Persian Pop / Contemporary R&B
For Amirmohammad Yaser, modern production is never a reason to dilute identity. It is a way to carry Persian melody, language and emotional storytelling farther.
Amirmohammad Yaser grew up with music already inside the home. His father played piano professionally, giving him an early connection to melody before he began building his own career in 2018.
Exposed Vocals caught up with Amirmohammad Yaser to talk about how Persian pop and contemporary R&B meet in “Roya,” the realities of building an international career from Iran, and why the emotion of a song must survive every stage of production.
“Technical perfection should never become more important than emotion.”
Amirmohammad Yaser, in his own words
What first pulled you toward music?
Music has been part of my life since I was very young. My father played piano professionally, so I grew up around music and naturally developed a strong connection with it.
When I began working professionally in 2018, music stopped being only something I loved and became something I wanted to build my life around. I took songwriting, recording, production and engineering more seriously and gradually developed my own sound.
How do Persian pop and contemporary R&B meet in your writing?
The Persian element has to come naturally from melody, emotion and storytelling rather than being added as an aesthetic. Persian music gives me emotional depth and melodic character; contemporary R&B gives me another approach to rhythm, vocal expression, harmony and production. I let both influences exist naturally so the result still feels Persian, but also modern and accessible internationally.
Which of your roles usually starts a song?
There is not always one starting point. Sometimes it begins with melody, a vocal idea, lyrics or production. Most often, emotion comes first. Working across several roles lets me follow an idea from its first moment to the final master.
How do Persian traditions shape your modern productions?
Persian melodic phrasing and emotional storytelling have a strong influence on me. I do not try to reproduce traditional music directly. I take inspiration from the way Persian melodies communicate emotion and combine that feeling with modern pop and R&B production. I want the influence to be felt, not forced.
What has been hardest about building internationally from Iran?
There are limitations around platforms, payments, distribution and international promotion. Things that are simple for artists elsewhere can be much more complicated. Those challenges have also made me independent and determined. I have learned to handle recording, production, releases and audience-building myself.
Can emotion cross the language barrier?
I believe it can. I write primarily in Persian because that is where I express myself most naturally. I do not want to remove my Persian identity to make the music international. I want listeners to discover the emotion, melodies and atmosphere first, then become curious about the language and culture behind them.
Why is “Roya” the right introduction to you now?
It brings Persian musical identity together with contemporary pop and R&B. I wanted it to feel emotional and familiar to Persian listeners while carrying a modern production style that could connect beyond the Persian-speaking world. It represents the direction I want to keep exploring.
What does your recording process look like?
I begin with the emotional concept, melody or vocal idea, then develop the arrangement. I spend a lot of time on vocal performance, harmonies and details, and remain involved in recording, editing, sound design, mixing and production. The final master is not only about polish; the emotion of the original idea has to survive.
How has producing yourself changed you as a vocalist?
It has made me more aware of my voice and how it works inside the final arrangement. It gives me freedom to experiment without waiting for someone else to translate every idea. At the same time, technical perfection should never become more important than emotion.
What do you want international listeners to understand?
Persian music is not limited to one traditional sound or one generation. A new generation of Iranian artists is creating modern music while carrying its cultural identity. I want my music to show that Persian pop and contemporary R&B can exist together authentically and internationally.
Amirmohammad Yaser’s most persuasive idea is also his simplest: international reach does not require cultural erasure. On “Roya,” identity is not an obstacle to connection—it is the source of it. If the emotion survives the technology, language becomes an invitation rather than a barrier.
Follow Amirmohammad Yaser
Hear “Roya” and follow the next chapter of his independent international career.
