Zahra Elham says she was"very proud" but"shocked" to be the first woman to win the Afghan version of American idol.
Elham, from Afghanistan's ethnic Hazara minority, enchanted audiences with her high-pitched, raspy voice, performing Hazara and Persian folk music in traditional loose, colourful Afghan dresses and heels. "I was very proud of myself but at the same time shocked to be the first woman to win the contest," the young woman in her early 20s said, her hair elegantly covered with an olive green scarf, visibly still uncomfortable with a camera.
In this handout photograph from Tolo TV taken on March 21, 2019, Afghan female singer Zahra Elham holds the trophy after she won the finale contest of the television music competition Afghan Star in Kabul. Despite her passion, Elham, who is also a Justin Bieber and Maher Zain fan, says she has no intention of going in to politics.
Since then they have waged an increasingly bloody insurgency against the Afghan government and US-led international troops.