Shahin Najafi (born 1980 in Bandar-e Anzali) is an Iranian singer, songwriter and guitarist. He began with poetry and classical and flamenco guitar, played in Iran's underground rock scene, and moved to Germany in 2005. His work has ranged from rap and rock to Gilaki jazz fusion and ensemble composition; he also makes electronic music as The Shah.71011126
Recordings
10 releases, oldest first. Select one for its details and sources.
No matches.
- Ma Mard Nistimwith Tapesh 2012
- Illusion
- Naghi
Sha'aban
Radikal
Blue
Meta Phrygian (Live)with Ben Trawinski, Hannes Feder, Adrian Wachowiak and Matthias Knoop
Jens Sevomwith Adrian Wachowiak, Habib Meftah and Pouya Mahmoodi
The Sacred and the Violencewith Simon Rummel, Daniel Agi, Radek Stawarz, David Schuette, Maria Suwelack, Naomi Binder, Habib Meftah and Tsimafei Birukou
Semenwith Hand

The Sacred and the Violence
تقدس و خشونت
- Released
- 28
- Contributors
- Shahin Najafi (composer), Simon Rummel (piano), Adrian Wachowiak (arranger), Daniel Agi (flute), Radek Stawarz (viola), David Schuette (cello), Maria Suwelack (violin), Naomi Binder (violin), Habib Meftah (percussion) and Tsimafei Birukou (percussion)2812
Life & work
Early music and Germany
Najafi began writing poetry and learning guitar as a teenager. He later recalled giving private guitar lessons at night and spending the earnings on sight-singing and harmony classes the next day. In Iran he worked with underground groups playing pop, Spanish music and rock.71314
By 2008 he was singing and playing guitar with the Iranian-German group Tapesh 2012. For “Ma Mard Nistim”, he wrote and sang the words while the group supplied the music. He valued rap's capacity to turn verbal images into scenes: listeners could imagine social circumstances unfolding before them, rather than only hear an account of them.14
In September 2009 he released Illusion through Pamas-Verlag. He sang and wrote the words; MEHZO Sound Studio composed and arranged the music. By February 2010 he was assembling the rock group Antikarisma with Babak Khazaei, Armin Mostaed and Pejman Afshari in Germany.159
Songs and musical form
His 2012 song “Naghi” brought threats: the website Shia-Online offered a reward for his killing. Najafi denied intending an insult and said the song had begun after he encountered a satirical Facebook campaign about Imam Ali al-Naqi.1617
For “Sha'aban”, released in 2013 and arranged by Majid Kazemi, Najafi created an imagined worker. He explained that Sha'aban was not an actual individual but represented the poverty experienced by workers in Iran and elsewhere.1819
In 2017, when he released Radikal and “Blue”, Najafi described a shift in his priorities: he wanted music to move beyond spoken language, with words no longer taking precedence. Gilaki and flamenco had interested him since his early work in Iran. He still heard lullabies in Gilaki and was concerned about the language's disappearance. In Blue he brought together his own text, Hafez and Quranic material. He said he wanted to keep changing, and felt that controversy around his social and political subjects had obscured his experiments with form.20212223
That December, Meta Phrygian presented a live jazz-fusion ensemble with Gilaki material. Najafi sang and played trumpet; the group combined piano, bass and drums with a second trumpet.112425
Collaborative ensembles and electronic music
Najafi described Jens Sevom, released in January 2019, as the result of two years' work on jazz and ideas drawn from folk music. Guitarist Pouya Mahmoodi, percussionist Habib Meftah and pianist Adrian Wachowiak joined him. He compared the small ensemble to chamber music and stressed the freedom it gave singers and players to experiment with performance and form. Although he had written and directed the project, he considered all four musicians responsible for its central creative roles.26527
Later in 2019, he composed The Sacred and the Violence for an ensemble of flute, strings, piano and percussion. Wachowiak arranged the music, and Simon Rummel conducted and played piano.1228
By 2024 he was releasing electronic music under the name The Shah, describing an approach that combined Persian sounds with Middle Eastern and Afrobeat influences. That September he released Semen with Hand.62930
Sources
- 1File:Shahin Najafi, 2009 (02).jpg - Wikimedia Commons · commons.wikimedia.org
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File:Shahin Najafi, 2009 (02).jpg - Wikimedia Commons
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/25/Shahin_Najafi%2C_2009_%2802%29.jpg
Author Marjolein Katsma
This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.
- 2
- 3ShahinNajafi | SoundCloud
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Shahin Najafi is a musician, poet, singer, and social activist.
In 2012, Shahin released his most controversial song: Naghi.
