Parastoo Ahmadi (born 21 March

1997 Events January * January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States. * January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis. * January 1 ...

Nowshahr Nowshahr () is a city in the Central District of Nowshahr County, Mazandaran province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. It is a port city on the southern coast of the Caspian Sea. History Ruyan is a region in t ...

) is an

artist An artist is a person engaged in an activity related to creating art, practicing the arts, or demonstrating the work of art. The most common usage (in both everyday speech and academic discourse) refers to a practitioner in the visual arts o ...

and

singer Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define singi ...

from Iran. Her performance of the ''Caravanserai Concert'' in one of Iranian caravanserais with optional hijab, broadcast

live Live may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Live!'' (2007 film), 2007 American film * ''Live'' (2014 film), a 2014 Japanese film * ''Live'' (2023 film), a Malayalam-language film *'' Live: Phát Trực Tiếp'', a Vietnamese-langua ...

on her

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 ...

channel, garnered widespread attention.

Biography and Works

Parastoo Ahmadi graduated in film directing from

Soore University Soore University (SU) (, ''Dânešgâh-e Sure'') is an International nonprofit university located in Tehran, Iran. Soore University was founded in 1994, and it is considered among the top art universities in Iran alongside Tehran University of A ...

. She began taking courses in

solfège In music, solfège (British English or American English , ) or solfeggio (; ), also called sol-fa, solfa, solfeo, among many names, is a mnemonic used in teaching aural skills, Pitch (music), pitch and sight-reading of Western classical music, W ...

and voice training (in

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes #Traditional folk music, traditional folk music and the Contemporary folk music, contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be ca ...

and

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be #Relationship to other music traditions, distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical mu ...

) at the age of 14.

Song: "From the Blood of the Youth of the Homeland"

During the 2022 protests in Iran, Parastoo performed the song '' From the Blood of the Youth of the Homeland''. Consequently, in October 2023, a judicial case was filed against her.

The Air of Freedom

In June 2023, "The Air of Freedom," a song featuring lyrics by Fatemeh Dogoharani, was released. According to Parastoo Ahmadi, the song was a tribute to the "

Woman, Life, Freedom Woman, Life, Freedom (, (), ) is a popular political Kurds, Kurdish slogan used in both the Kurdish Nationalism, Kurdish independence and Democratic confederalism, democratic confederalist movements. The slogan became a rallying cry during the ...

" movement. Three months later, she faced legal prosecution. Her summons to Tehran's Security Court and the confiscation of her personal belongings created challenges for her artistic pursuits.

The Caravanserai Concert

During the autumn of 2024, Parastoo Ahmadi held the "Caravanserai Concert" at a caravanserai while not observing Islamic Hijab and modesty code, which is compulsory under Islamic Republic of Iran. The live performance sparked widespread attention on social media. About her concert, she wrote:

"I, Parastoo, the girl who wants to sing for the people I love. This is a right I couldn’t overlook—singing for the land I deeply adore. Here, at this point in our beloved Iran, where history and legends intertwine, hear my voice in this imaginary concert and imagine this beautiful homeland…"

In the Caravanserai Concert, Parastoo performed pieces like "Sar Kooye Doost," "Aziz Joon," "Kamar Bareek," "Mara Bebos," "Lahze Didar," "Cheh Sazam," and "Az Khoon-e Javanane Vatan." She was accompanied by musicians Ehsan Beyraghdar on piano, Soheyl Faghih-Nasiri on guitar, Amin Taheri on drums, and Amir Ali Pirnia on bass.

Legal actions

The Iranian Judiciary announced that legal actions would be taken against Parastoo Ahmadi for performing music without a permit and not adhering to "legal and religious norms." According to Mizan News Agency, legal cases have been filed against those involved, and actions will be taken against other individuals connected to the event as well. On 14th December 2024 Ahmadi was arrested in the Mazandaran province. Two of her musicians, Ehsan Birghidar and Sohail Faqih Nasiri, are also reported to be detained. On 15th December 2024 Ahmadi's lawyer stated that she had been released after widespread outrage over her arrest. Bankipour the MP behind Hijab and chastity supported the arrest of Ahmadi.

References

External links

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Caravanserai Concert
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ahmadi, Parastoo Living people Hijab 21st-century Iranian women singers 1997 births Iranian women activists