Rostam Batmanglij (, ; born November 28, 1983), known

mononymously A mononym is a name composed of only one word. An individual who is known and addressed by a mononym is a mononymous person. A mononym may be the person's only name, given to them at birth. This was routine in most ancient societies, and remains ...

as Rostam, is an American musician, producer and songwriter. He was a founding member of the band

Vampire Weekend Vampire Weekend are an American Rock music, rock band formed in New York City in 2006 and currently signed to Columbia Records. The band was formed by lead vocalist and guitarist Ezra Koenig, multi-instrumentalist Rostam Batmanglij, drummer Chr ...

, whose first three albums he produced. He has been described by

Stereogum ''Stereogum'' is a daily Internet publication that focuses on music news, reviews, interviews, and commentary. The site was created in January 2002 by Scott Lapatine. ''Stereogum'' was one of the first MP3 blogs and has received several awar ...

as one of the greatest pop and indie-rock producers of his generation. Rostam also works as a solo artist and is a member of electro-soul group

Discovery Discovery may refer to: * Discovery (observation), observing or finding something unknown * Discovery (fiction), a character's learning something unknown * Discovery (law), a process in courts of law relating to evidence Discovery, The Discovery ...

. He produced his first number-one album, Vampire Weekend's ''

Contra Contra may refer to: Places * Contra, Virginia * Contra Costa Canal, an aqueduct in the U.S. state of California * Contra Costa County, California * Tenero-Contra, a municipality in the district of Locarno in the canton of Ticino in Switzerla ...

'', when he was 27 years old. Batmanglij has been nominated for three

Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...

: twice for

Best Alternative Music Album The Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album is an award presented to recording artists for quality albums in the alternative genre at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. Ho ...

with

(winning for '' Modern Vampires of the City'') and once for Album of the Year as producer of

Haim Haim can be a first name or surname originating in Hebrew or derived from the Old German name Haimo. Etymology Hebrew Chayyim ( ', Classical Hebrew: , Israeli Hebrew: ), also transcribed ''Haim, Hayim, Chayim'', or ''Chaim'' (English pronunciat ...

's ''

Women in Music Pt. III ''Women in Music Pt. III'' is the third studio album by American rock band Haim. It was released on June 26, 2020, in the United States by Columbia Records and internationally by Polydor Records. The album was originally set for release on April ...

''.

Early life

Batmanglij was born to Iranian parents, and grew up in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

His mother is cookbook author

Najmieh Batmanglij Najmieh Khalili Batmanglij (, ) is an Iranian-American chef and cookbook author. Born in Tehran, she fled the Iranian Revolution in 1979, moving first to France, then the United States, building a career as a cookbook author as she went. Her fi ...

, while his father is a publisher. His parents arrived in D.C. in 1983. His brother is independent filmmaker

Zal Batmanglij Zal Batmanglij (; born April 28, 1981) is an American film director and screenwriter. He directed and co-wrote the 2011 film '' Sound of My Voice'' and the 2013 film '' The East'', both of which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, as well as ...

. The two have collaborated on multiple projects. They worked together on the film ''

Sound of My Voice ''Sound of My Voice'' is a 2011 American psychological thriller film directed by Zal Batmanglij in his feature directorial debut. The screenplay was written by Batmanglij and Brit Marling, and the film stars Christopher Denham, Nicole Vicius, and ...

'', which Rostam scored and which Zal directed and co-wrote. Rostam also composed an original piece for piano that was featured in Zal's film '' The East''. Most recently, Rostam composed the music for both seasons of Zal's television series ''

The OA The Oa ( ) () is a rocky peninsula in the southwest of the island of Islay, in Argyll, Scotland. It is an RSPB nature reserve. Area The area is roughly circular, with a radius of about 4 km, and connects with the rest of the island at a neck ...

''.

Musical career

Vampire Weekend

Batmanglij majored in music at

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

, where he joined the band

in 2006. "At Columbia, I would study classical harmony in classes and I would study music on my own, and I would try to re-create songs that I love in recordings...that was really how I learned." The name of the group comes from the movie of the same name that bandmate

Ezra Koenig Ezra Michael Koenig ( ; born April 8, 1984) is an American musician, record producer, and radio personality. He is the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter of indie rock band Vampire Weekend. Additionally, Koenig is the creator of the ...

and his friends made over summer vacations. Batmanglij produced their self-titled debut album shortly after graduation while concurrently working multiple full-time jobs. He also produced the band's follow-up album, ''

'', which sold 124,000 copies in its first week and landed atop the ''Billboard'' 200 charts. Batmanglij plays guitar, keyboard and sings in the band but also acts as a lyricist and songwriter, co-writing the song "Diplomat's Son" on ''

''. Koenig has described himself and Batmanglij as "the two main songwriters in the band". On March 18, 2013, Vampire Weekend released two songs from their album '' Modern Vampires of the City'', "Diane Young" and "Step". Within two weeks each song had garnered more than 1 million views on

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 ...

