he ministered through Heavensong, a
non-denominational church based in California and Hawaii, from 1978 through 1990.

FILMMAKER: Through Song Without Borders, the nonprofit creative arts agency he co-founded, Stillwater produced films and other programs applying song to personal and societal transformation. He created his first film, Shining Night: A Portrait of Composer Morten Lauridsen (2012) together with his wife, Doris Laesser Stillwater. Acclaimed ‘a heartening rarity’ by the Wall Street Journal, the film received four Best Documentary awards at US film festivals and enthusiastic response from a global audience, including Europe and South Africa. The movie tells the story of the life and music of National Medal of Arts
recipient Morten Lauridsen, recognized as the most performed choral composer of recent times.

The Stillwater’s second film, In Search of the Great Song: Fifty voices. Twelve countries. One question. (2016), received two Best Documentary awards, including at its US Premiere, Moondance Int’l Film Festival in Boulder, CO. Providing an existential and metaphorical context, the film serves as a conversation starter for exploring our inherent creativity and essential spiritual unity. With interviews recorded worldwide, including at the 2009 Parliament of the World’s Religions in Melbourne, the film was screened at the Parliaments in both Salt Lake City (2015) and Toronto (2018).

Their third film, Beyond the Fear of Singing: Unlock Your Voice, Release Your Song (2019), winner of three film festival awards, focuses on the inhibition so many feel about their singing voice, together with healing pathways for overcoming limitations and the rewarding discovery of expressing one’s voice.

INTUITIVE MUSICIAN/EDUCATOR: Stillwater’s unique intuitive recording artistry provides a way for people to feel seen and supported at an essential level. His intuitive songportraits demonstrate empathic connection, while Song Sanctuary seminars and retreats combine a variety of interactive elements in a
one-day, two-day, or longer program. SongLife Training serminars, both local and online, provide anyone with a forum for unlocking their musical aspirations individually and with others.

PRODUCER/AUTHOR: With Emmy-award winning film composer Gary Malkin and Swiss contemplative psychotherapist Doris Laesser Stillwater, he co-authored Graceful Passages: A Companion for Living and Dying (over one million readers/ listeners) and Care for the Journey: Messages and Music for Sustaining the
Heart of Healthcare, created for reducing stress in healthcare and palliative care practitioners. 

Since 2020 he has published a monthly column in Meer, an international online magazine. Together with his wife Doris he leads Song Sanctuary Retreats in Europe and America, providing support through contemplative, creative and personal growth practice. A resident of Europe since 2005, he now lives in the Alps of Switzerland, travelling frequently, offering online and local musical events and creative educational programs.

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