Mera Albee

Mera is a performer with multi-national appeal. The daughter of a Spanish father and Persian mother, she sings in five languages (Arabic, Farsi, French, Spanish, and English), dances, and combines the cultural traditions of the East with those of modern-day discos. Born in Spain, Mera moved with her mother to Tehran, Iran, when she was three and to the U.S. when she was 12. While attending school in Connecticut, she developed an interest in music and theater. In the early '90s, she formed a pop duo with another singer whose name also began with an M -- Melissa -- hence the duo's name: M&M. When Melissa decided to leave the business, Mera sought work on her own, appearing in small parts in films and in TV commercials in France and Japan. Her singing career received a boost when she met producer-composer Shad Rabanni in 1994. Rabanni's music fused Middle Eastern and Latin influences and seemed the perfect vehicle for Mera's vocal talents. Their collaboration resulted in Mera's 1996 debut album, Mera, and Sandstorm in 2001. Mera's song "Pol" was also included on the compilation Baila Habibi, Vol. II, while the video for her single "Albee" ("My Heart") was a success in France, receiving extensive airplay on MTV France. With the release of her second album in the summer of 2001, Mera embarked on a North American tour, seeking to bring her popularity to American dance music fans.http://www.emusic.com/artist/Mera-MP3-Download/11674202.html

Mahasti

Eftekhar Dadehbala (Mahasti) (November 16, 1946 - June 25, 2007) was an Iranian singer who was recognized as the "Banooye Golhaa va Delha" (Lady of hearts & flowers). She was the younger sister of another popular Iranian female singer, Hayedeh. Mahasti's voice was discovered by maestro Parviz Yahaghi, a distinguished Iranian composer and violinist. She was amongst a rare group of singers who "started" their careers on the prestigious Persian traditional music radio program Gol hâ ye Rangârang( گلهای رنگارنگ), in 1963 with the song "Anke Delam Râ Borde Xodâyâ"(Persian -آنكه دلم را برده خدایا) composed and arranged by maestro Parviz Yahaghi with lyrics from Bijan Taraghi. She has worked with some of the most famous Iranian composers, including Parviz Yahaghi, Habibollah Badiei, Homayoon Khorram, Asadollah Malek, Anooshiravan Rohani, Jahanbakhsh Pazooki, Hasan Shamaeizadeh, Mohammad Heidari, Jamshid Sheibani, Sadegh Nojooki, and Manoochehr Cheshmazar as well as some younger composers such as Bijan Mortazavi,Faramarz Aasef, Mehrdad Asemani, and Shadmehr Aghili.Wikipedia

Helen Maa

Helen was born in Tehran, Iran to an Armenian family. She demonstrated her vocal talents as a very young child, and at the age of 15, she was accepted to the prestigious Tehran Conservatory of Music. During her rigorous music education, Helen´s studies were focused on opera as well as classical piano. Shortly after graduation, Helen set off to travel, journeying extensively throughout Europe from 1985 to 1995. Much of her time was spent in Germany where her career took off. Helen has performed with many famous Iranian singers in concerts and other events all over Europe. In 1995 Helen moved to United States. Since her arrival here, she has completed six pop solo albums and performed in numerous concerts on a worldwide basis, thrilling diverse audiences with her wide musical range and multi-lingual skills in Armenian, Farsi, Arabic, English, and Spanish. She made her American television debut in 2004 portraying a singer on the popular TV series, JAG, produced by Paramount Pictures. LAST.FM

Ahmad Zahir

Image via WikipediaAhmad Zahir (Persian: احمد ظاهر, 14 June 1946 – 14 June 1979), was an Afghan singer, songwriter, and composer. A celebrity of enduring popularity more than a quarter century after his death, he is considered an icon of music in Afghanistan.Wikipedia

Related articles by Zemanta

• Letter: Persian voices
• Cameron Cartio

Erfan

Erfan was born on August 3rd, 1983 in Isfahan, Iran. At the age of six months, Erfan began his journey across the world. After living in multiple countries, Erfan's family knew it was time to set their sites on one specific area. After much thought, Erfan and his family began building their life in the USA. Being raised in a family who highly values poetry and literature, Erfan started from a young age to appreciate the arts. As Erfan grew older, he took greater interest in Farsi literature which includes poetry, philosophy and cultural, political, and religion studies. Having experienced a culture shock by moving to America, Erfan was able to channel his conflicting feelings and express them in an artistic way. His lack of stability, caused by constantly moving locations, forced Erfan to deal with attachment differently than most. Despite being raised in the western world, Erfan never lost sight of his Iranian culture. He began writing creative Iranian literature around the age of 14, and from there he expanded his interests to include poetry and music. Erfan conveys many of his life experiences in his poetry and uses his words as a tool to resolve conflicting issues that he is confronted with. At the age of 23, Erfan has added Iranian hip hop to his list of artistic achievements. The impressive combination of raw talent and perseverance has contributed to Erfan's eagerness to take the world of Iranian hip hop to new heights.http://www.poeterfan.com/Bio.htm