. Music for both songs is credited to Batmanglij and Koenig, and lyrics are credited to Koenig. ''Modern Vampires of the City'' is the first Vampire Weekend album Batmanglij did not produce alone; for this record he collaborated with longtime friend

Ariel Rechtshaid Ariel Rechtshaid ( ;) is an American record producer, audio engineer, mixing engineer, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter. His accolades include three Grammy Awards for music production. Rechtshaid was the lead singer and guitarist of the ska ...

to co-produce the album together. It was released May 14, 2013. On January 26, 2016, Batmanglij announced on

Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...

that he had left Vampire Weekend to pursue solo projects, but that he would continue to collaborate with Koenig on future projects and Vampire Weekend songs.

Discovery

Batmanglij began recording with

Ra Ra Riot Ra Ra Riot is an American indie rock band consisting of vocalist Wes Miles, bassist Mathieu Santos, guitarist Milo Bonacci, violinist Rebecca Zeller and drummer Kenny Bernard. History Ra Ra Riot formed in January 2006, playing at houses and ve ...

vocalist Wes Miles on a project which was later to become

. They released their debut album, ''LP'', through XL Recordings on July 7, 2009. The album features guest vocal contributions from Koenig as well as

Angel Deradoorian Angel Deradoorian (born July 18, 1986), also known mononymously as Deradoorian, is a musician based in Los Angeles, California. She is best known for her work with Dirty Projectors as full-time member from 2007 to 2012. She left to pursue a solo ...

Dirty Projectors Dirty Projectors is an American indie rock band from Brooklyn, New York, formed in 2002. The band is the project of singer-songwriter David Longstreth, who has served as the band's sole constant member throughout numerous line-up changes. The b ...

. In 2015, Batmanglij produced and contributed vocals on the song "Water" for

's fourth album, '' Need Your Light''.

Solo work

In September 2011, Batmanglij released a solo track called "Wood". '' Time Out Chicago''s Brent DiCrescenzo gave the song 4 out of 5 stars and wrote that "his voice pleasantly recalls a drowsy

David Byrne David Byrne (; born May 14, 1952) is an American musician, writer, visual artist, and filmmaker. He was a founding member, principal songwriter, lead singer, and guitarist of the American New wave music, new wave band Talking Heads. Byrne has ...

". On November 1, 2011,

Zane Lowe Alexander Zane Reed Lowe (born 1973) is a New Zealand radio DJ, live DJ, record producer, and television presenter. After an early career in music creation, production and DJing, he moved to the UK in 1997. He came to prominence through pr ...

debuted another a solo song sung by Batmanglij called "Don't Let it Get to You" as the Hottest Record in the World on

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including ...

. ''

The Fader ''The Fader'' is a magazine established in 1999 as an outlet for Cornerstone Agency, a marketing and public relations firm established by Rob Stone and Jon Cohen. The magazine covers music, style and culture. History and work It is owned by T ...

'' referred to it as "a seismic event of a song". In January 2016, Batmanglij released the song "EOS" along with its music video which he had directed. On March 11, 2016, Batmanglij released the song "Gravity Don't Pull Me" along with its music video directed by himself and Josh Goleman. The video was filmed at ''The 1896'' and features dancers Jack Grabow and Sam Asa Pratt. On November 27, 2016, Rostam teased his new solo album, which was to be released in 2017. In the spring of 2017, Rostam released two songs from the album: "Gwan", released on April 26, and "Bike Dream", released on June 14. With the release of "Bike Dream", Rostam revealed that his debut solo album would be titled '' Half-Light'' and released on September 8, 2017. On September 12, 2018, Rostam self-released a new single, "In a River". On October 15, 2020, Rostam self-released another new single, "Unfold You". On February 2, 2021, Rostam self-released a single, "These Kids We Knew", and teased an upcoming album release. Exactly one month later, Batmanglij confirmed the release of his second solo album, titled '' Changephobia'', on June 4, as well as releasing a single from the album called "4Runner".

