Roya Arab (born 1967) is an Iranian musician and
archaeologist
Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...
.
Musical career
Born in
Tehran
Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...
, Iran, Roya Arab learned the craft of singing during jam sessions around London in the early and mid-1990s. She was the first Iranian female to receive a publishing and recording deal from a major Western label, when she was signed as a member of
Archive
An archive is an accumulation of historical records or materials – in any medium – or the physical facility in which they are located.
Archives contain primary source documents that have accumulated over the course of an individual or ...
to
Island Records
Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in 1959 by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in Jamaica, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, anoth ...
in 1994, and the album ''
Londinium
Londinium, also known as Roman London, was the capital of Roman Britain during most of the period of Roman rule. It was originally a settlement established on the current site of the City of London around AD 47–50. It sat at a key cross ...
'' was released in 1996. The band broke up shortly after. Arab went on to work with various artists, including
Leila in
Like Weather
''Like Weather'' is the debut studio album by English electronic musician Leila. It was released on 30 March 1998 by Rephlex Records.
Critical reception
Reviewing ''Like Weather'' for AllMusic, John Bush noted the album's "tremendously eclect ...
,
Grooverider
Raymond Bingham (born 16 April 1967 in Streatham, London, England), better known as Grooverider, is a British drum and bass DJ. He and DJ partner Fabio are regarded as "originators" of the scene. in ''Mysteries of Funk'', followed by some work in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
with
Zend Avesta
The Avesta () is the primary collection of religious texts of Zoroastrianism, composed in the Avestan language.
The Avesta texts fall into several different categories, arranged either by dialect, or by usage. The principal text in the litu ...
and Naab, before working on a project with
Mike Figgis
Michael Figgis (born 28 February 1948) is an English film director, screenwriter, and composer. He was nominated for two Academy Awards for his work in ''Leaving Las Vegas'' (1995). Figgis was the founding patron of the independent filmmakers o ...
. ''
Courtesy of Choice
''Courtesy of Choice'' is the second studio album by electronic music artist Leila, released by XL Recordings in 2000. It features vocal contributions from Roya Arab, Donna Paul, and Luca Santucci.
Critical reception
Denise Benson of ''Exclaim! ...
'' (2000) by Leila was the last album Arab appeared on before a hiatus to study archaeology.
In 2008 Arab sang on ''Blood, Looms and Blooms'', before joining Leila on a European tour in 2009. Arab started working with young Iranian musicians leaving Iran including
Hichkas
Soroush Lashkari ( fa, سروش لشکری; born 9 May 1985), known professionally as Hichkas ( fa, هیچکس), is an Iranian rapper, singer, and songwriter. Credited with popularizing Persian hip hop to the Iranian people and other Persian-sp ...
and
Ash Koosha, and performing live again. In 2011 the live recording of ‘Killing fields’ with
Hichkas
Soroush Lashkari ( fa, سروش لشکری; born 9 May 1985), known professionally as Hichkas ( fa, هیچکس), is an Iranian rapper, singer, and songwriter. Credited with popularizing Persian hip hop to the Iranian people and other Persian-sp ...
was made available to the public. ‘Mooye Parishoon’ was released in 2013 for raising awareness of domestic violence and abuse. She appeared on Rosko John 's debut solo album Call to Arms. Arab started collaborating wit
Arshid Azarinein 2018 and recorded a song for his 2019 album. A collaboration with
Rone
Rone is the pseudonym of Tyrone Wright (born 1980), an internationally renowned street artist based in Melbourne, Australia.
History
Rone grew up in the city of Geelong, Victoria, before moving to Melbourne in 2001. In 2002, he started deco ...
appeared in 2021.
Education
Arab attended Maktabe Tarbiat school in Tehran, while also studying at summer schools in Montana, Switzerland, and St Georges in Ascot. After the 1979 revolution she boarded at Ancaster House School in Bexhill-on-Sea, before taking her A-levels at North Westminster Community School. She then completed one year of a copywriting/advertising course.
She joined the
Institute of Archaeology (UCL) in 2000 to complete an Archaeology BA and Public Archaeology MA and remained as an Honorary Research Associate from 2008 until 2015. She is currently undertaking research into music in Iranian films and what it reveals about society’s attitudes to music and musicianship. In 2020 she was made Associate Member of SMEI and CIS at
SOAS
SOAS University of London (; the School of Oriental and African Studies) is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the federal University of London. Founded in 1916, SOAS is located in the Bloomsbury are ...
, University of London.
Archiving, socio-political commentary and promoting cultures of the Middle East and North Africa
During and after Arab's studies in public archaeology at the UCL she has catalogued historical documents including the Wertime Collection and the Campbell archives.
Arab promotes the cultures of the MENA region with a special interest in
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
. She has worked with organisations and festivals such as Nour (RBKC) and the London Middle East Institute at
SOAS, University of London
SOAS University of London (; the School of Oriental and African Studies) is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the federal University of London. Founded in 1916, SOAS is located in the Bloomsbury are ...
to curate cultural and educational events celebrating the heritage of Middle East and North Africa. In 2019, Arab co-edited an issue of ''
The Middle East in London
''The Middle East in London'' was a magazine which covered news, business and culture in the Arab world
The Arab world ( ar, اَلْعَالَمُ الْعَرَبِيُّ '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ...
'' covering Iranian cinema.
Selected discography
* 2021:
Rone
Rone is the pseudonym of Tyrone Wright (born 1980), an internationally renowned street artist based in Melbourne, Australia.
History
Rone grew up in the city of Geelong, Victoria, before moving to Melbourne in 2001. In 2002, he started deco ...
, Rone & Friends, “Twenty 20” (
Rone
Rone is the pseudonym of Tyrone Wright (born 1980), an internationally renowned street artist based in Melbourne, Australia.
History
Rone grew up in the city of Geelong, Victoria, before moving to Melbourne in 2001. In 2002, he started deco ...
, R.Arab)
* 2021: Faubourg, Rith Banney and Roya Arab
''Lost
''
* 2019: Arshid Azarine, Sing me a Song “Hidden Hell” (R.Arab & A.Azarine)
* 2014: R. Arab, "Siren's call" film score for ''Hinterland'', a short film by Sebastian Lister
* 2014: Rosko John, Call to Arms: "March Forth" (Rosko John, R. Arab &
M. Aghajani)
* 2013: Funkshy, Think before you do: “Funkshy’ (T.Omar & R.Arab)
* 2013:
Hichkas
Soroush Lashkari ( fa, سروش لشکری; born 9 May 1985), known professionally as Hichkas ( fa, هیچکس), is an Iranian rapper, singer, and songwriter. Credited with popularizing Persian hip hop to the Iranian people and other Persian-sp ...
, R. Arab & Dariush "Mooye Parishoon" (Hichkas, R. Arab, Dariush &
Mahdyar Aghajani
Mahdyar Aghajani ( fa, مهدیار آقاجانی; born 22 January 1989) is a musician, record producer and composer born and raised in Tehran, Iran. He raised the standard of Iranian underground music, using Persian traditional instruments (s ...
)
* 2012: Rosko John, "Tactical light" (Rosko John and R.Arab)
* 2011: R. Arab &
Hichkas
Soroush Lashkari ( fa, سروش لشکری; born 9 May 1985), known professionally as Hichkas ( fa, هیچکس), is an Iranian rapper, singer, and songwriter. Credited with popularizing Persian hip hop to the Iranian people and other Persian-sp ...
, "Killing Fields" live (R.Arab &
Hichkas
Soroush Lashkari ( fa, سروش لشکری; born 9 May 1985), known professionally as Hichkas ( fa, هیچکس), is an Iranian rapper, singer, and songwriter. Credited with popularizing Persian hip hop to the Iranian people and other Persian-sp ...
)
* 2008:
Leila, Blood, Looms and Blooms: "Daisies, Cats and Spacemen" (R. Arab, L. Arab)
* 2000 & 2020:
Zend Avesta
The Avesta () is the primary collection of religious texts of Zoroastrianism, composed in the Avestan language.
The Avesta texts fall into several different categories, arranged either by dialect, or by usage. The principal text in the litu ...
