Marjan Farsad (مرجان فرساد), born in Tehran in 1983, is a singer, songwriter, animator and illustrator. She was based in New York at the time of her 2021 interview with the Center for Human Rights in Iran.3
Recordings
10 releases, oldest first. Select one for its details and sources.
No matches.
Blue Flowers
White Tree
Mahtabwith Steve Mayone
Be Yadam - EP
Black Cat (feat. Marjan Farsad)with King Raam
Badeh Paeeziwith Shervin Najafian and Nima Hafezieh
Nameh Baroonwith Shervin Najafian and Federico Bragetti
Lullaby for Bunnies - Single
Parie Ghesehawith Shervin Najafian, Federico Bragetti, Mohammad Ebadi and Luis Miguel Aguilar
Gofti Ke
Life & work
Building scenes in songs
Animation and design remained Farsad's livelihood as she developed her music. In a 2020 interview, she described her lyrics as personal, rooted in situations she had experienced. Asked whether animation influenced her songs, she said it might: she often tried to picture a setting and tell a story through the words.4
Her official channel's 2014 upload of Lullaby for Bunnies credits her illustration alongside music and lyrics.5
That connection also appears in the credits of her later recordings. On Nameh Baroon, she wrote the music and lyrics and supplied the illustration; on Parie Gheseha, she is credited for music, lyrics and artwork. Both recordings were produced by Shervin Najafian, who also played guitar; he additionally played piano on Nameh Baroon.67 Her website also carries Italian lyric translations credited to Solnaz Kheirieh.8
From Blue Flowers to White Tree
Blue Flowers, her debut album, appeared in 2014, followed by White Tree in 2020.3 Making the second album involved returning to the recording process: Farsad said she had been dissatisfied with an earlier attempt and did not want to release it in that form. Audience fundraising made another production possible.4
She described the musicians' own ideas as a substantial part of the finished album: their contributions became part of the work itself.4
The Be Yadam EP followed in 2022.9
Mahtab
Mahtab, produced by the Center for Human Rights in Iran in 2021, grew out of Farsad's response to the imprisonment of her friends Keyomars Marzban and Niloufar Bayani. She described the song as more personal than political and said their cases had compelled her to speak out.3 Its image of stars disappearing night after night represented, in her account, the feeling of events in Iran.3
Farsad wrote the music and lyrics. Alejandro Vega handled production, engineering and mixing, Steve Mayone played guitar, and Jose Blanco mastered the recording.2
Sources
- 1Marjan Farsad · WOMEX
One quote
<img src="//www.womex.com/virtual/image/event/marjan_farsad_big_90264.jpg" alt="Marjan Farsad">
- 2Mahtab - Marjan Farsad / مهتاب - مرجان فرساد · Marjan Farsad
7 quotes
https://open.spotify.com/artist/5sGy7zfcUWYPh3wHbyz4fn
https://music.apple.com/us/artist/marjan-farsad/898915294
Mahtab - Marjan Farsad / مهتاب - مرجان فرساد
Music, Lyrics: Marjan Farsad Production, Engineering and Mix: Alejandro Vega Guitar: Steve Mayone Mastering Engineer: Jose Blanco
Music, Lyrics: Marjan Farsad
Production, Engineering and Mix: Alejandro Vega
Guitar: Steve Mayone
- 3Q&A with Musician Marjan Farsad · Center for Human Rights in Iran
8 quotes
follow Marjan Farsad on
Born in 1983 in Tehran, Iran, Marjan Farsad is a New-York based animator, illustrator, singer, and songwriter.
Her debut album “Blue Flowers” was released in 2014, and her second album, White Tree, was released in 2020.
The Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) conducted the following interview with Iranian American musician Marjan Farsad ahead of the release of her new song, “Mahtab” (Moonlight), which was produced by CHRI.
It’s about two of my young and talented friends, Keyomars Marzban and Niloufar Bayani , who have been imprisoned in Iran for the past few years.
I don’t usually talk about politics in my work. But their cases compelled me to speak out, and I felt like I really had to do something about their unjust imprisonments, even if only just writing a song.
The song is more personal to me than political.
My song is about stars that go missing every night. It represents the feeling of recent events in Iran.
- 4با مرجان فرساد از «درخت سپید» · Radio Farda
4 quotes
خب کارم که هنوز همان انیمیشن و هنرهای تجسمی است. یعنی در واقع از طریق انیمیشن و دیزاین، کار و زندگی میکنم. آن که سر جایش هست. ولی موقعی که شعرها را میگویم، خیلی شخصی است و خیلی [مربوط به] فضای یک اتفاق واقعی است که برایم افتاده، به خصوص حالا توی این آلبوم.
در آلبوم قبلی هم همین طور بود. ولی اینکه چقدر کار انیمیشن در نوع آهنگهایم تأثیر داشته باشد، شاید واقعاً داشته. به خاطر اینکه خیلی وقتها تلاش میکنم فضایی را در آن شعر به تصویر بکشم و یک داستانی را تعریف کنم.
یک بار هم این کار را انجام دادم ولی از نتیجه کار اصلاً راضی نبودم و خوشم نمیآمد نمیخواستم که آلبوم را آن شکلی منتشر کنم. اصلاً راهی نداشت و تنها راهی که برایم باقی مانده بود این بود که از مردم کمک بخواهم. و در نهایت هم مردم آن قدر با محبت حمایت کردند و واقعاً ممکن شد که بتوانم این آلبوم را درست کنم.
