Iranian pop music, also called Persian pop music, is a type of music that comes from Iran. The songs are mostly sung in the Persian language and other ways people speak Persian in Iran and nearby areas.

History

After radio was invented in 1930 and after World War II, a new type of popular music began to develop in Iran. In the 1950s, Iran's music industry started to change. Before this time, traditional singers were the main performers. Viguen, called the "Sultan" of Iranian pop and jazz music, was one of the first musicians to introduce this new style. He was among the first in Iran to use a guitar in his performances.

Some of Iran's well-known classical pop artists include Hayedeh, Mahasti, Andy, Aref, Dariush, Ebi, Faramarz Aslani, Farhad, Fereydun Farrokhzad, Giti Pashaei, Googoosh, Hassan Shamaizadeh, Homeyra, Leila Forouhar, Nooshafarin, Parviz Maghsadi, Ramesh, Shahram Shabpareh, and Varoujan, Shohreh Solati, Bijan Mortazavi, and bLACKCATS.

Examples of these artists performing include:
– Hayedeh and Anoushirvan Rohani on Iranian National Television in 1975.
– Hayedeh, Loghman Adhami, and other musicians at a concert in the 1970s.
– Googoosh on an old music cover.
– Farhad Mehrad in the 1970s.
– Fereydun Farrokhzad on an old magazine.

After the 1979 Revolution, pop music was banned and stopped being played in Iran. Many Iranians moved to other countries, especially Los Angeles in the United States, and continued to sing there. Since then, many Iranian TV channels and radio stations outside Iran have broadcast music through satellites. These stations help connect Iranian pop artists with people living around the world.

In the 1990s, government officials decided to create and promote pop music they considered appropriate to compete with music from outside Iran. Ali Moallem (a poet) and Fereydoun Shahbazian (a musician) led a group at the IRIB that helped bring pop music back in Iran.

Shadmehr Aghili was one of the first singers after the revolution who received support from national television to create new Persian pop songs in Iran. He was skilled at playing the violin and guitar and was a talented singer. He became very popular in Iran but later moved to Canada and then to Los Angeles to continue his career.

During the presidency of Khatami, cultural rules in Iran became less strict, and new pop singers began to appear. The Ministry of Ershad changed its policy to make it easier to monitor the music industry. Some artists had fewer restrictions, while others faced more rules. However, more albums were released during this time.

Arian, the first officially approved pop band with female singers after the revolution, started a new era of Iranian pop music. They worked with the British-Irish singer Chris de Burgh on their fourth album, Bi to, Ba to, and were the first Iranian band to be listed in the English International Who's Who in Music directory.

In 2001, younger artists started a movement called Iranian hip hop. Their music was influenced by American artists like Eminem and Tupac. The government first banned this style, but artists like Zedbazi and Hichkas continued to create music despite the restrictions.

In late 2009, Sirvan Khosravi became the first Iranian artist to have his music played often on a European radio station. His song Saat-e 9 ("9 O'Clock") gained attention in Iranian online media. In August 2010, Farzad Farzin Amin Rostami made his first appearance on a European music chart with the song Chike Chike ("Trickle Trickle") from his third album, Shans ("Chance"). Sahar was another important singer in Iranian pop music after the 1979 Revolution.

Awards

• 1971: Googoosh received first prize and a gold record at the MIDEM in Cannes for her seventh record (as Gougoush), which included two French songs: "Retour de la Ville" (A-side) and "J'entends Crier Je T'aime" (B-side).
• 1972: Googoosh won first prize at the Carthage Music Festival.
• 1972: Googoosh was awarded the first medal of arts in Tunisia.
• 1973: Googoosh took part in the Sanremo Music Festival.
• 2002: Deep Dish won a Grammy Award for Best Remixed Recording for Dido's "Thank You."
• 2006: Andy Madadian received awards for Best Middle Eastern Song and Best Middle Eastern Album at the JPF Awards.
• 2010: Andy Madadian was honored as a recipient of a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
• 2013: Farzad Farzin won awards for Best Song and Best Performance at the Art-football Festival.