Mohsen Namjoo is a world-renowned folk singer and musician acclaimed for fusing Western rock and blues with traditional Persian sounds. His highly poetic and spiritual lyrics are often about his culture and homeland’s beauty and disharmony.
Hiding Underground in Iran
Namjoo hails from Khorasan, a province overlapping with northeastern Iran, and it is largely considered a hub of music, poetry, and art. However, he was raised in Mashhad, Iran where music has been a contentious issue since the Iranian revolution in 1979.
The singer, also a master of the setar (Persian lute) and electric guitar, first had to make a name for himself in Iran’s underground music scene. Although he began to rise in 2007 with the release of his debut album, “Toranj,” he could not sell his music legally.
Politics, Exile, & the Journey Westward
Soon after the release of “Toranj,” Namjoo was featured in a New York Times article that coined him the “Bob Dylan of Iran” due to his controversial and political lyrics that took aim at Middle Eastern leadership and oppression. Two years later, after Namjoo had already fled his homeland, he was sentenced to prison for using words from the Qur’an in his lyrics.
Today, Namjoo lives in exile in New York City where he’s laid off the politics (for now) in favor of a more spiritual angle. In 2017, he told The Guardian, “It’s important that you get your identity from art and not animosity. The nature of art is not war.”
A Prolific Artist Living Out of the Limelight
The singer-songwriter still flies under the radar publicly, preferring solitude to fame despite selling out concerts all over the world. “I wish I could be someone like Banksy in music,” Namjoo stated, “I don’t want to be seen in public and just want to produce music.”
Namjoo’s iconic blend of ancient and current sounds has earned him a loyal following, and he continues to push boundaries both musically and lyrically with every new release.
His 2023 record release, “Restless,” is another impressive display of Namjoo’s sprawling musical prowess with heavy rock tracks, spoken word, and undiluted Persian influence.
“Restless” is currently available to stream on Apple Music, Spotify, and other popular streaming platforms. Additionally, Namjoo will be embarking on an Australian-New Zealand tour starting April 2024.
