Persian pop music
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Iranian pop music or Persian pop music ( fa, موسیقی پاپ ایرانی) refers to
pop music Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. The terms ''popular music'' and ''pop music'' are often used interchangeably, although the former descri ...
originated 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 ...
, with songs mainly in
Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...
and other regional Persian dialects of the country and region.


History


Early Iranian popular music

Following the invention of radio in 1930, and after
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, a form of popular music emerged and began to develop in Iran.


1950s–70s

Iran's western-influenced pop music emerged by the 1950s. Prior to the 1950s, Iran's music industry was dominated by traditional singers. Viguen, known as the " Sultan" of Iranian pop and jazz music, was a pioneer of this revolution. He was one of Iran's first musicians to perform with a guitar. Some of Iran's classical pop artists include
Andy Andy may refer to: People * Andy (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Horace Andy (born 1951), Jamaican roots reggae songwriter and singer born Horace Hinds * Katja Andy (1907–2013), German-American pianist and pi ...
,
Aref Arif or Aref may refer to: *Arif, a local name for the Rif mountains in northern Morocco * Arif (given name) * Arif (surname) *‘arif, a concept in Sufism, see Ma'rifa Maʿrifa (Arabic: “interior knowledge”) is the mystical knowledge of God ...
, Dariush, Ebi, Faramarz Aslani,
Farhad Farhad ( fa, فرهاد ''farhād''), also spelt Ferhaad or Ferhod, has been a Persian name for men since the Parthians, first recorded for Arsacid kings circa 170 BC. Etymology Modern Persian name ''Farhād'' () is derived from Middle Persian '' ...
, Fereydun Farrokhzad, Giti Pashaei,
Googoosh Faegheh Atashin ( fa, فائقه آتشین; born 5 May 1950), known professionally as Googoosh ( fa, گوگوش, ), is an Iranian singer and former actress. One of the most popular and prolific entertainers in Iran, her career has spanned over ...
,
Hassan Shamaizadeh Hassan Shamaizadeh ( fa, حسن شماعی‌زاده, also Romanized as Hasan-é Šamâ'izâde; born January 15, 1943 in Isfahan) is an Iranian pop singer, songwriter and saxophonist. Over the past three decades, he composed songs for artists ...
, Haydeh,
Homeyra ) , alias = Homeyra, Homayra, Homeira , birth_date = , birth_place = Tehran, Imperial Iran , origin = , genre = Persian traditional music, Fusion music, Pop music , occupation = Singer , ...
,
Leila Forouhar Leila Forouhar ( fa, لیلا فروهر, ''Leilâ Foruhar'') (born 23 February 1959) is an Iranian pop and classical singer. She was a child star, acting from the age of 3. She relocated to next door Turkey in 1986, then to Paris, before emigrat ...
, Mahasti, Nooshafarin, Parviz Maghsadi, Ramesh,
Shahram Shabpareh Shahram Shabpareh ( fa, شهرام شب‌پره) is an Iranian Pop singer and songwriter. Career He started his career as a drum player in the early 1960s when he was 13. In the mid 1960s at the age of 17, he formed a band of his own named "R ...
, and Varoujan. File:HayedehRohani.jpg, Haydeh and Anoushirvan on the Iranian National Television, in 1975. File:LoghmanAdhamiMAminiNaserEftetahMahmoudRahmanipourHiydeh.jpg, Haydeh, Loghman Adhami, and other musicians at a concert. File:Bigharar-googoosh.jpg,
Googoosh Faegheh Atashin ( fa, فائقه آتشین; born 5 May 1950), known professionally as Googoosh ( fa, گوگوش, ), is an Iranian singer and former actress. One of the most popular and prolific entertainers in Iran, her career has spanned over ...
on an old music cover. File:Mehrdad, Farhad.jpg, Farhad Mehrad in the 1970s. File:Fereydoun Farrokhzad - Zan-e Rooz, Issue 303 - 16 January 1971 (01).jpg, Fereydun Farrokhzad on an old magazine.


