Amir Hossein Maghsoudloo (; born 21 September 1987), known professionally as Amir Tataloo (Persian: ), is an Iranian singer, rapper and songwriter. He is one of Iran's most famous and controversial artists known for his full body tattoo and his frequent open dialogue toward politics and social aspects of Iran's younger generations. He is part of the first generation of the Iranian

underground hip hop Underground hip hop (also known as underground rap or simply underground) traditionally refers to hip hop music that is outside the general mainstream canon or counter-cultural in nature, usually with a heavy emphasis on emotion, lyricism, and/or ...

scene and also one of the first R&B singers in

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

. His debut album, Zire Hamkaf, was released in 2011. Since then, he has released 21 albums. In 2021, Amir Tataloo released the album ''Fereshteh''. He is the first Iranian to collaborate with

Universal Music Group Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as Universal Music Group or Universal Music) is a Netherlands, Dutch–United States, American multinational Music industry, music corporation under Law of the Netherlands, ...

. Tataloo was arrested several times when living in

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

by the Islamic Republic's authorities in 2016 and 2018 and spent months in prison. In 2018, he moved to Turkey and continued to further establish his successful career creating albums and big concerts in Turkey that otherwise were not allowed in Iran until 2023. Frustrated from living in exile, and after the expiry of his Iranian passport, he tried to leave Turkey to return to Tehran. In 2023, Turkish authorities first rejected his departure from

Istanbul airport Istanbul Airport is the larger of two international airports serving Istanbul, Turkey. It is located in the Arnavutköy district on the European side of the city. It is the largest airport in Turkey, the largest privately-owned airport in the ...

with an expired Iranian passport and later arrested him and handed over Tataloo to the Islamic Republic's police where he was immediately arrested with pending serious charges. On 19 January 2025, he was sentenced to death for blasphemy.

Early life

Amir Hossein Maghsoudloo was born in Majidieh,

Tehran Tehran (; , ''Tehrân'') is the capital and largest city of Iran. It is the capital of Tehran province, and the administrative center for Tehran County and its Central District (Tehran County), Central District. With a population of around 9. ...

. His family are

Iranian Azerbaijanis Iranian Azerbaijanis (; ) are the largest ethnic minority of Iran. They are primarily found in and are native to the Iranian Azerbaijan region including provinces of (East Azerbaijan, Ardabil Province, Ardabil, Zanjan Province, Zanjan, West ...

and he has four siblings. Due to his father's job, Amir spent his elementary school years in

Rasht Rasht (; ) is a city in the Central District (Rasht County), Central District of Rasht County, Gilan province, Gilan province, Iran, serving as the capital of the province, the county, and the district. The city is also known as the "City of ...

. After a few years, he moved back to Tehran. He decided to work and study simultaneously because of his family's financial situation. From 14 to 16, he worked in a

carpenter Carpentry is a skilled trade and a craft in which the primary work performed is the cutting, shaping and installation of building materials during the construction of buildings, ships, timber bridges, concrete formwork, etc. Carpenter ...

workshop, and from 16 to 18 worked in a

grocery store A grocery store ( AE), grocery shop or grocer's shop ( BE) or simply grocery is a retail store that primarily retails a general range of food products, which may be fresh or packaged. In everyday US usage, however, "grocery store" is a synon ...

. After finishing high school, he started to pursue music. The beginning of his career began around the same time as other well-known musicians in

underground music.

Music career

Tataloo started his music career in 2003 by releasing songs on his blog. He started as an underground musician, and remains unauthorized by the

Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance The Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance (, ''Vezârat-e Farhang va Ershâd-e Eslâmi'') ("Ministry of CIG") is a ministry responsible for managing access to media that, in the view of the Iranian government or the ministry, violates Iranian ...

. He was described by ''

Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...

'' magazine as "A

rapper Rapping (also rhyming, flowing, spitting, emceeing, or MCing) is an artistic form of vocal delivery and emotive expression that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and ommonlystreet vernacular". It is usually performed over a backing ...

with so many fans" and by

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) is a media organization broadcasting news and analyses in 27 languages to 23 countries across Eastern Europe, Central Asia, the Caucasus, and the Middle East. Headquartered in Prague since 1995, RFE/RL ...

as an artist with a "strong fan base" among the youth in Iran. His music style has been described as a "popular flashy blend of pop, rap and R&B". He released a single, "Manam Yeki az un Yazdahtam" (I'm Also One of Those Eleven Players), for the

Iranian National Football Team The Iran national football team (), recognised as IR Iran by FIFA since 2018, represents Iran in men's international senior Association football, football and is governed by the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran (FFIRI). At the cont ...

during the

2014 FIFA World Cup The 2014 FIFA World Cup was the 20th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for list of men's national association football teams, men's national Association football, football teams organised by FIFA. It took place in Brazil fr ...

