Sirvan Khosravi

SIRVAN KHOSRAVI

INTRODUCING INTERNATIONALISM TO IRAN’S POP MUSIC SCENE

by Sean Adibi

BORN INTO TEHRAN TO KURDISH PARENTS, 38-year-old Sirvan Khosravi has contributed to Iran’s pop music scene as a singer, songwriter, instrumentalist, DJ, and producer since 2001. As of April 2021, he has released five albums and over 40 singles, in addition to several collaborations with his younger brother, Xaniar. Interviewers and radio announcers alike have classified Sirvan’s music as a blend of electronic, pop, and rock music. But in a 2016 interview on Did Dar Shab, Sirvan asserts that his tracks consist of more than just an array of catchy beats and lyrics catered to teens — he has also introduced what he calls an ‘international’ style of music to Iran.

Not to be confused with world music, Sirvan’s international fusion of pop, rock, and electronic beats possesses an uncommon quality: if the lyrics were removed, the music could easily feel native to any country in which it is played. Conversely, modern Iranian singers — from Mohsen Yeganeh to Sasy Mankan — frequently blend traditional tones with modern electronic beats in the production of pop ballads, dance hits, and lyrical melodies. Sirvan, however, refrains from showcasing any quintessentially Iranian musical elements by avoiding traditional instruments, like the setar, and rhythms, like 6/8 time, entirely. In interviews, Sirvan admits that he would like viewers to acknowledge him not as an electronic dance DJ or an exclusively Iranian singer, but as a multifaceted artist who is expanding the boundaries of what it means to be an international musician in Iran.

Sirvan has managed to blend musical genres in each of his albums, often drawing from Western musicians, from hard rock artists like Def Leppard, Roger Waters, Bon Jovi, and Sting, to modern soft rock groups like Coldplay, Keith Urban, U2, to heavy metal bands Metallica and Megadeth. The influence of these musical groups is evident in each of his albums, which typically include an array of musical genres, from alternative rock lyrical serenades to heavy metal extended guitar solos. Despite emulating his musical inspirations, his first two albums, To Khial Kardi Beri and Saate 9, did not gain immediate recognition in Iran.

Prior to Sirvan, western rock and metal artists had not garnered mainstream fame among Iranian youth, so Sirvan responded to this initial apathy to his music by strengthening the lyrical interpretations of his songs. While his largely Iranian listeners may not have dissociated from more prominent Iranian blended pop hits, the release of Sirvan’s mid-2010s musical fusion pieces transformed his perception among younger listeners. Moreover, in interviews, Sirvan prides himself on his intergenerational fan base, who connect with either the classic rock or electronic dance components of his songs, regardless of age. While Western artists are not particularly popular in post- Revolution Iran, Sirvan has mimicked their styles while also distinguishing himself with more poetic Farsi lyrics characteristic of traditional music. This has resulted in the production of a musical repertoire that cannot be neatly classified into distinct genres. After nearly a decade of refining his artistic expression, Sirvan’s top singles Ghabe Akse Khali, Soojehat Tekrarie, and Doost Daram Zendegiro, which combine guitar solos, electronic beats, and extended vocals, garnered immediate attention and widespread popularity, with over 30 million total streams on Iranian music app Radio Javan.

For one, Ghabe Akse Khali, with over 60 million views combined across streaming platforms, is Sirvan’s most viewed single. Its lyrics, while syntactically simple, incorporate several instances of figurative language, including in the chorus.

بعد تو دیگه حال من غم و اضطرابه

نبودی که ببینی چقدر حالم خرابه

من با همه عشقم این خونه رو ساختم

خیلی سخته بفهمی خونه ت روی آبه

After you, I feel grief and anxiety

You aren’t here to see how horrible I’m feeling

With all my love I built this house

It’s hard for you to understand

That your house is underwater

In this piece, Sirvan laments the end of a romantic relationship and subsequent depression, with a floodinghouse as an illustration of how ties may be severed between two individuals in the face of unprecedented circumstances. The house being “underwater,” or submerged, symbolizes the emotional trauma associated with breakups. While the topic appears pedestrian, Sirvan’s candid exploration of modern-day romantic relationships, void of traditional, male-dominated depictions of love, serves as a departure from ordinary Iranian ballads. His lyrics, albeit written in Farsi, do not replicate the ornate, embellished expressions typical of Iranian traditional pop music, but rather employ accessible, quotidian language to characterize interpersonal relationships.

Sirvan’s use of simpler, internationally-applicable verses has broadened his overall appeal among Iranians of all ages, setting him apart from long-established Iranian pop singers. Not unlike traditional poetic ballads, however, Sirvan’s songs leave space for multiple lyrical interpretations. It is this duality, between his catchy lyrics and their underlying profundity, that has captivated Iranian listeners years after the release of his initial albums.

In mid-2020, Sirvan released his latest album, Monologue, in a manner never attempted before in Iran: alongside his band atop a helipad overlooking the Tehran skyline. The album tells the coming-of-age story of a young person in their journey toward self-actualization and belonging. Each song, replete with piano and guitar solos, is an unapologetic display of Sirvan’s hard rock beginnings and impassioned approach to musical synthesis. Albeit less popular than soft pop singles like Ghabe Akse Khali, Sirvan’s latest album serves as a source of inspiration to amateur Iranian musicians that they, too, can successfully perform rock music without overtly employing Iranian traditional instruments or genres. Kian Pourtorab, Milad Derakhshani, and Alireza Riazi, among others, have produced albums through Sirvan’s ‘international’ approach, a testament to the popularity of genre-blending among youth in Iran and in diaspora.

Rather than listen to western artists like Coldplay, U2, or Sting, Iranians can turn to Sirvan — a musical synthesizer and industry innovator — to listen to songs that utilize western instruments, explore modern poetry varieties, and examine modern cultural themes. Over a decade has passed since the release of his first album, yet Sirvan’s music continues to grow increasingly pervasive. Beyond a pop, electronic, or rock artist, Sirvan is a versatile musician whose songs cannot be neatly classified into a single genre; it is his unique musical adaptability that has captivated his fans and sustained his popularity for over a decade.