King Raam
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Ramin Seyed-Emami (; born in
Bushehr Bushehr (; ) is a port city in the Central District (Bushehr County), Central District of Bushehr County, Bushehr province, Bushehr province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. Etymology The roots of the n ...
,
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 ...
in 1981), better known by his stage name King Raam (), is an Iranian-born musician and singer and a resident of Vancouver, Canada. Currently, he resides in New York City as part of his enrollment in the musician-in-Residency Program at the New York City Artist Safe Heaven Residency. He is the lead singer for the Iranian
punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...
band
Hypernova A hypernova is a very energetic supernova which is believed to result from an extreme core collapse scenario. In this case, a massive star (>30 solar masses) collapses to form a rotating black hole emitting twin astrophysical jets and surrounded b ...
, and he also does solo work under the pseudonym King Raam.


Early life

King Raam was born in 1981 in the coastal city of Bushehr, Iran. His father, Kavous Seyed-Emami, was a professor and eventually relocated the family to
Eugene, Oregon Eugene ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Lane County, Oregon, United States. It is located at the southern end of the Willamette Valley, near the confluence of the McKenzie River (Oregon), McKenzie and Willamette River, Willamette rivers, ...
to complete his Ph.D. By 1991 the family moved back to Iran.


Musical career


Hypernova

Hypernova A hypernova is a very energetic supernova which is believed to result from an extreme core collapse scenario. In this case, a massive star (>30 solar masses) collapses to form a rotating black hole emitting twin astrophysical jets and surrounded b ...
was created in 2000. Bandmates Raam (vocals) and Kami (drums) played extensively in the Tehran underground scene as well as a few small-time international gigs. The line-up changed extensively during this period, and Raam even took a brief sabbatical from the band to study International Relations in Toronto.
Hypernova A hypernova is a very energetic supernova which is believed to result from an extreme core collapse scenario. In this case, a massive star (>30 solar masses) collapses to form a rotating black hole emitting twin astrophysical jets and surrounded b ...
got a break in 2006, playing at the Intergalactic Iranian Music Festival in the Netherlands. In 2007,
Hypernova A hypernova is a very energetic supernova which is believed to result from an extreme core collapse scenario. In this case, a massive star (>30 solar masses) collapses to form a rotating black hole emitting twin astrophysical jets and surrounded b ...
was invited to perform at the
South by Southwest South by Southwest (SXSW) is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Texas. It began in 1987 and has conti ...
Music Festival in Austin, TX. Pooya rejoined the band and Kodi Najm (guitar) and Jam (bass) were added to the line-up. Unfortunately, an international incident involving a group of British soldiers held off the coast of Iran caused a delay in
Hypernova A hypernova is a very energetic supernova which is believed to result from an extreme core collapse scenario. In this case, a massive star (>30 solar masses) collapses to form a rotating black hole emitting twin astrophysical jets and surrounded b ...
's visas. However, their agent was determined to get them to the US and finally enlisted the help of New York Senator
Chuck Schumer Charles Ellis Schumer ( ; born November 23, 1950) is an American politician serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from New York (state), New York, a seat he has held since 1999. ...
, who expedited their entry to the United States. Expecting to stay just two weeks,
Hypernova A hypernova is a very energetic supernova which is believed to result from an extreme core collapse scenario. In this case, a massive star (>30 solar masses) collapses to form a rotating black hole emitting twin astrophysical jets and surrounded b ...
brought only their instruments, some clothes and $400. They got a gig at the FatBaby bar on the lower east side of New York, where they garnered attention from
MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...
and the
New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
.
Hypernova A hypernova is a very energetic supernova which is believed to result from an extreme core collapse scenario. In this case, a massive star (>30 solar masses) collapses to form a rotating black hole emitting twin astrophysical jets and surrounded b ...
continues to tour and has released four albums and their song "Viva La Resistance" is featured on
Rock Band 3 ''Rock Band 3'' is a 2010 rhythm game developed by Harmonix. The game was initially published and distributed by MTV Games and Electronic Arts, respectively, on October 26, 2010. Mad Catz took over both roles and re-released the title on Novembe ...
.


King Raam

Following the success of
Hypernova A hypernova is a very energetic supernova which is believed to result from an extreme core collapse scenario. In this case, a massive star (>30 solar masses) collapses to form a rotating black hole emitting twin astrophysical jets and surrounded b ...
, Raam created King Raam as a solo project. Collaborating with (poet and artist) Tara Aghdashloo, Esfand, and others, Raam released his first solo album, titled Song of the Wolves in November 2011. His second album, named as The Vulture, released in 2014 containing 14 songs in both Persian and English.


Return to Iran and leave

Raam moved back to Iran in 2014, right after he released his second album. He started working with Sajjad Afsharian in theaters in Tehran. In September 2014 he played some of his songs in his own country for the first time. In February 2018, Iran's judiciary said that his father, the Iranian-Canadian professor Kavous Seyed-Emami, committed suicide while in detention in
Evin Prison Evin Prison () is a prison located in the Evin neighborhood of Tehran, Iran. The prison has been the primary site for detaining Iran's political prisoners since 1972, before and after the Iranian Revolution, in a purpose-built wing nicknamed "E ...
,
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. ...
, because of the evidence against him in a spying case. This claim, including the alleged suicide, has been rejected by his family. Following this event, he had to leave the country again. The family of Kavous Seyed-Emami, who died under suspicious circumstances while under arrest in Tehran, was planning to flee harassment by authorities there and start a new life in Vancouver, where they have lived before. But at the last minute, his widow, Maryam Mombeini, who is a dual citizen of both Iran and Canada, was temporarily detained. She was prevented from leaving Iran and their two sons had to fly alone, leaving her behind. One of the sons, Ramin, quickly reached out to friends in Canada, phoning and texting to stay in contact amid the unfolding uncertainty. He also connected with human-rights groups and journalists in New York to tell them about their mother's sudden situation. One of them tweeted a photo that Ramin sent of himself and his brother, Mehran, in their plane seats just before takeoff.


Podcast

In the winter of 2020, Raam started a podcast called "Masty o Rasty;" he shared the podcast to his own site as well as other platforms, such as SoundCloud, Spotify, Apple Music, Telegram, CastBox, and YouTube.


Other Appearances

Raam appeared on the reality TV "Shahs of Sunset", Season 1, Episode 6. Raam appears onstage with Javaad Alipoor in the play 'Things Hidden Since the Foundation of the World'.


References


External links

* http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gaby-dunn/iranian-punk-raam-hypernova-interview_b_946592.html * https://www.npr.org/2010/04/09/125780177/hypernova-an-iranian-rock-band-in-brooklyn * https://www.npr.org/2007/06/19/11182793/hypernova-illegal-indie-rock-from-iran * http://kingraam.bandcamp.com/ {{DEFAULTSORT:Raam, King Iranian rock musicians Living people 1981 births