Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Iran Singer Who Faces Prison Wins Grammy for Protest Anthem
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 2 years ago on
February 6, 2023

Share

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

An Iranian singer who faces possible prison time for his song that’s become an anthem to the ongoing protests shaking the Islamic Republic wept early Monday after seeing he’d won a Grammy.

Shervin Hajipour appeared stunned after hearing Jill Biden, the wife of President Joe Biden, announce he’d won the Grammy’s new song for social change special merit award for “Baraye.” An online video showed Hajipour in a darkened room, wiping tears away after the announcement.

Hajipour’s song “Baraye,” or “For” in English, begins with: “For dancing in the streets,” “for the fear we feel when we kiss.” The lyrics list reasons young Iranians have posted on Twitter for why they had protested against Iran’s ruling theocracy.

It ends with the widely chanted slogan that has become synonymous with the protests since the September death of Iranian-Kurdish woman Masha Amini: “For women, life, freedom.”

Released on his Instagram page, the song quickly went viral. Hajipour then was arrested and held for several days before being released on bail in October. The 25-year-old singer faces charges of “propaganda against the regime” and “instigating the violence,” according to Human Rights Activists in Iran, a group that’s been monitoring the monthslong protests.

The charges Hajipour faces can carry as much as six years in prison all together. The singer is also banned from leaving Iran.

Wearing a shining, off-the-shoulder Oscar de la Renta dress at the Grammy ceremony in Los Angeles, Biden said that a song “can unite, inspire and ultimately change the world.”

“This song became the anthem of the Mahsa Amini protests, a powerful and poetic call for freedom and women’s rights,” Biden said. “Shervin was arrested, but this song continues to resonate around the world with its powerful theme: Women, life, freedom.”

Those gathered cheered Biden’s remarks. On Instagram, Hajipour simply wrote: “We won.”

There was no immediate reaction in Iranian state media or from government officials to Hajipour’s win. The singer is among over 19,600 people arrested amid the demonstrations, according to Human Rights Activists in Iran. At least 527 people have been killed amid a violent suppression of the demonstration by authorities.

On Sunday, Iran’s supreme leader on Sunday reportedly ordered an amnesty or reduction in prison sentences for “tens of thousands” of people detained amid the protests, acknowledging for the first time the scale of the crackdown.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

UP NEXT

Britain and Allies Sanction Israeli Far-Right Ministers for ‘Inciting Violence’

Britain and Allies Sanction Israeli Far-Right Ministers for ‘Inciting Violence’

2 hours ago

Trump Aide Criticizes Mexican President on Los Angeles Protests

3 hours ago

Wall Street Ends Higher as Investors Track Progress of US-China Trade Talks

(Reuters) – The S&P 500 ended higher on Tuesday, lifted by a rally in Tesla as investors bet on positive results from U.S.-China t...

1 hour ago

Traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., June 5, 2025. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/ File Photo
1 hour ago

Wall Street Ends Higher as Investors Track Progress of US-China Trade Talks

A bridge crane damaged by Israeli air strikes is pictured in the Red Sea port of Hodeidah, Yemen July 31, 2024. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah//File Photo
2 hours ago

Israel Strikes Hodeidah Port, Threatens Naval, Air Blockade

U.S. President Donald Trump boards Air Force One as he departs for North Carolina at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, U.S., June 10, 2025. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein
2 hours ago

Trump Warns Protests at Army Parade Will Be Met With Force

Far-right Israeli lawmakers Itamar Ben Gvir, center, and Bezalel Smotrich, right, attend the swearing-in ceremony for the new Israeli parliament, at the Knesset, or parliament, in Jerusalem, November 15, 2022. Maya Alleruzzo/Pool via REUTERS/ File Photo
2 hours ago

Britain and Allies Sanction Israeli Far-Right Ministers for ‘Inciting Violence’

Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum attends a press conference on the country's first judicial election, held on June 1, at the National Palace, in Mexico City, Mexico June 2, 2025. REUTERS/Henry Romero/File Photo
3 hours ago

Trump Aide Criticizes Mexican President on Los Angeles Protests

People attend a rally against federal immigration sweeps, in downtown Los Angeles, California, U.S. June 9, 2025. REUTERS/David Ryder
3 hours ago

Do Americans Support Trump’s Use of Marines in LA? The Numbers Might Shock You

Mourners react during the funeral of Palestinians killed by Israeli fire, according to the Gaza health ministry, near an aid distribution center in central Gaza, at Al-Shifa hospital, in Gaza City, June 10, 2025. REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
3 hours ago

Israeli Gunfire Kills 17 People Near Gaza Aid Site, Health Officials Say

Palestinians wait to receive food cooked by a charity kitchen, in Jabalia, in the northern Gaza Strip, May 19, 2025. REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
4 hours ago

Parliament Member Corbyn Calls for Inquiry Into UK Role in Gaza War

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend