Born in Tehran, Iran 1970, Ali spent most of her childhood in Herkalia, Iran. Ali and her mother moved to Los Angeles, California in 1985, after which Ali discovered the santour. Ali then studied the santour under Persian master Manoocher Sadeghi, which led to the rediscovery of her voice. In 1996, Ali formed alternative world group VAS with percussionist Greg Ellis. She has been working as a solo artist, and with her husband, Loga Ramin Torkian, she is also a part of another group, Niyaz, an Iranian acoustic electronic group.

Iranian born composer and multi-instrumentalist Loga Ramin Torkian is internationally recognized for his ground- breaking work with world music groups Niyaz and Axiom Of Choice, both of which he co-founded. Born in Tehran, Iran, Loga moved to the United States as a teenager after the Iranian Revolution. A highly gifted composer and a visionary, Loga is greatly respected worldwide for his ability to adapt the Persian classical repertoire to his own unique and modern compositions. His unique talents have been featured on many major film scores, which include Body of Lies, Iron Man and Prince of Persia.