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Artist
Hani Mojtahedy
12+ albums
kurdishBerlingermanvocaliran
about
Hani Mojtahedy is a renowned Kurdish singer whose work combines traditional Persian music, contemporary influences, and Kurdish lyrics. In 2000, Mojtahedi began singing professionally in the hopes of pursuing a musical career in Iran. She founded the first Iranian band consisting exclusively of female musicians. The Iranian Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance allowed them to perform, but only under the condition that no men were present in the audience. In the Islamic Republic is it prohibited for women to sing in front of men. The group was also not allowed to have photos taken of themselves or their performances. After years of working within the structure of Iranian society, Mojtahedy decided that the religious laws restricted her artistic freedom to an extent that gravely prevented her from realizing her creative potential. In 2004, she made the difficult decision to leave her family in Iran and moved to Berlin to further pursue her career. Before long, she received wider recognition and began to perform on television and at international music festivals. Mojtahedy is a role model for many women in her homeland. She is politically engaged and supports the independence of the Kurdish minority in Iran, and more broadly is a human rights advocate. Her lyrics deal with personal subject matter such as border conflicts, women’s rights, breaking with conventions, and the paradoxes of modern life. For example, Mojtahedy’s song “Azadi” (“freedom” in English) was composed in