. During the Iran/5+1 nuclear talks in

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

in July 2015, he released

Energy Hastei "Energy Hastei" () is a song by Iranian singer and songwriter Amir Tataloo, which was released in July 2015, at the same time as the Iran nuclear talks with the 5+1. The video clip "Nuclear Energy" is directed by Ardeshir Ahmadi and made with th ...

(), a song supporting the

Iranian nuclear program The nuclear program of Iran is one of the most scrutinized nuclear programs in the world. The military capabilities of the program are possible through its mass enrichment activities in facilities such as Natanz and Arak. In June 2025, t ...

. The music video was produced on the Iranian navy ship ''Damavand''. The song was the top trending

Google Google LLC (, ) is an American multinational corporation and technology company focusing on online advertising, search engine technology, cloud computing, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, consumer electronics, and artificial ...

search in

. This song became an instant controversy in Iran, mostly for the

Iranian Reformists The Reformists () are a political faction in Iran. Iran's "reform era" is sometimes said to have lasted from 1997 to 2005—the length of President Mohammad Khatami's two terms in office. The Council for Coordinating the Reforms Front is ...

, who compared the song to Mohammadreza Shajarian's songs in support of Iranian protests in 2009. In 2015 he attended the

Tehran Peace Museum The Tehran Peace Museum is a member of the International Network of Museums for Peace. The main objective of the museum is to promote a culture of peace through raising awareness about the devastating consequences of war, with a focus on the h ...

and was praised by the Iran-Iraq war veterans for his music video,

Shohada Shohada (, plural form of ''shahid'' 'martyr') may refer to: Places *Shohada, Fars, or Eshkaft, Iran *Shohada, Lorestan, or Gari Babakhan, Iran *Shohada, Yazd, Iran Other uses *Shohada Mosque, in Tabriz, Iran *Al Shohada Mosque (Sanaa), Yemen *Sh ...

(The Martyrs). He was introduced as the peace ambassador of the museum. In 2018, after several arrests by the Iranian authorities and failing to get a music activity license from the

, Tataloo left Iran and immigrated to Turkey.

Tatality

Tatality was the name of Tataloo's 2012 album, which also is the name of his

fan base A fandom is a subculture composed of fans characterized by a feeling of camaraderie with others who share a common interest. Fans typically are interested in even minor details of the objects of their fandom and spend a significant portion of ...

. "Tatalities" mostly consist of

Iranian Iranian () may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Iran ** Iranian diaspora, Iranians living outside Iran ** Iranian architecture, architecture of Iran and parts of the rest of West Asia ** Iranian cuisine, cooking traditions and practic ...

youth Youth is the time of life when one is young. The word, youth, can also mean the time between childhood and adulthood (Maturity (psychological), maturity), but it can also refer to one's peak, in terms of health or the period of life known as bei ...

who are dedicated to Tataloo. His fans may follow a

lifestyle Lifestyle is the interests, opinions, behaviours, and behavioural orientations of an individual, group, or culture. The term "style of life" () was introduced by Austrian psychologist Alfred Adler in his 1929 book, ''The Case of Miss R.'', w ...

inspired by Tataloo's, including

meditation Meditation is a practice in which an individual uses a technique to train attention and awareness and detach from reflexive, "discursive thinking", achieving a mentally clear and emotionally calm and stable state, while not judging the meditat ...

, spiritual routines and

vegan diet Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal products and the consumption of animal source foods, and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. A person who practices veganism is known as a vega ...

. In 2016, after Iranian police arrested Tataloo, his fans protested before the Justice

Court A court is an institution, often a government entity, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between Party (law), parties and Administration of justice, administer justice in Civil law (common law), civil, Criminal law, criminal, an ...

and demanded that authorities release him from

prison A prison, also known as a jail, gaol, penitentiary, detention center, correction center, correctional facility, or remand center, is a facility where Prisoner, people are Imprisonment, imprisoned under the authority of the State (polity), state ...

. After his arrest, an online protest began against arresting artists due to their lyrics and lifestyle choices. They used various hashtags to pressure Iranian authorities to release him.

