New world music

He has risen to music superstardom in the past six months. Singer, lyricist and poet, Farshid Amin - who calls himself the crossover artist - is one of the most sought after Persian popstars.

He was recently in Dubai for a concert organised by Euro Media FZ LLC. Amin performed to a full house at Kasbar, his brand of music that blends international dance rhythms with Persian lyrics.

"Classical Persian music is difficult to put rhythm into. It doesn't lend itself to that. However, we can create modern dance music that is probably as good or better than the best being played in nightclubs around the world," he said.

"Traditional Iranian music is very laid back. But what many people don't realise is that the nation has a remarkable multiethnicit. We have Arabs, Indians, Afghans, Mongols, Turks, Kurds... .

"Everytime the world was at war, Iran was in some part involved. The invaders travelled through the country. It is the doorway to the East and West.

"And all of them left their mark on the country. These are not immigrants but Iranians, who have different ethnic roots.

"So if you can take from all of them, you have some wonderful music in your hands."

He believes Persian music will slowly be accepted into mainstream, making it a global phenomenon.

"Persian music, especially the talent that is around, is fabulous. It's just that the media and communication has not been sufficient for the world to know more about them. There are singers who are probably as good as the tenor Luciano Pavarotti.

"My dream is to get this talent out across to the world. It might seem like a colossal task, but someone has to start.

"I call myself the artist who hopes to open up doors. So I create music that can be understood by a wide cross-section of people. I incorporate, Spanish, English and Arabic in such a manner that people can understand what I am singing about.

"The world will love Persian music, it just hasn't been exposed to it.

"Recently, while in Los Angeles, I went to a friend's wedding. There they played a number of Western dance numbers followed by a single Persian number. The people went to the DJ clamouring for more Iranian music after that.

"They kept saying 'play more of that, play more of that'.

"My dream is that people all around the world will be listening to Persian music and it will be played everywhere.

"Look at Ricky Martin, 30 years ago, he wouldn't have been such a global hit. But the world has shrunk, thanks to technology. So more people have access to a wider range of things. This will help in getting Persian music across to more people."

Amin started dabbling in music at the age of 12, when he started learning to play classical guitar and the piano. Initially he sang in English, which was mainly alternative music.

"I was part of a band that sang about issues affecting people. It was not very accessible music." He performed with artists such as Blondie.

"As you grow older, you tend to get closer to your roots. I wrote a bunch of songs. I was more of a songwriter and continue to write for other artists.

"Then a producer suggested that I sing my songs, which I did and it appealed to people.

"Initially it was a compilation of work that I had written for other people. I then came out with my own album Banou, which are songs based on names of women.

"They are essentially about ihaab (implied meaning). I could be singing about waiting for Roya, which means dawn... is it the woman or the actual dawn of a day that I am waiting for.

"I am a romantic lyricist and that comes across in my songs."

He is currently working on a new album, which will be released in the near future.

The single Nasratan, which means a kind of wild rose, has become extremely popular and has given Amin star status among the Persian community members, around the globe.

Amin refutes this. He said: "I think I am a rising star. I still have to go a long way, to achieve that kind of position.

"My popularity is still limited to the Persian community, I will be truly successful only if everybody has heard of my music and Persian music."

Amin added he wants to go back to Iran and play for his people. "I would love to go back and be able to sing for them.

"They have heard of my music and Nasratan is a big hit in Iran, which they hear using copied CDs. Someday they'll hopefully be able to hear me play live,"he said.