Tara Mehrad is an Iranian singer, songwriter, arranger living in Paris, France. Her musical world is unique and without frontiers. Her connection to different types of music and cultures makes her compositions with many colors and shapes. She writes lyrics in Persian, French or and in English. Her words are poetic, full of passion, mystical and rebellious. Her voice is authentic, full of emotions and with many nuances. She plays with her group of musicians coming from different cultures and backgrounds and creates a bridge between their world and hers through her music and arrangements. Their alchemy on stage makes their performances soulful, their music cosmopolitan and their message profound.
From Tehran to Paris
Tara Mehrad is born and raised in Tehran, where most music styles and singing is forbidden for women. Her connection to music starts at an early age. She is born into a music loving family, growing up listening to Jazz, blues, soul, …etc.
She starts playing the piano at 6 years old, the guitar at 11 and is always singing and learning songs on her own. She starts performing in underground concerts as a teenager and continues to do so until an incident where she is arrested for assisting in a concert/ party event and decides to do everything in her power to leave Iran and become a professional musician elsewhere.
She studies Jazz and modern music in Paris along with vocal technique, piano, Brazilian music, …etc. The mystical world is also a very big part of her studies as she looks for authenticity and freedom.
A Few Persian Songs
After years of performing Jazz and world music, she created her first personal project « A few Persian songs » as a tribute to her uncle Farhad Mehrad (an Iranian protest singer/composer), her family and her country and also a way to introduce her culture and tell her life story. She arranges the project side by side with Laurent De Oliveira, a French Brazilian piano player. The project inspires her to start writing her own music and that is where she finds her true voice and expression.
Music
In 2021 she makes her first EP Ba Ham Tanha. The EP is made of 6 songs with Persian lyrics and available on all platforms as a tribute to life and to humanity during the lockdowns. Listen to BA HAM TANHA
Her single SI TU Y ES in French is also available on all platforms. Listen to SI TU Y ES
Her first album BIDARI will be out by the end of 2022. Check out the project The album is the story of her life and it is dedicated to all Iranian women having to fight for their right to freedom. #WomanLifeFreedom
Band
Laurent De Oliveira a French Brazilian pianiste/composer, Martin Berauer an Austrian bass player, Douglas Marcolino a Brazilian accordion player, Christophe Bras a French drummer and Mahan Mirarab an Iranian guitar player/composer who joins them from time to time.