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| Mehran Ismailzadeh |
Mehran Ismailzadeh mentions that he started his school education in Persian, but from the fifth grade onwards, he continued his studies in his mother tongue. In an interview with Voice of America, the young artist shares the experiences he faced as a teenager when his family, due to the pressure of the Iranian government, had to leave Tabriz.
“The positive aspects of immigration for me were being able to study in my native language and grow up surrounded by our own music and culture,” Mehran explains, describing the impact of living in Azerbaijan on his life from a young age.
He notes that his first music teacher was his father. Mehran studied at music schools in Azerbaijan, including the Baku Music Academy, where he majored in percussion instruments. His musical activities have focused on jazz music and percussion instruments.
The young musician from Tabriz says that in 2009 and 2010, he participated in the International Young Jazz Festival and the International Percussion Festival held in Baku. He also represented Azerbaijan in a festival in Brazil in 2012, which involved musicians from 25 countries.
“I feel very happy because I was able to live in a place and environment that made it possible for me to receive music education, benefit from the experiences of famous musicians, and participate in international festivals,” says the young artist, expressing his satisfaction with his family’s immigration.
In addition to his music career, the young artist is also involved in filmmaking. He, along with his friends, has made short films and also acted in the film Min Öfkə Bir Eşq, directed by the Southern Iranian director Vahid Azernevid in Turkey.
Mehran also touches on the issues faced by various ethnic groups living in Iran and criticizes the Iranian Islamic Republic's policies towards minorities.
“They try to divide different nations and ethnic groups and make them enemies of each other. They insult the Turks in the name of the Persians. By sowing discord between the people, they continue their reign,” he states.
Link to the original interview in Turkish on the Azerbaijani section of Voice of America:
Təbrizli gənc musiqiçi mühacirət təcrübələrindən danışır