Collaborative work

In 2010, Converse released "All Summer", produced by Batmanglij and featuring

Kid Cudi Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi (born January 30, 1984), also known by his stage name Kid Cudi ( ; formerly stylized as KiD CuDi), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, and fashion designer. Born and raised in Clevelan ...

and

Bethany Cosentino Bethany Sharayah Cosentino (born November 3, 1986, in Los Angeles) is an American singer and songwriter. She is best known as one half of the indie rock duo Best Coast alongside Bobb Bruno. Cosentino also cofounded the hypnagogic pop band Pocah ...

Best Coast Best Coast is an American rock duo formed in Los Angeles, California in 2009, currently on hiatus. The band consisted of songwriter, guitarist and vocalist Bethany Cosentino and guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Bobb Bruno. Cosentino, a for ...

. Batmanglij produced and co-wrote two songs for

the Walkmen The Walkmen is an American Rock music, rock band formed in New York City in 2000. The band consists of Hamilton Leithauser (vocals), Paul Maroon (guitar, keyboards), Walter Martin (musician), Walter Martin (bass, organ), Peter Matthew Bauer (org ...

frontman

Hamilton Leithauser James Hamilton Leithauser (born April 15, 1978) is an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. He is the lead vocalist of the American indie rock band The Walkmen, with whom he wrote and recorded seven studio albums from 2000 to 2 ...

's solo album, '' Black Hours'', which was released in June 2014. Also in 2014, Batmanglij produced two songs for singer

Charli XCX Charlotte Emma Aitchison (born 2 August 1992), known professionally as Charli XCX, is a British singer and songwriter. She began posting songs on Myspace in 2008 before entering the London rave scene. Signing a recording contract with Asylum Re ...

. The song "Need Ur Luv" appears on her album '' Sucker'', and the song "Kingdom", featuring

Simon Le Bon Simon John Charles Le Bon (born 27 October 1958) is an English singer. He is best known as the lead vocalist and lyricist of the new wave band Duran Duran and its offshoot Arcadia. Le Bon has received three Ivor Novello Awards from the Briti ...

, appears on '' The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1 – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack''. In December 2014, Batmanglij along with

Diplo Thomas Wesley Pentz (born November 10, 1978), known professionally as Diplo, is an American DJ and music producer. He is a co-creator and lead member of the electronic dancehall music project Major Lazer; a member of the supergroup LSD (group), ...

and

Ed Droste Edward Droste (born October 22, 1978) is an American singer-songwriter, licensed therapist, and musician, formerly of the rock band Grizzly Bear. The group began as the solo effort of Droste with the release of 2004's '' Horn of Plenty'', origin ...

remixed

Ty Dolla Sign Tyrone William Griffin Jr. (born April 13, 1982), known professionally as Ty Dolla Sign (stylized as Ty Dolla $ign or Ty$), is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, and record producer. Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Griffin gai ...

's "Stand For" into a new song titled "Long Way Home". Batmanglij also wrote original music for a play by

Kenneth Lonergan Kenneth Lonergan (born October 16, 1962) is an American playwright, screenwriter and film director. He is known for his works which explore complex emotional and interpersonal dynamics. He has received several awards including an Academy Award a ...

called ''

This Is Our Youth ''This Is Our Youth'' is a play by American dramatist and screenwriter Kenneth Lonergan. It premiered Off-Broadway in 1996 and since been produced all over the world, including the West End, Broadway, Sydney, and Toronto. Plot The play takes ...

'', starring

Kieran Culkin Kieran Kyle Culkin (born September 30, 1982) is an American actor. Known for portraying distasteful yet sympathetic characters across stage and screen, List of awards and nominations received by Kieran Culkin, his accolades include an Academy A ...

Michael Cera Michael Austin Cera ( ; ; born June 7, 1988) is a Canadian actor. Over his career he has received nominations for a British Academy Film Award, three Critics' Choice Movie Awards, four Screen Actors Guild Awards, and a Tony Award. Cera beca ...

, and

Tavi Gevinson Tavi Gevinson (born April 21, 1996) is an American actress, writer, and magazine editor. At age twelve, she came to public attention for her fashion blog ''Style Rookie''. By 15, she had shifted her focus to pop culture and feminist discussion. G ...

