Compilation celebrates Persian music history and amplifies female voices LONDON: Spotify has launched a new playlist called “Women of Iran,” voicing its support for females protesting in the country. Curated by Iranian American Leila Kashfi, DSP’s associate manager, artist partnerships, the playlist aims to amplify the voices of Iranian girls and women and their global allies, according to reports. “For decades, the Islamic Republic has forced Iranians to suppress the beauty of Persian culture — a culture founded thousands of years ago in music, dance, romance, & tolerance,” Kashfi wrote on Instagram. “The (Islamic Republic) targets artists because music fuels revolution.” The compilation reflects core characteristics of Iran’s culture and celebrates the country’s past and contemporary music history, including songs specifically about the current protests. “Women of Iran” includes songs by iconic Iranian singers, including Googoosh, Mahasti and Hayedeh, alongside artists Shervin Hajipour and Toomaj Salehi, who were both arrested and imprisoned after sharing music in support of the fight against the Islamic Republic’s injustices. Hajipour, who received a whopping 95,000 submissions for The Grammys’ new best song for social change award, was released following international pressure back in October. As a part of the playlist launch, Spotify is utilizing its video story feature that provides a platform for the Iranian creative community to speak on topics including culture, art and freedom of expression. The algorithm-driven 50-song custom selection pulls from over 100 Iranian songs and will include five songs pinned to every user’s playlist, including Hajipour’s “Baraye” and Salehi’s “Soorakh Moosh.” The other three are “Dobareh,” a collective song led by iconic artist Googoosh, “Soroode Zan” from popular singer Mehdi Yarrahi, and a song that translates to “Freedom Anthem” by a collective calling themselves Ethnic Musicians. The playlist also includes diasporic Iranian artists, including Rana Mansour, Snoh Aalegra, and Iranian-Dutch singer Sevdaliza, who has released a number of songs in support of the ongoing revolution in Iran.