- 4Shahin Najafi | Apple Music
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Shahin Najafi - Apple Music
- 5Jens Sevom: release and full credits ·
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Spotify (Jan 18): https://open.spotify.com/artist/1W5u8Bz2yimyuuI8QNYsNO
Piano: Adrian Wachowaik Percussion: Habib Meftah Guitar: Pouya Mahmoodi
Cover Art: Ali Baghban
Publisher: Dyaloge Limited
Composer, Arrangement, Bouzouki, Trumpet, Vocals: Shahin Najafi
Piano: Adrian Wachowaik
Percussion: Habib Meftah
Guitar: Pouya Mahmoodi
Lyrics: Shahin Najafi, Esmail Khoi (Ey Eshgh), Folk (Shah Doomad)
- 6TheShah | SoundCloud
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The Shah, also known as Shahin Najafi, is a trailblazing musician who brings together the best of different worlds in his music.
The Shah, also known as Shahin Najafi, is a trailblazing musician who brings together the best of different worlds in his music. With a background in rap and rock, he's now carving out a fresh path in electronic music, blending Persian sounds with Middle Eastern and Afrobeat influences.
- 7Shahin Najafi | Dyaloge
2 quotes
He was born in 1980 to a middle-class family in Bandar-e Anzali, Iran, the youngest of eight children.
Shahin Najafi is a musician, poet, singer, and social activist. He was born in 1980 to a middle-class family in Bandar-e Anzali, Iran, the youngest of eight children. He started writing poetry and learning to play classical and flamenco guitar in his teens. He turned to rock music, often performing as an underground musician.
- 8«ما مرد نيستيم»؛ اعتراض موسیقی به جامعه مردسالار ایران ·
4 quotes
در آلمان مدتی سرپرست گروهی به نام «اينان» بود و اکنون هم خواننده و نوازنده گروه «تپش ۲۰۱۲» است.
«ما مرد نيستيم»؛ اين نام تازه ترين آهنگ يک گروه رپ ايرانی در آلمان است. گروهی به نام «تپش ۲۰۱۲». اين گروه از دو سال پيش کار خود را آغاز کرده و به تازگی شاهين نجفی، ترانه سرا و گيتاريست اين گروه به آن ملحق شده است.
اين ترانه از سيزده ارديبهشت ماه امسال روی سايت YouTube قرارگرفته است و تاکنون بيش از ۳۱ هزار بازديد کننده داشته است.
«ما مرد نيستيم»؛ اين نام تازه ترين آهنگ يک گروه رپ ايرانی در آلمان است. گروهی به نام «تپش ۲۰۱۲».
- 9Antikarisma - The Embryo of a New Band ·
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Info: A new rock band is being put together. The new band, Antikarisma, consists of Shahin Najafi, Babak Khazaei, Armin Mostaed, and Pejman Afshari who live in Germany.
Artist: AntiKarisma Video: The Embryo of a New Band Info: A new rock band is being put together. The new band, Antikarisma, consists of Shahin Najafi, Babak Khazaei, Armin Mostaed, and Pejman Afshari who live in Germany. Najafi is mostly known for his hip hop works. The new band is another demonstration of Najafi's continuous innovation in music.
- 10Verse of Defiance ·
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Shahin Najafi was born in 1980 in Bandar-e Anzali, Iran. He works as a poet, musician, songwriter and singer. Najafi began writing poetry at a young age. He studied sociology, but soon abandoned his formal studies in order to immerse himself in Iranian society as a more genuine and dynamic learning experience. As a musician, Najafi has been trained in both Classical and Flamenco guitar. He has played and sung in numerous Iranian underground rock bands. Under pressure and censorship imposed by the Iranian government, Najafi immigrated to Germany in 2005, where he currently lives and works. His music and poetry are accessible on YouTube and Facebook, as well as his website. You can follow his blog here.
