HİMA RAD

Sanandaj- If you love to sing and can say what you feel by singing, you are lucky. Because women cannot sing freely in Iran; Iranian women are prohibited from singing and playing music. “I feel alive when I sing,” Sarvasha M., a woman singer living in Sanandaj, told us. Even though women are prohibited from singing and playing music in Iran, she is determined to sing songs. The young singer has been singing for as long as she can remember.

“Art makes you feel free”

Sarvasha M. told us how she began to sing as follows: “I've been singing since my childhood. When I went to school, I joined the school choir. At school, we were taught Iranian anthems, we had to sing them. Even singing anthems were enjoyable for me. Listening to good songs has become a hobby for me. Listening to music and singing have become a part of my life. When I wanted to make music, no one, of course, encouraged me. Even I became an object of jokes because no woman took to the stage under the mullahs’ rule. But no matter what, I know that all branches of art make you feel free.”

“I hope I can overcome all obstacles”

Despite the ban, Sarvasha M. never loses her hope. After graduating from school, she wanted to study music but she had to get married due to social pressure. Her husband is never involved in music due to his family pressure. Now, Sarvasha M. teaches music to her children while trying to improve herself in music. “I never lose my hope, I hope I can overcome all obstacles,” she said.

Sarvasha M. now sings songs to her friends and relatives. She wants to be a professional musician. “Actually, I blame myself. I could have persisted more. Now I understand much better that if someone wants to do something, she or he has to struggle more to realize it. After struggling, I took the stage twice in Fajr Hall but I haven’t taken to stage for a while due to the Covid-19 pandemic. I keep singing and I will never stop singing.

She dreams of singing freely

“I will struggle more to break social stereotypes. I dream of singing freely on the stage while my family, my husband, and his family listen to me. I will sing more to realize my dream,” Sarvasha M. told us, and then she sang a song for us while looking at the city…