By : Reza Taeb
Keyvan Shahbaz was born in 1997 in Tehran. He started playing piano instructed by masters such as Jamshid Rahmani and Yalda Samadi and later continued his music education in the fields of singing, songwriting and composition. But his professional life as a musician started with a music group he created and his collaboration with the “Navaye Sepand” Cultural and Artistic Institution. Shahbaz’s interests lie in pop and R&B styles and their combination with electronic music. In a conversation with Trends Shahbaz said: “My passion for music started at a young age in 2006 as I learned playing the piano. As I showed some promise in piano playing, I was encouraged by my family and friends, and needless to say this gift of music was also strengthened with teachings of prominent masters in this field over time, this artistic flair led me to songwriting and composing and singing, and I was able to further improve my music skills by taking courses in music, composition, singing, songwriting, as well as through listening to and studying works of different artists in various fields.” Shahbaz believes that the Iranian music market is competitive and challenging just like in other countries and says: “The atmosphere of the country’s music industry is still unfamiliar for many of the artists just entering this field. But thanks to the good work done by some producers and involved institutions, music industry in Iran has flourished in recent years. Also, apart from any cultural and artistic role this artform plays, music has assumed a social dimension in Iran. Another thing to note is that the country has an audience with a wide range of taste in pop music which makes finding a single music style to convey its feel and quality to a broad fan base more difficult.
This pop singer to the country’s young generation pointed to the growth of the Iranian music market compared to the past, and added: “Nowadays the opportunity for new talent and creative artists to grow is much more available than before. I my hope is that there will be brighter and better opportunities for artists to come forward, and that a platform will be provided for each and every one of them to show their musical gift to their audience.”
Shahbaz, who strongly believes in the positive impact of social media on the growth of artists, goes on to say: “Due to the existence of new platforms on the web with easy access to an audience, artists can easily find and attract their followers. So this virtual space has had a positive and significant impact on my work.” With the pop style as his main form of music, Shahbaz, explains: “My music has no specific target with respect to its audience, but due to its modern lyrics and content and performance style, it is often attractive to the 10- to 25-year-old crowd.” This pop singer talks about the notion of success as a final observation: “Success occurs when an artist really connects with the audience, and it is more about the quality of a musician’s work than the quantity. A song or performance has a direct relationship with the audience and their feelings. My team and I do our best to produce music at our listeners’ level and to communicate as much as possible with our fans, and the public in general”.
Instagram: Keyvan_Shahbaz