- 11Meta Phrygian: Persian title and musical direction ·
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🔹META PHRYGIAN🔹 Shahin Najafi & Band. First Live Album. coming soon #Jazz #Fusion #Gilaki اولين مجموعه اجراى زنده شاهين نجفى و گروه در سبك جز فيوژن به نام "متافريجين"بزودى منتشر خواهد شد
- 12The Sacred and the Violence: full credits ·
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Shahin Najafi - The Sacred and the Violence Buy: http://www.shahinnajafimusic.com/the-sacred-and-the-violence iTunes: https://music.apple.com/us/album/the-sacred-and-the-violence/1471459624 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/2McyhoSrkKT8dsK1FymtlT CD Baby: https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/shahinnajafi28 Composer: Shahin Najafi Conductor & Piano: Simon Rummel Arrangement: Adrian Wachowiak Flute: Daniel Agi Viola: Radek Stawarz Cello: David Schuette Violin: Maria Suwelack Violin: Naomi Binder Percussion: Habib Meftah Percussion: Tsimafei Birukou Cover Art: Ali Baghban Dyaloge Limited
Cover Art: Ali Baghban
Composer: Shahin Najafi
Conductor & Piano: Simon Rummel
Arrangement: Adrian Wachowiak
Flute: Daniel Agi
Viola: Radek Stawarz
Cello: David Schuette
Violin: Maria Suwelack
Violin: Naomi Binder
Percussion: Habib Meftah
Percussion: Tsimafei Birukou
- 13Q&A | Artist or 'Apostate': Talking with Musician Shahin Najafi ·
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There was a time when I gave private guitar lessons at night and the next day would spend whatever I had earned on sight-singing and harmony classes. I learned not to be careless with my money. Fashion, appearance was not a primary concern. I used all my money on books, musical instruments, cinema, and Bahman cigarettes.
- 14موسیقی اعتراض و واقعیت: موفقیت ترانه رپ «ما مرد نیستیم» ·
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در آنجا به تحصیل در رشته جامعهشناسی مشغول بود و با گروههای موسیقی زیرزمینی پاپ و اسپانیولی و راک همکاری داشت. وی که سه سالی است از تهران به کلن آمده است، در آلمان نخست با گروه "اینان" همکاری داشت.
شاهین نجفی، شاعر و خواننده این رپ، واژهها را دقیق انتخاب کرده است. هر مصراع دردی را بازگو کرده، انتقال میدهد. موسیقی این رپ از گروه تپش ۲۰۱۲ است، گروهی ایرانی – آلمانی به سرپرستی امید پوریوسفی، که از سال ۲۰۰۶ آغاز به کار کرده و در آلمان از رسمیت و شهرت برخوردار است.
وی میگوید: «یک چیزی که در رپ وجود دارد، این است که شما این امکان را دارید که یک چیز را به تصویر بکشید. یعنی اگر این قدرت را داشته باشید که از ایماژهای جملات استفاده کنید، از تصاویر ذهنی استفاده بکنید، جلوی مخاطب یک تصویر سینمایی بوجود میآورید. آن نفر دیگر گوش نمیکند، بلکه کار را میبیند. دیگر فقط نمیشنود، بلکه انگار دارد جلویش اتفاق میافتد. رپ میتواند واقعیت تلخ اجتماعی ایران و حتی کسانی که خارج از ایران هستند را بازتاب دهد.»
شاهین نجفی، شاعر و خواننده این رپ، واژهها را دقیق انتخاب کرده است.
موسیقی این رپ از گروه تپش ۲۰۱۲ است، گروهی ایرانی – آلمانی به سرپرستی امید پوریوسفی، که از سال ۲۰۰۶ آغاز به کار کرده و در آلمان از رسمیت و شهرت برخوردار است.
- 15Illusion — Pamas Verlag Bücher & CDs (archived catalogue) · Archived copy
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Sänger und Texter: Shahin Najafi Kompositionen und Arrangements: MEHZO Sound Studio Mix & Mastering-Ingenieur: Mehdi Zohani Musikproduktion & Audio Engineering: MEHZO Sound Studio Fotos: Adonnies Artwork & Design: Medienhaus Köln www.mehzosoundstudio.eu www.medienhauskoeln.de Verlag : Pamas-Verlag Köln ISBN: 3-9810306-4-8 Preisinfo : 15,00 € Vaghti Khoda Khabeh 192Kbps.mp3 [4.84 MB] Erstes Album von Shahin Najafi erschienen am September 2009
Erstes Album von Shahin Najafi erschienen am September 2009
Verlag : Pamas-Verlag Köln
Sänger und Texter: Shahin Najafi
- 16شاهین نجفی: فقط انسان ضعیف توهین میکند ·
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ترانه جديد شاهين نجفی هنرمند ايرانی ساکن آلمان از تمامی چاشنی های لازم برای ايجاد جنجال برخوردار است. نام ترانه «نقی» امام دهم شيعيان است و در آن به مسایل جنسی و اجتماعی اشاره شده است. شاهين نجفی می گويد، قصد توهين را نداشته است، وی معتقد است، عده ای در ايران تلاش می کنند با استفاده از ترانه او احساسات مذهبی مردم را تحريک کنند. وبسايت شيعه آنلاين جايزه صدهزار دلاری برای قتل آقای نجفی تعيين کرده و گفته است که يکی از کشورهای عربی خليج فارس اين مبلغ را پرداخت خواهد کرد.شاهين نجفی در آغاز گفت وگوی خود با راديو فردا از چرا و چگونگی تهيه ترانه «نقی» می گويد.
