Back to top“Last night was a moving tribute to Shervin Hajipour and all of the Iranians who have been suffering, as his song “Baraye” was honored with the Grammy Awards’ inaugural Song For Social Change Special Merit Award presented by First Lady Jill Biden. Countless Iranians, Iranian Americans, and Iranians across the diaspora mobilized in support of his nomination and cheered his award from the academy.
“Baraye – a moving song composed of tweets from Iranians expressing their discontent with the system and longing for fundamental change – received 10s of millions of views on Instagram. The people of Iran have suffered from brutal repression, a depressed economy, pandemic and a stifling of freedom of expression. Hajipour himself was arrested and imprisoned for several days after his song rose to popularity.
“The people of Iran have inspired the world with their bravery, ingenuity, and creativity many times over. We yearn for the day where the dreams that inspired the Woman, Life, Freedom movement – and inspired Hajipour’s song – are truly attained, and Iranians have a government and society that reflects their aspirations for peace and fundamental human rights for all.”
February 6, 2023