, Organique: "À la Manière" (Roya Arab,
Rebotini)
* 2000: Leila, Courtesy of Choice: "Different time" (R. Arab, L. Arab, G. Jones, Woolley)
* 1999: Naab, L’étranger: "L’étranger" (R. Arab, Naab)
* 1998 & 2020: Leila, Like Weather: "Blue Grace" (R. Arab, L. Arab)
* 1998:
Grooverider
Raymond Bingham (born 16 April 1967 in Streatham, London, England), better known as Grooverider, is a British drum and bass DJ. He and DJ partner Fabio are regarded as "originators" of the scene. , Mysteries of Funk: "Rainbows of Colour" (Roya Arab, Grooverider, Optical)
* 1996:
Archive
An archive is an accumulation of historical records or materials – in any medium – or the physical facility in which they are located.
Archives contain primary source documents that have accumulated over the course of an individual or ...
,
Londinium
Londinium, also known as Roman London, was the capital of Roman Britain during most of the period of Roman rule. It was originally a settlement established on the current site of the City of London around AD 47–50. It sat at a key cross ...
(Island Records): "All Time", "So few Words", "Ubiquitous Wife" (a.k.a. "Headspace"), "Darkroom", "Londinium", "Nothing Else", "Parvaneh (Butterfly)", "Last Five", "Ubiquitous Wife Remix" (hidden song)
Selected publications
* Arab, R. 2019. “Parviz Sayyad: Socio-political commentator dressed as village fool” in The Middle East in London. Volume 15 – Number 2 February–March 2019
* Arab, R. 2017. “How Men Became the Sole Adult Dancing Singers in Iranian Films” in Music on Screen: From Cinema Screens to Touchscreens. Musicology Research (online) Autumn 2017, Vol. 3.
* Arab, R. 2016. "The changing use of music in Iranian films reflects a complex culture in flux". 30 April 2016 in www.mediadiversified.org.
* Arab, R. 2016. "Swaying to Persian and Middle Eastern tunes in London", ''The Middle East in London''. Vol 12, No 2, February/March 2016: 19–20.
* Arab, R. 2015. "Can Composition and Performance be Research?" 25 November 2015. City University Blogspot.
* Arab, R. 2015. "Review and reflections on Culture in Crisis Conference V&A April 2015". 20 May 2015 in www.wikiarc.org
* Arab, R. 2014. "Campbell, John Nicholl Robert ii. The Archives", ''Encyclopædia Iranica''.
* Arab, R. 2013, "Terror and I", 23 July 2013 in www.mediadiversified.org.
* Arab, R. & N. Earl. 2011. "Persians, Classics and Secondary Education", ''The Journal of Classics Teaching'', no. 24, Autumn 2011: 11–14.
* Arab, R. 2010. "Open letter on Iranian heritage". ''Public Archaeology'', Vol 9, No 2: 108–120.
* Arab, R. 2009. "Comments and Reflections on ‘Archaeology in Conflict: Cultural heritage, site management and sustainable developments in conflict and post- conflict states in the Middle East" in www.wikiarc.org
* Arab, R. 2005. Student Guide Book for IHF educational programme in conjunction with the British Museum exhibition British Museum with Achaemenid assistance from S. Razmjou, edited by F. Hakimzadeh & R. Dwyer.
* Arab, R. & Rehren, Th. 2004. ‘The Wertime Pyrotechnological Expedition of 1968’, IAMS, Vol 24: 29–34.
* Arab. R & Rehren.Th 2004. "The pyrotechnological expedition of 1968". In: Th. Stöllner, R. Slotta and A. Vatandoust, eds), Persiens Antike Pracht, Bergbau Handwerk Archäogie, Deutsches Bergbau-Museum, Bochum: 550–555.
Reports
* 2010. "An overview of ‘State terrorism and Libya’s record on human rights: fact of fiction? A Conference by Society Outreach", House of Lords, 27 January 2010.
* 2009. "A report of the seminar for National Interfaith week" at the Zoroastrian Centre in London (
ZTFE), 18 November 2009.
* 2009. "Review and reflections on: Is the kingdom of Saudi Arabia prepared to defend Human Rights, Civil Liberties and Fight Terrorism". A Conference by Society Outreach, House of Lords, 7 December 2009.
References
External links
Roya Arab personal websiteRoya Arab page at the Institute for Archaeo-Metallurgical Studies
{{DEFAULTSORT:Arab, Roya
Living people
Exiles of the Iranian Revolution in the United Kingdom
20th-century Iranian women singers
Musicians from Tehran
1967 births
British women archaeologists
Iranian women archaeologists
20th-century British women singers
21st-century British women singers