شاهین نجفی: چیزی حدود پنج شش ماه پیش بود که خیلی تحت تاثیر کمپین یادآوری امام علی نقی به شیعیان قرار گرفته بودم. به نظرم خیلی بامزه بود. آن زمان یک اکانت در فیس بوک داشتم و به این جریان نگاه میکردم. خیلی اتفاقی از همان زمان بیت اول این کار در ذهنم شکل گرفت و این کار خطاب شد به نقی. و کار با این عنوان شروع شد.
- 17Iranian rapper faces death threats for 'insulting' song · BBC News
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A religious site, Shia Online, has offered $100,000 reward for anyone who kills Shahin Najafi
- 18Sha'aban - Single - Album by Shahin Najafi - Apple Music
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Sha'aban - Single Shahin Najafi Contemporary Folk · 2013 Preview December 8, 2013 1 song, 4 minutes ℗ 2013 Shahin Najafi
LYRIC&MUSIC: SHAHIN NAJAFI ARRANGEMENT: MAJID KAZEMI
Sha'aban - Single - Album by Shahin Najafi - Apple Music
© Amin Khelghat
LYRIC&MUSIC: SHAHIN NAJAFI
ARRANGEMENT: MAJID KAZEMI
- 19https://beehy.pe/shahin-najafi-shaaban-iran/
2 quotes
“Sha’aban is not a real person but is a live reality in Iran and the world,” Shahin Najafi tells beehype when we ask him about the meaning of the song.
“We just have to look at the poverty statistics and – especially in Iran – to review the workers’ situation. This song is a description of workers’ poverty.”
- 20Radikal - Album by Shahin Najafi - Apple Music
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Radikal Shahin Najafi Rock · 2017 Preview February 17, 2017 12 songs, 52 minutes ℗ 2017 Shahin Najafi
Radikal - Album by Shahin Najafi - Apple Music
- 21Blue - Single - Album by Shahin Najafi - Apple Music
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Blue - Single Shahin Najafi Worldwide · 2017 Preview September 20, 2017 1 song, 5 minutes ℗ 2017 Shahin Najafi
Blue - Single - Album by Shahin Najafi - Apple Music
- 22شاهین نجفی: من در دويدن بيرحمام
4 quotes
من تلاش میكنم تا با موسيقى از زبان گفتارى فراتر بروم. شعر و متن براى من ديگر در ارجحيت نيست. به همين دلیل هم میخواهم موسیقی گيلكى را با آلمانى و عربى را با فارسى و... تجربه كنم. مهمترین مسئلهاى كه به گمان من یک هنرمند مولف با آن رودرروست مسئله خلق اثر است.
مثلا از همان ابتداى كارم در ايران يكى از مهمترين مسائل من كار با زبان گيلكى و موسيقى فلامنكو بود. بعدها براى فهم هر سبكى خودم را مستقيم درگير آن كردم. رپ، تريپهاپ، داب، رگى و راك.
من هنوز لالايى در گوشم به گيلكىست و زبان گيلكى هم در حال نابودى.
وقتى در قطعه «آبى» در كنار حافظ و شاهين نجفى، قرآن و محمد مىآيند يعنى مخاطب بايد حواسش جمع باشد هنر درهايش باز است.
- 23فرمهای فهم و فهم ما از فرمها ·
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تداوم در تغییر و تجربه است و من قرار نیست که خودم را تکرار کنم. وقتی موسیقی اعتراضی و یا زیرزمینی را استفاده میکنیم، باز هم عطف به ماسبق است. یعنی ما را باز به گذشته معطوف میکند. بخشی از آن اعتراض دفرماتسیون در اثر بود که زیر سایه جنجالهای اجتماعی و سیاسی نادیده گرفته میشد و به همین دلیل بازهم بیش از پیش باید به خود موسیقی بپردازم.
- 24Meta Phrygian: release and full credits ·
7 quotes
Shahin Najafi (Trumpet & Vocals) Ben Trawinski (Bass) Hannes Feder (Drums) Adrian Wachowiak (Piano) Matthias Knoop (Trumpet & Flugelhorn)
Cover Art: Sharour Artwork
Shahin Najafi (Trumpet & Vocals)
Ben Trawinski (Bass)
Hannes Feder (Drums)
Adrian Wachowiak (Piano)
Matthias Knoop (Trumpet & Flugelhorn)
- 25Meta Phrygian (Live) - Album by Shahin Najafi - Apple Music
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Meta Phrygian (Live) Shahin Najafi Fusion · 2017 Preview December 15, 2017 7 songs, 42 minutes ℗ 2017 Shahin Najafi
Meta Phrygian (Live) - Album by Shahin Najafi - Apple Music
- 26«جنس سوم»؛ اثری سخاوتمند و انقلابی مدرن در موسیقی شاهین نجفی ·
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جنس سوم نتیجه اجرای برخی از ایدههایم در موسیقی فولکلور و نتیجه کار دو سال گذشتهام بر موسیقی "جز" است.
