EXCLUSIVE: The Sweet Destiny of Arash Sobhani, The Kiosk Band Leader Speaks to...
By Ahmad Rafat
Arash Sobhani is the founder of the pioneering Iranian rock group Kiosk. An architecture graduate, he formed his band before moving to the U.S. Kiosk was one of the prominent bands in...
Half-Iranian Eurovision Contestant Barbara Pravi Draws Comparisons With Edith Piaf
By Nazanine Nouri
Barbara Pravi is a half-Serbian, half-Iranian singer-songwriter who finished second in the Eurovision Song Contest last month after representing France with her song “Voila.” It was France’s highest score in 30 years,...
Silenced Musicians of Iran Come Together on Homanity Album
Music in Iran dates back thousands of years. Archeological records from the 3rd millennium BC shown that some of the earliest complex instruments, such as the harp, were played there.
Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder...
Grammy-Nominated Kaveh Rastegar Performs With Springsteen, Writes for Bruno Mars
By Nazanine Nouri
Question: Which Iranian-American musician and songwriter came close to winning a Grammy Award when the music industry’s top trophies were handed out in March?
Answer: Kaveh Rastegar. The Iranian-American bass player and recording...
Ballerina Farzaneh Kaboli Offers Dance Instruction to Women in Iran
By Firouzeh Ramezanzadeh
Farzaneh Kaboli is an Iranian ballet dancer, choreographer, stage and film actress. She was one of the country’s most famous ballerinas before the Revolution.
The Islamic Republic imposed a ban on dancing after...
Iranian-Irish Fusion Band Nava Is Nominated for Irish Folk Award; We Meet Co-Founder Coohe
By Kayhan Life Staff
Nava is a four-person Iranian-Irish musical group based in Dublin. Formed in 2016 by Irish folk and bluegrass musicians Paddy Kiernan and Niall Hughes, and Iranian born brothers Shahab and Shayan...
Iranians Remember Master Vocalist Shajarian With His Freedom Song ‘Morgh e Sahar’
By Nazanine Nouri
Iranians around the world are mourning the loss of the legendary classical Persian music singer, Mohammad Reza Shajarian (1940-2020). News of his death has spurred an outpouring of grief, and the master...
Playing Heavy Metal and Drumming as a Woman in the Islamic Republic of Iran...
By Natasha Phillips
Pioneering Iranian musician Shirin Vazei has played the drums for several rock bands in Iran, taking the heavy metal scene by storm while shaking up gender stereotypes in her home country.
Heavy metal...
Iranian State TV is Urged by Guild to Allow Broadcasts of Musical Performances
By Azadeh Karimi
The Iranian Musicians Union has written to the president of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), Abdolali Ali-Asgari, urging him to lift the decades-old ban on showing musical instruments and performances...
Making History: Andy Madadian Gets Star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame
By Fred Parvaneh
On January 17th, the singer and actor Andy Madadian -- nicknamed "the Persian Bono" -- was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, making him the first Iranian-Armenian-American to be...
