 |
| Javid Tabrizli |
A well-known singer who has lived away from his hometown for almost 30 years lives with a single hope – to hold a concert in Tabriz. Southern singer Javid Tabrizli, who resides in Ankara, Turkey, spoke with Voice of America about his art, the reasons for his migration from Tabriz to Turkey, and the pressures and restrictions imposed by the Iranian Islamic government on Azerbaijani music.
Javid Tabrizli explains that both during the Shah era and under the Islamic government, Azerbaijani music and musicians faced limitations and difficulties, but after the 1979 revolution, the pressures became more severe: “These difficulties have always existed within Iran's borders. There were some relative freedoms during the Shah's reign, but after the Islamic Revolution, many prohibitions were imposed. They banned using words like ‘love’ and ‘passion’ in songs. Meanwhile, Azerbaijani music faced double pressure because it was also in another language.”
Having left Tabriz in 1984, the musician says his art has been highly appreciated in Turkey, where society and officials have welcomed him very warmly.
The singer, whose work attracted the special attention of Turkey's late Prime Minister Turgut Özal, mentions that in 1986, he received Turkish citizenship under a special law that was enacted for him and the world-famous athlete Naim Süleymanoğlu, who was a Bulgarian Turk.
Having been away from his hometown of Tabriz for nearly thirty years, the singer says: “One day, I will definitely go to Tabriz. I will hold a concert in Tabriz.”
Link to the original interview in Turkish on the Azerbaijani section of Voice of America:
Cavid Təbrizli: Təbrizdə konsert vermək ümidi ilə yaşayıram!