وقتی آدم با افراد خیلی حرفهای کار میکند، تجربه خیلی خوبی است. به خاطر این که این آدمها آنقدر با استعداد و توانا هستند و آنقدر خودشان ایده میآورند در کار که قشنگ بخشی از کار میشوند. یعنی یک قسمت عمدهای از این آلبوم، ایدههای آن آدمهاست که با خودشان آوردند در کار. و این خیلی ارزشمند است برای من.
- 5لالایی برای خرگوش ها / Lullaby for Bunnies - Marjan Farsad · Marjan Farsad
2 quotes
Music & lyrics by Marjan Farsad Recorded & Mixed by Simon Petraki illustration by Marjan Farsad www.facebook.com/marjanfarsadmusic www.peenedooz.com
2014-06-05T19:56:51-07:00
- 6Nameh Baroon - Marjan Farsad - مرجان فرساد - نم بارون · Marjan Farsad
5 quotes
Music, Lyrics, Illustration: Marjan Farsad Producer, Piano, Guitar, Mix, Master: @shervinnajafian Cello: Federico Bragetti Beshno Records © 2024 Marjan Farsad All Rights Reserved
Music, Lyrics, Illustration: Marjan Farsad
Producer, Piano, Guitar, Mix, Master: @shervinnajafian
Cello: Federico Bragetti
Nameh Baroon - Marjan Farsad - مرجان فرساد - نم بارون
- 7Parie Gheseha · Marjan Farsad
7 quotes
Music, lyrics, artwork: Marjan Farsad Production, guitar: Shervin Najafian @shervinnajafian Clarinet: Luis Miguel Aguilar Cello: Federico Bragetti Keys: Mohammad Ebadi Recorded at just audio productions by Peyman Salimi Beshno Records © 2024 Marjan Farsad All Rights Reserved
Music, lyrics, artwork: Marjan Farsad
Production, guitar: Shervin Najafian @shervinnajafian
Cello: Federico Bragetti
Keys: Mohammad Ebadi
Clarinet: Luis Miguel Aguilar
Parie Gheseha
- 8
- 9Be Yadam - EP by Marjan Farsad · Apple Music
2 quotes
Be Yadam - EP - Album by Marjan Farsad - Apple Music
October 6, 2022
- 10Blue Flowers - Album by Marjan Farsad · Apple Music
2 quotes
Blue Flowers - Album by Marjan Farsad - Apple Music
July 17, 2014
- 11
- 12White Tree - Album by Marjan Farsad · Apple Music
2 quotes
White Tree - Album by Marjan Farsad - Apple Music
June 24, 2020
- 13
- 14Mahtab - Single by Marjan Farsad · Apple Music
4 quotes
https://is1-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Music126/v4/2a/29/ba/2a29babc-59a9-5cdd-b244-521ab73ca4c2/artwork.jpg/1200x630bb.jpg
2021-08-05
Marjan Farsad
Mahtab - Single
- 15
- 16Mahtab (English Subs) - Marjan Farsad / مهتاب - مرجان فرساد · Center for Human Rights in Iran
One quote
Mahtab (English Subs) - Marjan Farsad / مهتاب - مرجان فرساد
- 17
- 18Black Cat (feat. Marjan Farsad) - Single · Apple Music
4 quotes
https://is1-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Music126/v4/90/dd/69/90dd69d4-fc50-5c13-80b3-77faeb467806/artwork.jpg/1200x630bb.jpg
2023-08-08
King Raam
Black Cat (feat. Marjan Farsad) - Single
- 19Badeh Paeezi - Single · Apple Music
4 quotes
https://is1-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Music126/v4/c5/27/ac/c527ac22-ae31-3524-7697-9d1a79280c6c/artwork.jpg/1200x630bb.jpg
2023-12-05
Marjan Farsad
Badeh Paeezi - Single
- 20Badeh Paeezi - Marjan farsad - مرجان فرساد - باد پاییزی · Marjan Farsad
5 quotes
2023-12-03T00:00:00Z
Music, Lyrics: Marjan Farsad
Producer, Guitar, Mix: Shervin Najafian
Piano: Nima Hafezieh
Badeh Paeezi - Marjan farsad - مرجان فرساد - باد پاییزی
- 21
- 22Badeh Paeezi - Marjan Farsad - مرجان فرساد - باد پاییزی · Marjan Farsad
One quote
Badeh Paeezi - Marjan Farsad - مرجان فرساد - باد پاییزی
- 23Nameh Baroon - Single · Apple Music
4 quotes
https://is1-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Music221/v4/2b/04/9b/2b049b3e-75fe-c500-3296-60c4413b0ba7/artwork.jpg/1200x630bb.jpg
2024-07-19
Marjan Farsad
Nameh Baroon - Single
- 24
- 25Lullaby for Bunnies - Single · Apple Music
4 quotes
https://is1-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Music221/v4/0e/9f/fe/0e9ffee3-407a-5c57-c276-05eaa009d3cc/artwork.jpg/1200x630bb.jpg
2024-09-13
Marjan Farsad
Lullaby for Bunnies - Single
- 26
- 27
- 28Parie Gheseha · Apple Music
3 quotes
'Parie Gheseha' van Marjan Farsad op Apple Music
https://is1-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Music211/v4/ad/ac/e9/adace93b-df62-6431-d677-42cab286520e/artwork.jpg/1200x630wp-60.jpg
27 september 2024
- 29
- 30
- 31Gofti Ke - Single · Apple Music
3 quotes
Gofti Ke - Single by Marjan Farsad on Apple Music
https://is1-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Music211/v4/b5/e4/75/b5e47595-83f0-b7db-79a1-bbf16b4678c8/artwork.jpg/1200x630bb.jpg
"datePublished":"2025-03-01"
- 32