After the 1979 Revolution

After the
1979 Revolution The Iranian Revolution ( fa, انقلاب ایران, Enqelâb-e Irân, ), also known as the Islamic Revolution ( fa, انقلاب اسلامی, Enqelâb-e Eslâmī), was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynas ...
, pop music was banned and completely disappeared from the scene in Iran. Many Iranians emigrated to foreign countries, especially to
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
in the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
, and many continued to sing in exile. Since then, several popular Iranian TV channels and radio stations operate outside the country, aired through various satellites. These broadcast companies play an important role in promoting and connecting Iranian pop artists to Iranians living all over the world. In the 1990s, officials of the new government decided to produce and promote a "decent" pop music, in order to compete with the abroad and unofficial sources of Iranian music. Ali Moallem (poet) and Fereydoun Shahbazian (musician) headed a council at the
IRIB The Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB; fa, صدا و سيمای جمهوری اسلامی ايران, ''Sedā va Sīmā-ye Jomhūri-ye Eslāmi-ye Īrān'', , formerly called National Iranian Radio and Television until the Iranian rev ...
that supervised the revival of domestic pop music.
Shadmehr Aghili Shadmehr aghili ( fa, شادمهر عقیلی; born 27 January 1973) is an Iranian pop singer, musician, composer, music arranger, producer and song-writer, and formerly an actor. He revitalized music culture post-revolution in Iran, Aghili was b ...
was one of the first post-revolutionary Iranian singers who received significant support, including promotion by national television, to produce new Persian pop songs inside Iran. He was highly skilled at playing violin and guitar, and was a very talented singer. He became a very successful and popular musician and singer in Iran, but eventually immigrated to
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
and then moved to
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
, continuing his career outside Iran. Under the presidency of
Khatami Sayyid Mohammad Khatami ( fa, سید محمد خاتمی, ; born 14 October 1943) is an Iranian politician who served as the fifth president of Iran from 3 August 1997 to 3 August 2005. He also served as Iran's Minister of Culture from 1982 t ...
, as a result of easing cultural restrictions within Iran, a number of new pop singers emerged from within the country. Since the new administration took office, the Ministry of Ershad adopted a different policy, mainly to make it easier to monitor the industry. The newly adopted policy included loosening restrictions for a small number of artists, while tightening it for the rest. However, the number of album releases increased. Arian, the first officially sanctioned pop music band with female singers in post-revolutionary Iran, started a new chapter of Iranian pop music. They had a cooperation with the well-known British-Irish singer Chris de Burgh in their fourth album ''Bi to, Ba to'', and were the first Iranian band to be featured in the English biographical dictionary and directory of ''
International Who's Who in Music The ''International Who's Who in Music'' is a biographical dictionary and directory originally published by the International Biographical Centre located in Cambridge, England. It contains only biographies of persons living at the time of publicati ...
''. in 2001 some of the young artists create a movement called
Iranian hip hop Iranian hip hop (Persian language, Persian: هیپ‌هاپ ایرانی), also known to as Persian hip hop (هیپ‌هاپ فارسی), refers to hip hop music developed in Iran (Name of Iran, Persia) and in Persian language. It is rooted in Am ...
their music was inspired by American hip hop artists like Eminem or
Tupac Tupac Amaru Shakur ( ; born Lesane Parish Crooks, June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known as 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper. He is widely considered one of the most influential rappers of all time. Shakur is among the b ...
and at the beginning government bans this genre of music but artists like
zedbazi Zedbazi ( fa, زدبازی) is an Iranian hip hop band, formed by longtime friends Saman Wilson and Mehrad Hidden and later joined by Sohrab MJ, Sijal, Alireza JJ and Nassim. In a 2022 concert, the founder of the group (Saman Wilson) announced ...
,
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 ...
reza pishro and many other tries to make hip hop music until this day hip hop genre artist cant sell an album cant make the concert but this movement still alive and new artists like epicure, wantons, hamid sefat, and ali sorena keep this big movement alive, also in Iran governments rules the Persian rock music is forbidden too In late 2009, Sirvan Khosravi became the first domestic Iranian artist to achieve high-rotation airplay on a regular European radio station. He made his debut with the song ''Saat-e 9'' ("9 O'Clock"), which also made headlines in Iranian online media. In August 2010,
Farzad Farzin Farzad Farzin ( fa, فرزاد فرزین; born 24 June 1981 in Tehran, Iran Allmusic Biography/ref>) is an Iranian singer, songwriter, arranger, and actor. Music career Early years Farzad was one of the founders and original band member of the ...
Amin Rostami made his debut European chart with the song ''Chike Chike'' ("Trickle Trickle") from his third legal album ''Shans'' ("Chance"). after 2010


