Iranian singer Shervin Hajipour, 25, won a Grammy in the best song for social change category, introduced by first lady Jill Biden at the award ceremony on Monday.
“A song can unite, inspire and ultimately change the world,” Biden said. Hajipour’s song, “Baraye,” she added, was “a powerful and poetic call for freedom and women’s rights.”
Hajipour first released the song in October 2022 on Instagram, which Iranian officials quickly took down, reported The Associated Press. The singer was arrested shortly after the song was released, was let out on bail and is now awaiting trial. He faces charges of “propaganda against the regime” and “instigating the violence,” which could result in up to six years of prison.
After his arrest, the singer said in a video on Instagram, “I wrote this song in solidarity with the people who are critical of the situation like many of our artists who reacted,” per The New York Times.
The song called “Baraye,” which translates to “For,” references a slogan used in the protests, “For women, life, freedom,” and incorporates tweets from Iranians that showed the pain they are feeling in the lyrics, per the AP.
“For embarrassment due to being penniless; / For yearning for an ordinary life; / For the child laborer and his dreams; / For this dictatorial economy; / For this polluted air; / For this forced paradise; / For jailed intellectuals; / For all the empty slogans,” are just some of the lyrics, per The New York Times.
This video on Twitter seems to show Hajipour’s reaction to the award surrounded by friends and family, where he looks shocked while he’s being hugged.
“‘Baraye’ winning a Grammy sends the message to Iranians that the world has heard them and is acknowledging their freedom struggle,” Nahid Siamdoust, author of “Soundtrack of the Revolution: The Politics of Music in Iran,” told The New York Times.” “It is awarding their protest anthem with the highest musical honor.”
On Sunday, Iran recognized the scale of the country’s imprisonments for the first time, calling for a reduction in the “tens of thousands” sentences, per the AP.