Modern Persian Music

Modern Persian Music
Max Alaghband, Armin Behroozi & David Vakili
Influential Male Singers
-Mohammad-Reza Shajarian
-Faramarz Aslani
-Vigen Derderian
-Mohammad Esfahani
1929-2003
● Armenian/Azeri-Persian
● Popularized a Western guitar style
● Most popular for his blues music
‫وﯾﮕﻦ دردرﯾﺎن‬
1954● Much more Western in style
● Brought traditional, thoughtful
lyrics to golden-age pop
‫ﻓﺮاﻣﺮز اﺻﻼﻧﯽ‬
1940● highly traditional lyrics,
classical music
● as an Ostaad, sings in the
Dastgaah style
٧:٠٠
‫ﻣﺤﻤﺪرﺿﺎ ﺷﺠﺮﯾﺎن‬
1966● More contemporary
compositions
● more colloquial lyrics
● sings in Dastgaah as well
۵:٢۵
‫ﻣﺤﻤﺪ اﺻﻔﮭﺎﻧﯽ‬
Influential Female Singers
-Delkash (sung 1943-1979)
-Marzieh (1942-1979; 1994-2010)
-Googoosh (1953-1979; 2000-present)
-Hayedeh (1967-1990)
Googoosh
Iconic artist of the
“golden age”
Women Post-Revolution
"Women's voices should not be heard by men
other than members of their own families." Ayatollah Khomeini
“I sang for the birds, for the river, the trees and
the flowers,” she told The Washington Times in
1995, “but not the mullahs.” - Marzieh
Contemporary Pop Music
● Pop music banned from the Islamic Republic
● Largely produced by members of diaspora in
LA and elsewhere
○ Some produced domestically under supervision of
government or underground
● Influenced by American and Latino music
and culture, especially electronic genres
Hamid Talebzadeh
● Government
supported, based in
Tehran
Dance-Pop
Abjeez
● Sweden-based
group of two
sisters
● Mix reggae, rock,
ska, and flamenco
Persian Hip Hop
● Originated in the
80’s
● Form of political
expression
● Hichkas/021
○ one of the first
Tehran-based rap
groups
Asa Soltan
● Shahs of Sunset star
● Representative of Iranian
diasporic experience in LA