Awards


Notable International Awards

* 1971:
Googoosh Faegheh Atashin ( fa, فائقه آتشین; born 5 May 1950), known professionally as Googoosh ( fa, گوگوش, ), is an Iranian singer and former actress. One of the most popular and prolific entertainers in Iran, her career has spanned over ...
, first prize and golden record at the
MIDEM Midem is the acronym for Marché International du Disque et de l'Édition Musicale, which is organised annually in and around the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès in Cannes, France. The trade show, organized by Reed MIDEM, a subsidiary of Re ...
in
Cannes Cannes ( , , ; oc, Canas) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. T ...
, for her 7th record (as ''Gougoush'') featuring two songs in French:
''"Retour de la Ville"'' (A-side) and ''"J'entends Crier Je T'aime"'' (B-side). * 1972:
Googoosh Faegheh Atashin ( fa, فائقه آتشین; born 5 May 1950), known professionally as Googoosh ( fa, گوگوش, ), is an Iranian singer and former actress. One of the most popular and prolific entertainers in Iran, her career has spanned over ...
, first prize at the Carthage Music Festival. * 1972:
Googoosh Faegheh Atashin ( fa, فائقه آتشین; born 5 May 1950), known professionally as Googoosh ( fa, گوگوش, ), is an Iranian singer and former actress. One of the most popular and prolific entertainers in Iran, her career has spanned over ...
, first medal of arts of Tunisia. * 1973:
Googoosh Faegheh Atashin ( fa, فائقه آتشین; born 5 May 1950), known professionally as Googoosh ( fa, گوگوش, ), is an Iranian singer and former actress. One of the most popular and prolific entertainers in Iran, her career has spanned over ...
, participated at the
Sanremo Music Festival The Sanremo Music Festival, officially the Italian Song Festival () and commonly known as just (), is the most popular Italian song contest and awards ceremony, held annually in the city of Sanremo, Liguria. It is the longest-running annua ...
. * 2002: Deep Dish,
Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...
winner for ''Best Remixed Recording'', for
Dido Dido ( ; , ), also known as Elissa ( , ), was the legendary founder and first queen of the Phoenician city-state of Carthage (located in modern Tunisia), in 814 BC. In most accounts, she was the queen of the Phoenician city-state of Tyre (t ...
's ''"
Thank You "''Thank you''" (often expanded to ''thank you very much'' or ''thanks a lot'', or informally abbreviated to ''thanks'' or alternately as ''many thanks''Geoffrey Leech, ''The Pragmatics of Politeness'' (2014), p. 200.) is a common expression of ...
"''. * 2006: Andy Madadian, ''Best Middle Eastern Song'' & ''Best Middle Eastern Album'' at the JPF Awards. *2007: Mohsen Yeganeh the best singer, musicians and guitarist ever * 2013:
Farzad Farzin Farzad Farzin ( fa, فرزاد فرزین; born 24 June 1981 in Tehran, Iran Allmusic Biography/ref>) is an Iranian singer, songwriter, arranger, and actor. Music career Early years Farzad was one of the founders and original band member of the ...
, ''Best Song and Performance'' at the Art-football Festival.


See also

*
Music of Iran The music of Iran encompasses music that is produced by Iranian artists. In addition to the traditional folk and classical genres, it also includes pop and internationally celebrated styles such as jazz, rock, and hip hop. Iranian music infl ...
*
List of Iranian musicians This is a list of Iranian (Persian) musicians and musical groups. Classical Persian classical/traditional *Moein * Homayoun Shajarian * Mohammad-Reza Shajarian * Hossein Khajeh Amiri (Iraj) * Shahram Nazeri * Iraj Bastami * Anoushiravan ...


References

* https://www.vice.com/en/article/yw59y7/rap-is-banned-in-iran-but-the-underground-scene-is-flourishing {{DEFAULTSORT:Iranian pop music Pop music by country