Eurovision at 70: Celebration of Pop Unity or a Stage for Europe’s Deepening Political Rift?
As the Eurovision Song Contest approaches its 70th edition, scheduled for May 2026 in Vienna, the event long marketed as a flamboyant showcase of cultural diversity and pan-European togetherness is entering what multiple observers now describe as its most severe legitimacy test in decades: a collision between entertainment spectacle, public-broadcaster accountability, and the unresolved politics […]
Why Shervin Hajipour Has Shifted From Hero to Accused
The announcement that Iranian singer-songwriter Shervin Hajipour has received official authorization to release his first studio album, Vaghe’i (“Real”), has reopened one of the most polarized cultural debates in Iran. Hajipour, whose 2022 protest anthem “Baraye…” became an international symbol of the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement and later won the Grammy Award for Best Song […]
Aki Banayi, Pioneering Voice of Pre-Revolution Persian Music, Dies at 81
Aki Banayi, one of the defining voices of Iran’s pre-revolution musical landscape, has died at the age of 81. Akram Banayi, known professionally as Aki Banayi, passed away on November 2, 2025 (11 Aban 1404) in the United States. The news was shared by her sister, the renowned film and theater actress Pouri Banayi, who […]
Sean “Diddy” Combs — The Fallen Star of Hip-Hop Sentenced to Prison
Sean “Diddy” Combs, the American rapper, producer, and one of the most influential figures in hip-hop, has been sentenced to four years and two months in prison after being found guilty of transporting individuals across state lines for prostitution. The verdict, issued by a federal court in New York, marks a dramatic downfall for one […]
Passing of “Ebi Littles”: Iranian Pop Singer and the Voice Known as the “Demis Roussos of Iran”
Aliakbar Askarian Zaka, better known by his stage name Ebi Littles, passed away on Wednesday, September 10, in Los Angeles at the age of 73. News of his death was met with widespread reactions from music lovers and fellow artists across social media. Born in Tehran in 1952, Ebi Littles began his artistic journey in […]
Passing of Bahman Rajabi, Master of Tombak in Iran
Bahman Rajabi, one of Iran’s most prominent tombak players and educators, passed away today, Wednesday, September 10, in Tehran due to cardiac arrest. He was 86 years old and devoted nearly six decades of his life to the advancement of Persian music. Born in 1939 in Rasht, Rajabi began his professional career in the early […]
Jacqueline Vigen, Pioneer of Persian Pop Songwriting, Dies at 73
Jacqueline Derderian (AKA Jacqueline Vigen), the Armenian-Iranian songwriter, composer, and singer, passed away on Sunday, September 7, 2025, in Los Angeles after a long battle with cancer. She was 73. Born in Tehran on December 19, 1952, Jacqueline was the daughter of Vigen, the celebrated “King of Iranian Jazz,” and his first wife, Olga. She […]
Passing of Ahmad Pejman: A Pioneer of Iranian Classical Music
Ahmad Pejman, the renowned Iranian composer and musician, passed away on August 29, 2025, in Los Angeles at the age of 90. As one of the most influential figures in Iran’s modern classical music, Pejman left behind a legacy that bridged Persian musical traditions with Western forms such as symphony, opera, ballet, oratorio, and rhapsody. […]
Koocheh festival in Bushehr: A Story of Cultural Resistance and Communal Solidarity
The fourth edition of the “Koocheh” Music and Culture Festival in Bushehr this year became a vivid scene of the ongoing struggle between the collective desire for joy and mounting social pressures. Created to celebrate the regional music and revive Bushehr’s local culture, this grassroots event finally secured its official permit after intense challenges, only […]
Mehdi Yarrahi Flogged in Tehran; Widespread Support from Artists and Activists
Iranian protest singer Mehdi Yarrahi received 74 lashes on Wednesday, March 5, 2025, at the Fourth Branch of the Morality Security Prosecutor’s Office in Tehran, according to his lawyer, Zahra Minouei. In a post on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), she confirmed that the sentence had been fully carried out and that Yarrahi’s case […]
Irregular rhythm; About the second electronic music album of the platform 101
Farbod Hamedi’s electronic music album titled “101Erratic Glitch” was released by the platform 101 in collaboration with Slvc Records and Famori Studios on various audio platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, and Tidal. Hamedi’s album has a completely electronic atmosphere using noise and glitch rhythms. Farbod Hamedi believes that the culture that collapses, the […]
