The Iranian Soprano: Interview with Shaqayeq Kamali
By Firoozeh Ramezanzadeh
The Iranian soprano Shaqayeq Kamali was born in Tehran. She studied piano and voice at Tehran University’s School of Arts. She left Iran after the 1979 Islamic Revolution and continued her studies...
Iran’s Rudaki Orchestra Performs Songs by Elvis, Sinatra
Nima Fathi conducted the Rudaki Orchestra in a series of performances of American pop songs by the likes of Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra on June 18 and 19 at the Vahdat (Rudaki) concert...
Tehranchian Becomes First Female Singer to Record Rabbana Prayer
Leila Tehranchian is the first female singer ever to have released a recording of the Rabbana prayer pronounced during the holy month of Ramadan.
Ms. Tehranchian’s version of the Rabbana prayer is, however, only available...
Working with Tupac: Interview with Music Video Producer-Director Rahimi
By: Fred Parvaneh
As a lifelong lover of music, Gobi M. Rahimi is a prolific music video producer and director who has worked with some of the biggest names in the music industry, including Snoop...
Vigen, Iran’s ‘Sultan of Pop’: Profile
Vigen was Iran’s first male pop star. He was known as “the Sultan of pop,” and one of the first entertainers in the country to perform with a guitar in the 1950s and 1960s.
He...
LGBT Rights Must Be Defended, Says Abjeez Pop Band Co-Founder
By Mani Tehrani
Every year, May 17 marks the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia. It aims to raise worldwide awareness of LGBT rights (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender). While most Western countries recognize the...
Musician Erwin Khachikian Plays for 80,000, Features on ‘The Tonight Show’
By Fred Parvaneh
American-Iranian musician, singer and producer Erwin Khachikian was born in Tehran to an Armenian family in 1973. Music has been an integral part of his life since early childhood.
His father was the...
Singer Rastin, Raised in Sweden, Revs Up for LA Concert
By Fred Parvaneh
In the 1970s, a new musical movement was created by blending modern and traditional Persian beats with Western rhythm and blues and classic pop. The movement, known as 'Taraneh Nouvin' (or 'new...
Iranian Singer Cancels Concert After Female Players Banned from Stage
Benyamin Bahadori – an Iranian pop singer, composer and songwriter – has refused to perform at a concert in Kerman, capital of Kerman Province, after female members of his music group were prevented from...
All About Googoosh: Pop Superstar Embarks on Concert Tour
Googoosh is one of the most celebrated and influential Iranian pop artists of all time: a national treasure to generations of Iranians, and hugely popular in Central Asia and the Middle East.
Googoosh is marking...