Social media

Tataloo is one of the most popular yet controversial Iranian

celebrities Celebrity is a condition of fame and broad public recognition of a person or group due to the attention given to them by mass media. The word is also used to refer to famous individuals. A person may attain celebrity status by having great w ...

. He has a large fan base, as well as critics. In 2021, Tataloo broke the record for most comments on YouTube, with a video for his song Ye Saram Be Ma Bezan reaching over 19 million comments. In 2019, Tataloo asked fans to break the record of the most commented post on Instagram, which was at the time 10 million comments. Fans broke the record with 18 million comments. After this, various political critics discussed the

phenomenon A phenomenon ( phenomena), sometimes spelled phaenomenon, is an observable Event (philosophy), event. The term came into its modern Philosophy, philosophical usage through Immanuel Kant, who contrasted it with the noumenon, which ''cannot'' be ...

and its impact on society. Academics such as

Sadegh Zibakalam Sadegh Zibakalam Mofrad (; born 12 June 1948) is an Iranian academic, author and pundit described as reformist and neo-liberal. Zibakalam is a former professor at University of Tehran and appears frequently on international news outlets including ...

and Emaddedin Baghi wrote papers on this event. Another record was broken in 2020, when Tataloo hosted a live broadcast with 626,000 viewers. Among other Iranian singers, he has the most views on

Spotify Spotify (; ) is a List of companies of Sweden, Swedish Music streaming service, audio streaming and media service provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. , it is one of the largest providers of music streaming services ...

and

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

Personal life and arrest

Tataloo is

vegan Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal products and the consumption of animal source foods, and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. A person who practices veganism is known as a ve ...

, and is constantly preaching the

philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

and lifestyle, asking his fans not to kill and eat

animal Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the Biology, biological Kingdom (biology), kingdom Animalia (). With few exceptions, animals heterotroph, consume organic material, Cellular respiration#Aerobic respiration, breathe oxygen, ...

s. One of his many nicknames is Nature's Son. On January 28, 2020, Tataloo was detained by Turkish police in

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

, with an

Interpol red notice An Interpol notice is an international alert circulated by Interpol to communicate information about crimes, criminals, and threats by police in a member state (or an authorised international entity) to their counterparts around the world. The in ...

for him in effect. He was released on February 3, with Turkish police citing his detention as being for visa violations; in that time, an online petition had reached almost half a million signatures, aiming for his release. In May 2020, Tataloo stirred controversy after he advocated for minors below the age of 16 to be able to get married and invited fans, minors at the time, to join his

harem A harem is a domestic space that is reserved for the women of the house in a Muslim family. A harem may house a man's wife or wives, their pre-pubescent male children, unmarried daughters, female domestic Domestic worker, servants, and other un ...

. On December 2, 2023, he claimed that he intended to return to Iran. He was finally handed over to the Iranian government on December 6, 2023 at the land border of Iran and Turkey, and was immediately arrested due to accusations and complaints such as corruption. In January 2025, it was reported he had been sentenced to death in Iran for

blasphemy Blasphemy refers to an insult that shows contempt, disrespect or lack of Reverence (emotion), reverence concerning a deity, an object considered sacred, or something considered Sanctity of life, inviolable. Some religions, especially Abrahamic o ...

, for insulting Islamic prophet

Muhammad Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...

while Iran's Judiciary denied such claims. Tataloo's initial jail term of five years was increased after prosecutors raised objections to the sentence. On 17 May 2025, the Supreme Court overturned the five-year sentence and instead imposed a sentence of death.

Discography

Albums

* ''Zire Hamkaf'' (2011) * ''Tatality'' (2013) * ''Man'' (2014) * ''Shomareh 6'' (2015) * ''Mamnoo'' (2015) * ''Shomareh 7'' (2016) * ''Ghahreman'' (2017) * ''Amir'' (2017) * ''Sayeh'' (2018) * ''Jahanam'' ('' (2018.2019) * Barzakh (2018.2019) * 78 (2019.2020) * Sheytan (2020.2022) * Fereshteh (2021) * Boht (2022) * Sahm(2021.2022) * Cosmos (2022.2023) * Behesht (2023) * Yin Yang (2023.2024)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Tataloo, Amir Living people Singers from Tehran 21st-century Iranian male singers Iranian singer-songwriters Iranian hip-hop musicians Iranian male singer-songwriters Iranian rappers Iranian lyricists Iranian composers 1987 births Obscenity controversies in music Prisoners sentenced to death by Iran Iranian prisoners sentenced to death