The Arian Band

ARIAN is an Iranian pop band formed by Ali Pahlavan and Payam Salehi in the late 1990s, following the 1979 Islamic revolution which banned pop music. Featuring male and female vocalists, guitarists, a violinist, keyboardist, percussionists, drummer, and bassist, they were Iran's first officially approved mixed-gender pop group. Despite strict censorship, they debuted live on Qeshm Island in 1999 and released "Gol-E-Aftabgardoon" in 2000. They released two more albums and toured Iran, Europe, the US, and Canada. Their third album earned a BBC Radio 3 nomination, and they made the 2006 International Who's Who (Popular Music). In 2008, they collaborated with Irish singer Chris de Burgh on "The Words 'I Love You'". Due to rising restrictions, their fifth album was banned for two years, prompting several members to leave Iran. It was eventually approved by a new administration and released as "V: Goodbye". Managed by Helianth Productions, the Arian Band is now based in the US and Australia