Iranian women musicians and performers since the early 20th century have experienced a rollercoaster of restrictions interspersed with small advances depending on the political and religious figures in power.
So much so that during certain periods of Iranian history, women have found it necessary to leave the country in order to pursue a professional career in music.
This article seeks to bring greater recognition to and understanding of Iranian women musicians present and past.
[Mirza Abollah, Center for Preservation and Propagation of Iranian Musicidentities] Persian classical music (that which is composed based on the Radif) is associated with the following terms: sonnati (traditional), asil (authentic), honari (art), elmi (learned), and dastgahi.
[Oxford Bibliographies.com] The titular reference to “Persian” music might suggest the exclusion of Iranian pop, rock and hip-hop music from the article, but several of the musicians included in the lists below have either begun as classical Persian musicians and later switched or expanded to other non-classical genres.
Western and western-inspired popular music was encouraged, including more activity by women performers.
[3] and Iranian women were allowed greater involvement in society, along with improvements in education and the workplace.
[2] The 1960s and 1970s, however, brought a backlash to the westernization of Iran, largely related to a fear of losing Iranian national culture and identity.
[4] With the Iranian (or Islamic) Revolution (1978–79), led by Ayatullah Khumeni (who overthrew the Shah), Sharia law “reform” was instituted, imposing religious (Islamic) values on many aspects of life, and introducing significant restrictions on music and women musicians.
In the 1980’s some loosening of restrictions occurred; patriotic and religious hymns were allowed along with the use of western musical instruments.
In 1981 however, women were once again required to wear a veil in public, and in 1983 the Islamic Punishment Law (Morality Police) was established.
For example, after 1986 Maryam Akhondy, the classical trained singer from Tehran, started working with other Iranian musicians in exile.
For this project the singer over several years, collected old folk songs which would have been sung only in private atmosphere.
The diaspora of Iranian musicians (both male and female) resulted in development of communities of expatriates.
One such community in southern California is called Tehrangeles, known for the strength of its music industry of and for expatriate Iranian musicians.
With this change in leadership, Iran experienced a loosening of restrictions, albeit accompanied by a continued resistance to Western influences, and in turn this led to a greater interest in learning traditional Iranian music.
Traditional music ensembles were allowed, but women were still forbidden from solo singing for mixed audiences.
Women however continued to face performance restrictions, including the prohibition from singing on national TV.
To this end new terms have evolved for pop music, distinguishing legal from underground, alternative, urban.
[8][4] The 2005-2013 presidential term of conservative Mahmoud Ahmadīnijād resulted once again in movement toward more restrictions, including a ban on Western music.
Both Ghashang and Fātemeh Vā'ezi (better known as Parisa) have criticized the patriarchal power structure for its primitive treatment of female artists.
Maestro Ali Tajvidi in particular trained many female students (e.g.Hayedeh) that later on shifted to popular music.
Some pioneers are: Asadollahi, Atieh (2023) How Female Singers in Iran Challenge Restriction by Retrieving Collective Memory: Their Genre, Visual Representation, and Different Implications for the National and International Audience, Women's Studies, 52:4, 440-457, DOI: 10.1080/00497878.2023.2194023 Auliffe, Sarah.
), Iran and beyond: Essays in Middle East history in honor of Nikki R. Keddie (pp. 151–166).
ISBN 978-0-415-21408-7 Rastorac, H. (2009) Contending with Censorship: The Underground Music Scene in Urban Iran.
“I Am the Brave Hero and This Land Is Mine”: Popular Music and Youth Identity in Post-Revolutionary Iran.