Release of the song 'My Head is Forbidden'; Ariyous: The heroic people of Iran have done great things

Ariyous, an Iranian singer, songwriter, and composer residing in Turkey, known for his political and social works, has released a new protest song. This piece, titled 'My Head is Forbidden', is released on the eve of the killing of Mahsa Amini by government forces and the onset of nationwide protests in Iran. According to the artist, it is a musical request for 'uprising against the Islamic Republic'. In addition to performing, Ariyous wrote the lyrics and composed the music. The music video for 'My Head is Forbidden' features images of young people who lost their lives during the nationwide protests in Iran. Ariyous tells Voice of America: 'Since a year ago, after the tragic event that happened to Mahsa Amini, this innocent girl, many of our hearts ached and we rebelled. Rest assured that Iran will shed its old garment and don a new one.' During this time, Ariyous seriously entered the realm of protest music and has released various political and social works such as 'Iran Iran', 'Flag', 'Overthrow', 'February 22', 'Shahriar', and 'I Grant Power'. He adds: 'These days, artistic works can be very impactful; there must be a sense of uprising in artistic works, and they should invite people to revolt against this government. An artist must be able to transport the listener from one place to another and from one feeling to another.' This singer notes that he draws his ability and motivation from the bravery and freedom-seeking struggles of Iranians, reminding that the 'heroic people of Iran' have done great things in the past year and have raised their voices to the world. Ariyous states: 'These days, regardless of religion, language, and ethnicity, we unite, we become one Iran, even if we face the worst events on this path, the wailing is forbidden, mourning is forbidden, the wandering of the hyena pack in the soil of the homeland is forbidden.' He further recalls that, as Fereydoun Farrokhzad said, culture always triumphs over oppression, force, and bullying. Ariyous left Iran about thirteen years ago to continue his education and spent some time in Malaysia and Armenia before moving to Turkey. Since 2017, he has been seriously active in music, personally handling most of his works such as songwriting, composing, mixing and mastering, directing, editing, animation, and visual effects, considering his education in this field. Ariyous describes his artistic activities in music as 'struggle', considering his current comrades, Habib Mahour, a songwriter, and Arashk, a musician and composer, as mentally close collaborators. He views his ultimate goal as creating a cultural center in a free Iran to implement his plans and engage in cultural development.