Two Track: Mahya Hamedi (Virtual Concert)

Two Track is a music video series designed for Berklee’s YouTube and social media channels that features artists in an intimate setting with only one microphone and continuous camera takes. Each recording session will revolve around a single theme (i.e., connection, love, dreams) that can be expressed by the artist either through their track selection or through a short storytelling segment that will be recorded as part of the performance. The videos in this series will premiere at specific dates and times, but if you miss the premiere, each video will be public on the channel in continuity. 

This Two Track episode features Iranian vocalist, pianist, and composer Mahya Hamedi performing an arrangement of the tune “Florentine,” written by herself and Bluebyrde, and “Lalaei (Lullaby)” written by Navid Arbabian.

About the Artist

Mahya Hamedi is an Iranian vocalist, pianist, and composer from Tehran. She is currently based in Boston, Massachusetts, pursuing a bachelor’s degree from Berklee College of Music. Singing and playing the piano since the age of 9, Mahya realized quickly that music was her lifelong passion. Her early compositions for theatre won local and national awards, and she performed in groups across Iran and in Greece before attending university. Unable to pursue studies in vocal performance in her home country due to a national ban on women singing, she studied classical piano at the University of Tehran for two years before traveling to Berklee to focus on voice and composition.

Mahya’s recorded works are highly syncretic, fusing Iranian folk music with contemporary jazz and pop, and showcasing her powerful and versatile voice. They have been celebrated both in Iran and throughout the Iranian diaspora, accumulating hundreds of thousands of plays on music streaming services. Her original song “Deng,” a plea for pacifism written as tensions escalated between Iran and the United States, was released in January 2020. It was featured in The Female Voice of Iran, a widely-viewed documentary for which Mahya also was personally interviewed. Mahya is currently writing material for her debut studio album, which she looks forward to promoting around the world. 

Mahya’s band features Yueyang Chen on piano, Lior Houminer on guitar, Peter Sumner and Thiago Da Silva on cellos, Brian Urra on violin, and Bahar Badieitabar on oud.