Mohsen Yeganeh

Mohsen Yeganeh was born on 13 May 1985 in Gonbad-e Kavus, Iran.^[8] He studied Industrial Engineering with a focus on Industrial Production at the Islamic Azad University, South Tehran Branch,^[9] but withdrew after completing six semesters due to his demanding music career.^[10] He is the third child or second-to-last in his family, with two older sisters who are a physician and a dentist, respectively.^[11] His father, Mohammadreza Yeganeh, was a martyr of the Iran-Iraq War,^[12] and his mother is a university professor.^[13][14]

Yeganeh began his musical journey with the guitar.^[15] His interest in music was sparked by chance when he listened to the instrumental track "Gol-e Gandom" from Shadmehr Aghili's album Bahar-e Man,^[16] which inspired his passion for pop music and led him to learn the guitar. He taught himself to play without formal instruction, despite opposition from his family, which prevented him from pursuing academic guitar training. Nevertheless, Yeganeh persisted and continued to develop his guitar skills.^[17][18]

Mohsen Yeganeh's first song, "Nashkan Delamo," was performed alongside Mohsen Chavoshi and Hamed Hakan, with lyrics and music by Yeganeh and arrangement by Chavoshi.^[9] His debut album, Sal-e Kabiseh (Leap Year), was released unofficially. Following this, Yeganeh focused on releasing singles, many of which were later compiled into albums to avoid scattered distribution. For several years, he was considered an unauthorized singer until he decided to obtain a permit from the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance. After a period of silence and various challenges, he released his first official album, Nafashaye Bi Hadaf (Aimless Breaths), on 8 July 2008.^[19]

After a two-year hiatus following his debut official album, Yeganeh spent much of his time performing concerts. He devoted considerable effort to his second album, Rag-e Khab (Deep Sleep), which was released in August 2010. The song "Sokoot" (Silence) from this album gained widespread acclaim and was recognized as the most popular song of 2010 in Iran.^[20]

His next album, Hobab (Bubble), was released two years later in October 2012, featuring 14 tracks. Yeganeh initially described Hobab as his final album,^[21] and in a surprising statement, he declared, "This is my last album."^[22] However, following requests from his fans, he reconsidered and promised to begin working on a new album after releasing several singles. His fourth album, Negahe Man (My Gaze), was released on 10 May 2015.

In 2012, Yeganeh performed at a National Unity and Cohesion Youth Conference in the presence of then-President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who awarded him a certificate of appreciation. The event sparked considerable interest online after images and videos were shared. Yeganeh later said in an interview that the encounter with Ahmadinejad was unexpected.^[23]

Yeganeh has written the lyrics for most of his songs and has also composed and arranged music for artists such as Mohammad Esfahani, Ali Lohrasbi, and others.

In March 2016, Yeganeh released the single "Behet Ghol Midam" (I Promise You), which was met with significant acclaim. A music video for the song, recorded during a concert on 2 August 2016, was released in January 2017. The video garnered widespread attention both domestically and internationally, achieving over 250 million views and becoming the most-watched Persian-language music video on YouTube.^[24][25]

Yeganeh performed a song titled "Gele Karkashaye" (Flock of Vultures), which was perceived as antisemitic by some.^[26] His 2017 concert at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles faced protests and a boycott from the Iranian Jewish community.^[26][27] Although some reports claimed that only 1,000 of the venue’s 7,100 seats were sold,^[28] footage and images from the concert,^[29] along with an interview with Yeganeh’s manager in the ISNA news agency,^[30] confirmed that the venue was nearly at full capacity, and the concert proceeded smoothly without issues.^[31]

During a 2022 concert in Bushehr, Yeganeh abruptly canceled his performance in the second session, citing vocal strain. Having completed the first session without issue, he performed a few songs in the second, including "Behet Ghol Midam," before addressing the audience: "I don’t know what words to use to apologize that would be worthy of you. It’s been a long time since I’ve canceled a concert. Even five minutes before going on stage, I didn’t think this would happen. I’m ashamed; I don’t know what to say. My voice is strained, and it’s not worthy of your ears." The incident received significant attention in the media and on social platforms.^{[32][33][34][35]}

• Winner of the Best Live Pop Music Performance Award (shared with Ehsan Khajehamiri), Expert Category, at the First Annual Musicema Awards in 2012.^[36]

• Recipient of the Nokia Theatre L.A. Live Award and recognition as one of the distinguished figures of the venue.^[37][38]

• Winner of the Best Songwriter Award at the Second Afshin Yadollahi Song Award Ceremony in 2018.^[39][40][41]

• Holder of the Record for the Most-Viewed Iranian Music Video on YouTube with the song "Behet Ghol Midam" (I Promise You) among artists based in Iran.^[42]
• Recognized as the Top Pop Music Figure by Runa Magazine in 2010.^[43]

• Persian pop music