Taking a self-reflective approach, Azam Ali examines how music serves different aspirations for a second-generation Iranian, often playing a central role in political movements: strengthening and unifying the voice of the people seeking social justice against a common adversary. She believes an artist’s greatest act of resistance is to extract every drop of truth from their lived experience and express it to its fullest.

Azam Ali is a Los Angeles-based Iranian singer and producer whose international career spans over fifteen years and includes twelve collaborative and solo albums as well as two prestigious Canadian JUNO Award nominations. Her voice described by Billboard Magazine as “an unforgettable instrument” has been featured in some of the biggest Hollywood movies, TV shows, and video games such as “Matrix-Revolutions,” “Thor-The Dark World,” “The Fight Club,” “True Blood,” and “Prison Break.”

The Iranian Music Conference Series is made possible thanks to generous support from the Farhang Foundation, The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music Department of Ethnomusicology, and the UCLA Center for Near Eastern Studies, with additional support from the Dean of The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music.