در این نوع موسیقی، در نوازندگی و خوانندگی آزادی عمل وجود دارد و خواننده و نوازنده امکان بازی در اجرا و فرم را خواهند داشت.
در واقع، من این مجموعه را نویسندگی و کارگردانی کردهام اما نقشهای اساسی را هر چهار نفر با هم ایفا کردهایم.
- 27Jens Sevom - Album by Shahin Najafi - Apple Music
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Jens Sevom Shahin Najafi Worldwide · 2019 Preview January 18, 2019 10 songs, 40 minutes ℗ 2019 Dyaloge Limited
Jens Sevom - Album by Shahin Najafi - Apple Music
- 28The Sacred and the Violence - Album by Shahin Najafi - Apple Music
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The Sacred and the Violence Shahin Najafi Worldwide · 2019 Preview July 3, 2019 10 songs, 33 minutes ℗ 2019 Dyaloge Limited
The Sacred and the Violence - Album by Shahin Najafi - Apple Music
- 29Semen: release and collaboration ·
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The album Semen is out now! A collaboration by The Shah & Hand. https://soundcloud.com/theshah-917974736
- 30Semen - Album by The Shah & Hand - Apple Music
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Semen The Shah, Hand Electronic · 2024 Preview September 27, 2024 8 songs, 58 minutes ℗ 2024 The Shah
Semen - Album by The Shah & Hand - Apple Music
The Shah, Hand
- 31Naghi | Shahin Najafi — native Telegram audio ·
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Naghi Shahin Najafi
- 32Listen to Sha'aban - Single by Shahin Najafi | Spotify
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Listen to Sha'aban - Single by Shahin Najafi | Spotify
- 33Shahin Najafi - Sha'aban
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Shahin Najafi - Sha'aban by ShahinNajafi published on 2013-12-08T18:03:00Z
- 34Shaaban | Shahin Najafi · www.youtube.com
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Shaaban · Shahin Najafi Sha'aban ℗ 2013 Shahin Najafi Released on: 2013-12-08
- 35Radikal: album credits and playlist ·
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Cover Art: Omid Keshtkar
Shahin Najafi (Radikal, Hameh Ja Keshid, Zahraab, Hazrate Naan, Aleh, Mosaddegh, Aram, Rocksana, Dahani Jerideh Az Faryad, Mottahed Shavid)
Shahin Najafi (Hameh Ja Keshid, Aleh, Aram, Sho)
Shahin Najafi (Radikal, Hameh Ja Keshid, Zahraab, Hazrate Naan, Mosaddegh, Aram, Fou, Rocksana, Mottahed Shavid)
Majid kazemi (Radikal, Hazrate Naan, Fou)
Ben Trawinski (Mosaddegh)
Mazdak Nezafat (Aleh, Dahani Jerideh Az Faryad)
- 36Listen to Radikal - Album by Shahin Najafi | Spotify
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Listen to Radikal - Album by Shahin Najafi | Spotify
- 37Blue: release and full credits ·
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Cover Art: Sharour Artwork Drawing: Keyvan Mahjoor
Music: Shahin Najafi
Lyrics: Shahin Najafi, Hafez & Muhammad
- 38Listen to Blue - Single by Shahin Najafi | Spotify
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Listen to Blue - Single by Shahin Najafi | Spotify
- 39Blue | Shahin Najafi — native Telegram audio ·
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Blue Shahin Najafi
- 40Wafa: original poet ·
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شعر : زنده یاد شیون فومنی
- 41Listen to Meta Phrygian - Album by Shahin Najafi | Spotify
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Listen to Meta Phrygian - Album by Shahin Najafi | Spotify
- 42Listen to Jens Sevom - Album by Shahin Najafi | Spotify
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Listen to Jens Sevom - Album by Shahin Najafi | Spotify
- 43Listen to The Sacred and the Violence - Album by Shahin Najafi | Spotify
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Listen to The Sacred and the Violence - Album by Shahin Najafi | Spotify
- 44Listen to Semen - Album by The Shah | Spotify
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Listen to Semen - Album by The Shah | Spotify