, which premiered on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

in 2014. In 2015, Batmanglij worked alongside Canadian singer

Carly Rae Jepsen Carly Rae Jepsen (born November 21, 1985) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. After studying musical theatre for most of her school life and while in university, Jepsen garnered mainstream attention after placing third on the fifth season of ...

on her third studio album, ''Emotion''. In an interview with ''

'', Jepsen described working with Batmanglij as writing with a musician she admires, and said that together they had made "what’s maybe one of erfavorite songs" on the record. Batmanglij produced and co-wrote the fourth single, "Warm Blood", which was released on July 31, 2015. ''Emotion'' was released worldwide on August 21, 2015. In 2016, he formed Hamilton Leithauser + Rostam with Hamilton Leithauser of the Walkmen. They released the single "1000 Times" in July 2016, which they performed on ''

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert ''The Late Show with Stephen Colbert'' is an American late-night talk show, late-night news satire, news and liberal political satire talk show hosted by Stephen Colbert, which premiered on September 8, 2015. Produced by Stephen Colbert, Spartin ...

'' on September 12, 2016. Their song "In a Black Out" was featured in a commercial for the Apple

iPhone 7 The iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus are smartphones that were developed and marketed by Apple Inc. They are the List of iPhone models, tenth generation of the iPhone. They were announced on September 7, 2016, at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium i ...

. Their debut album, '' I Had a Dream That You Were Mine'', was released on September 23, 2016. Batmanglij produced and co-wrote the song "Listen to Your Friends" from English singer

Declan McKenna Declan Benedict McKenna (born 24 December 1998) is an English singer-songwriter. He initially gained recognition for winning the Glastonbury Festival's Emerging Talent Competition in 2015. McKenna self-released the song "Brazil (Declan McKenna s ...

's debut album, '' What Do You Think About the Car?'', which was released in July 2017.

Personal life

Batmanglij is gay and talked about his sexual orientation in the magazine ''

Out Out or OUT may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films *Out (1957 film), ''Out'' (1957 film), a documentary short about the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 *Out (1982 film), ''Out'' (1982 film), an American film directed by Eli Hollander *O ...

''. In an Instagram post in 2015, he said that

of the band

Grizzly Bear The grizzly bear (''Ursus arctos horribilis''), also known as the North American brown bear or simply grizzly, is a population or subspecies of the brown bear inhabiting North America. In addition to the mainland grizzly (''Ursus arctos horr ...

influenced his decision to publicly come out.

Discography

Solo work

Albums

*'' Half-Light'' (2017) *'' Changephobia'' (2021)

Singles

With Vampire Weekend

* ''

'' (2008) * ''

'' (2010) * '' Modern Vampires of the City'' (2013)

As primary producer

Clairo * ''

Immunity Immunity may refer to: Medicine * Immunity (medical), resistance of an organism to infection or disease * ''Immunity'' (journal), a scientific journal published by Cell Press Biology * Immune system Engineering * Radiofrequence immunity ...

'' (2019) Discovery * '' LP'' (2009) Georgia * ''

Euphoric Euphoria ( ) is the experience (or affect) of pleasure or excitement and intense feelings of well-being and happiness. Certain natural rewards and social activities, such as aerobic exercise, laughter, listening to or making music and danci ...

'' (2023) Hamilton Leithauser and Rostam * '' I Had a Dream That You Were Mine'' (2016) Haim * ''

'' (2020) Vagabon * '' Sorry I Haven't Called'' (2023)

Other contributions

Compositions for film and theatre

* ''

'' (2011) – film score * '' The East'' (2013) – "Doc's Song" (original piano composition for the film) * ''

'' ( Steppenwolf production on

, fall 2014) – original score * ''

'' (television series) (2016) – main theme and score * ''

The Persian Version ''The Persian Version'' is a 2023 American comedy drama film directed and written by Maryam Keshavarz. The film stars Layla Mohammadi, Niousha Noor, Bijan Daneshmand, Bella Warda, and Tom Byrne. It follows the struggles of a young Iranian Americ ...

'' (2023) – score

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Batmanglij, Rostam 1983 births Living people American indie rock musicians American people of Iranian descent Columbia College (New York) alumni Columbia University School of the Arts alumni Dirty Projectors members Gay singers American LGBTQ singers American LGBTQ songwriters Grammy Award winners American LGBTQ people of Asian descent LGBTQ people from Washington, D.C. Gay songwriters American gay musicians Musicians from Washington, D.C. Vampire Weekend members Glassnote Records artists 20th-century American LGBTQ people 21st-century American LGBTQ people American gay writers