My cultural project was about Persian Weddings and was able to virtually explore the types of music played at weddings and general types of Persian speaking music as well. Popular music in Persian speaking countries is recent and more often than not music is imported instead of made. This might be because in Iran and Afghanistan celebrity musicians are not as frequent as Western countries and those who are quite popular are known by everyone.
Early pop music in Iran actually consisted of imitating many musicians from Western countries such as Elvis Presley and The Beatles. Latin romance rhythms were also introduced into this music. However, a few decades later Iranian officials began to produce and promote a more appropriate and decent style of pop music that would compete against the Western-style music. This type of music was well received in iran as it was domestically made and produced a national pride in the people.
Persian music is not very popular because extremely strict regulations discourage people from attempting to make albums and even publish a song. Firstly, permits must be obtained to perform or publish any music through the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance. Through this process it will usually take three years for an album to get a permit. Artists like Canadian-Iranian Mozhdah Jamalzadah, who have long since fled the country, use their opportunity to make Persian pop music regardless of their location. Attempts made by artists like Mozhdah are bringing Iran and Afghanistan closer to forming an identity in the popular music and entertainment industry which will bring these countries closer to forming a modern identity.
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