His song became the anthem of the protests. He won a Grammy, but he could go to prison for years

“Baraye” in 48 hours on Shervin’s profile alone was viewed 40 million times. After Hajipou was arrested, “Baraye” disappeared from his Instagram account. Journalists, referring to people from his environment, inform that he was probably forced to remove it by state officials. However, nothing is lost on the Internet, the song, despite the drastic measures taken by the regime, managed to spread across the network with the power of unbridled fire and made millions of plays from various sources.

The unofficial anthem of the Iranian protests won a historic Grammy

The more the authorities tried to make people forget about the song, the more its popularity grew. It has been sung by Iranian schoolgirls, sung from car windows in Tehran and played during solidarity marches in Washington, Strasbourg and London. The song is already the most reworked Iranian song, and its subsequent interpretations are multiplying. Meanwhile, the song was also covered by the band, who performed it together with exiled Iranian actress Golshifteh Farahani at their October concert in Buenos Aires. Jon Batiste and Jan Blomqvist also recorded their versions.

Shervin Hajipour, 25, was released on bail after a few days, but the Iranian regime has brought charges against him that could see him sentenced to up to six years in prison, Jon Gambrell of the AP agency reports. Hajipour is still awaiting trial and is banned from leaving the country. So, for obvious reasons, he could not attend the awards gala, where it was announced that he had won the historic, because the first, award in the new category, which includes the creators of music particularly important from the point of view of social changes.

The song was submitted for the prize of nearly 100,000. times. Even before the vote on the results took place, the president of the American Academy of Arts released a statement saying that “The Academy is deeply disturbed by the number of submissions of Shervin Hajipour’s ‘Baraye’ for the new award.” “While we cannot predict who will win, it is humbling for us to know that our institution is a platform for people who want to show their support for the idea that music is a powerful catalyst for change. The academy continues to support freedom of expression and art created to empower communities in need. Because music serves the world, our Academy serves music, “he wrote.

The 65th Grammy Awards. The first lady reads the verdict photo. Chris Pizzello / AP Photo

The verdict of the American National Academy of Recording Arts and Techniques was read by First Lady Jill Biden at the gala. During her speech, she emphasized that “a song can unite, inspire and ultimately change the world.” She noted that “Baraye” itself is “a powerful and poetic cry for freedom and women’s rights” that continues to influence listeners around the world.

“Baraye” in Farsi means “for”, “for” or “by/because”. Shervin Hajipour wrote the lyrics of the song inspired by the entries of network users who, starting with this word, explained why they are taking part in the protests that broke out after the moral police beat the 22-year-old Hajipour wrote – “You created the lyrics of this song, I wrote them down to ease your suffering.” Loosely translated, the text says:

For dancing in the street

For fear of a public kiss

For all our sisters,

To change the rotten minds of fanatics,

By the shame of a father who has empty pockets

Longing for a normal life

For the dreams of poor street children

Through a ruined economy

Through polluted air

Through dying trees on Valiasr Street,

Because Asian cheetahs are almost extinct,

By the slaughter of innocent dogs,

Through endless tears

For the dream of a moment that will never happen again

For those who no longer smile

For students and their future,

Through this forced road to their “paradise”,

By arresting “beautiful minds”

For the neglected children of Afghan refugees,

Through a list that never ends

Through these hostile and worthless propaganda slogans,

Through the rubble of houses that have crumbled like houses of cards,

For peace of mind,

For the sunrise after long dark nights,

Through sedatives and insomnia

For people, homeland, prosperity,

For a girl who’d rather be a boy

For women, life, freedom.

for freedom

for freedom

For freedom.

“The Grammys for ‘Baraye’ is a message to the Iranian people that the world has heard them and recognizes their fight for freedom. It is awarding their anthem with the highest musical honor,” Nahid Siamdoust, a university researcher and specialist in Middle East Studies, told the New York Times. of Texas, and author of The Soundtrack of Revolution: The Politics of Music in Iran.

Who is the creator of ‘Baraye’?

Shervin Hajipour was born on March 30, 1997 in the city of Babol. Although he has a bachelor’s degree in economics, he has been involved in music since he was a child. At the age of eight, he began to learn to play the violin, and was already composing in high school. During his studies, he wrote music for theatrical performances, only later did he start writing music for himself.

As of 2018, he has been posting covers of various popular songs on social media. A year later, he auditioned for the Iranian talent show “New Era” – an equivalent of the well-known “Idol”. He then presented the song “Maybe Paradise”, which he wrote himself. Not only did he make it to the next stages, but he made it to the second round of the show’s finals. The program’s artistic director reportedly told the media that members of the Iranian National Broadcasting Council expressed concerns that Hajipour would cause trouble later on.

The song “Maybe Paradise” Shervin Hajipour released as his debut single on numerous music platforms, which gained him recognition among the young generation of Iraqis. So far, he has released 33 songs, as well as three songs that were included in the soundtrack of such productions as “Sport Show” or “Baazimoon”, as well as the movie “Tsunami”.

When it was announced that his song was the first Iranian song to win a Grammy, he broke a long-term silence on social media. “We won,” he wrote shortly.

Massive protests in Iran began on September 16, 2022, when Mahsa Amini, beaten by officers from the so-called “morality police”, died from internal injuries. The 22-year-old was detained for allegedly inappropriate headgear according to Sharia guidelines.

Protests in defense of women’s rights and against police brutality have taken on an anti-government character over time. Since the clashes began, several hundred people have died in the clashes, and the Iranian authorities have arrested about 20,000 strikers. At least 100 of them have been sentenced to death or faced charges for which they face the death penalty. The regime is known to have executed at least four people convicted of participating in mass riots.