Amir Tataloo
| Tataloo | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Amir-Hossein Maghsoudloo |
| Also known as | Amir Tataloo |
| Born |
c. 1982/1983 (age 34–35)[1][2] Tehran, Iran |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) |
|
| Years active | 2003–present |
| Labels | Radio Javan |
| Notable instruments | |
| Vocals | |
Amirhossein Maghsoudloo (Persian: امیرحسین مقصودلو), better known by his stage name Amir Tataloo (Persian: امیر تتلو), is an Iranian singer and songwriter.
Career
An underground musician unauthorized by the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance, Tataloo is "a rapper with so many fans" in words of Time[5] and has a "strong fan base" among the youth in Iran according to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.[6] His style has been described as "popular flashy blend of pop, rap and R&B".[1]
As of March 2017, he has up to 4 million followers on Instagram and 1.3 million followers on Facebook, making him one of the most popular Iranians on social media.[7]
In Politics
Tataloo formerly criticized the establishment for not licensing his music, which is deemed as "Western, non-Iranian and immoral" by the government,[5] although he kept distance from politics.[6]
In 2015, he made a shift towards Iran's conservative agenda, pledging his support for the supreme leader of Iran and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on numerous occasions, as well as advocating mandatory hijab.[8][7]
In 2017, Tataloo initially endorsed Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf for the Iranian presidential election. Following Ghalibaf's drop-out, Tataloo sided with Ebrahim Raisi and publicly met him.[8]
Controversies
Arrests
Tataloo was jailed twice in 2013 and 2016. Iranian morality police briefly arrested him in December 2013 for distributing his banned music to illegal foreign satellite channels.[4] He was arrested again on 23 August 2016 and spent two months in prison without any clear announcements regarding the charges against him, however he was reportedly charged with “encouraging fasad and fahsha”.[4][8] His fans posted comments on social media accounts of the supreme leader of Iran, demanding his release.[6]
Nuclear Energy song
During the Iran/5+1 nuclear talks in Vienna, in July 2015, Tataloo released a song supporting the Iranian nuclear program. The music video was produced on the Iranian navy ship Damavand.[9]
Telegram audio message
He published an audio message in May 2017 on his Telegram channel, stating he “knew nothing about politics” and his political posts are forwarded by a friend in the IRGC Intelligence Organization with “enough political information to provide us with excellent guidance”.[8]
Discography
- Zire Hamkaf (2011)
- Tatality (2013)
- MAN (2013)
- 6 (2014)
- Mamnoo (2015)
- 7 (2015)
- Ghahreman (2016)
References
- 1 2 Hanif Kashani (15 July 2015), "Iran’s Foreign and Defense Policies", Al-Monitor, retrieved 1 March 2017
- ↑ "How Iran is trying to win back the youth", Tehran Bureau, The Guardian, 20 July 2015, retrieved 1 March 2017
- ↑ Carles Feixa, Carmen Leccardi, Pam Nilan (2016), Youth, Space and Time: Agoras and Chronotopes in the Global City, BRILL, p. 227, ISBN 9789004324589
- 1 2 3 Rouzbeh Hamid (2 October 2016), "Tataloo: the regular arrest of cursed celebrities in Iran", Radio Zamaneh, retrieved 11 June 2017
- 1 2 Kay Armin Serjoie (16 July 2015). "This Is the Surprising Way the Iranian Military Responded to the Nuclear Deal". Time. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
- 1 2 3 Farangis Najibullah and Mohammad Reza Yazdanpanah (25 August 2016). "Iranian Fans Take To Social Media To Demand Rapper’s Release". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
- 1 2 Ershad Alijani (5 January 2017). "Has Iran's bad boy singer been forced to campaign for the religious authorities?". France24. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
- 1 2 3 4 Holly Dagres (1 June 2017), "This young Iranian rapper may have cost Raisi the presidency", Al-Monitor, retrieved 13 July 2017
- ↑ Ishaan Tharoor (16 July 2015). "Watch: Iranian rapper celebrates nuclear power from the deck of a warship". Washington Post.