"I felt the need to write a page of history through my music," says Iranian Canadian singer Navan , referring to Iran , a track on his latest and upcoming album Kisses on the Moon , created during a period of unrest and mass protests against the Iranian government, including demonstrations in Toronto on 14-15 February that reportedly drew up to 500,000 people.
For Navan, Iran is part of a broader moment of political tension, grief, and uncertainty affecting Iranians both inside the country and across the diaspora .
The song emerged directly from conversations around him, where personal accounts shaped his understanding of events as they unfolded in real time.
"What started as a protest quickly escalated into widespread violence," he explains. While Iranians inside the country and those abroad experienced events differently, they were ultimately united in their shock and grief.
This shared emotional impact compelled him to respond immediately through music rather than remain on the sidelines.
"One conversation in particular stayed with me," Navan recalls. A close friend had witnessed his best friend get shot, while public reporting often failed to capture the reality on the ground.
That call drove Navan straight to the studio, where he wrote the track in one sitting. "I felt I had to put it down straight away," he says.
The emotional core of Iran is closely tied to Tehran, Navan's birthplace. "The first verse is about Tehran," he explains, reflecting on the city as both a place and a repository of memory during a moment of unrest. He describes it as "carrying sadness and sitting under a shadow of violence."
The song also explores the experience of being physically distant from Iran while remaining emotionally connected — a feeling that predates the protests.
Navan recalls a flight over Iran on the way to Dubai, which left a lasting impression that later shaped the chorus. "It gave me a strong sense of sadness because it's the place I grew up," he says.
Even while recording the song, it captured a mix of hope and uncertainty. This is reflected in the lyric, "We only have a few steps left." At first, there was hope that conditions might improve, but that hope faded as the situation worsened and the threat of war grew.
However, Iran is not the only track on the album to reference the country. Another song, C'est Toi , inspired by the myth of Sisyphus, explores the theme of living a destiny we did not choose.
Navan explains that while the song was not intended as a political statement — it was written before the outbreak of war in Iran — its message has become unexpectedly relevant today, capturing universal emotions and the challenges of love, separation, and the paths life forces us to follow.
Together with Iran , it contributes to an album that blends themes of love, loss, travel, longing, and even a touch of patriotism.
Navan also reflects on the ongoing impact of the joint US-Israel war on Iran, which began on 28 February. He notes that it has been especially difficult for Iranians living abroad, many of whom struggle to stay in touch with family due to internet shutdowns and restricted communication .
"People were seeing images of violence without knowing whether their own families were safe,” he says, noting that access remains limited and many rely on unstable VPN connections. Hidden cassettes and full orchestras Since its release on 27 January 2026, Iran has been streamed 24,745 times on Spotify and reflects Navan’s artistry, shaped by growing up in a household where music was not always welcomed.
"My father was very religious when I was growing up, and music wasn't really allowed in the house," he recalls. Despite this, he was drawn to singing and playing instruments from an early age.
He adds that he found an outlet at his uncle's house, where he could secretly listen to cassette tapes away from the restrictions at home.
Over time, his father became more open, and they began listening to ballads, orchestral pieces, and cinematic soundtracks together. These early influences remain central to Navan’s work today, alongside inspiration from contemporary artists like The Weeknd and Drake.
Moving to Canada in 2010 marked a turning point. He joined a school in Quebec with a strong musical theatre programme and auditioned to perform on stage at the age of 13.
Navan describes his first real stage experience as performing with a full orchestra of 50 musicians in two-hour productions, saying, "That was my first real stage experience," which gave him a new understanding of music and live performance.
Today, Navan blends his Persian heritage with modern Western sounds, singing fluidly in Farsi, French, and English. His music is cinematic, emotionally charged, and shaped by both his upbringing and his early experiences.
He describes Darya as one of his most personal songs. "It's one of my favourite pieces. I wrote it when my previous album focused on storytelling. It's a letter from the sky to the sea — Darya means 'the sea' in Farsi. It's about two beings who love each other but are kept apart by destiny. Even if they are apart, their love remains. I wrote it a few years ago when my grandma passed, and I couldn’t return to Iran because of my music. That song is very special to me." Music without borders As his career developed, collaboration became an important way for him to explore identity through music across languages and cultures, including his work with Tunisian American singer-songwriter Emel Mathlouthi , whom he describes as an artist he has long admired, particularly for her activism during the Arab Spring .
The connection began after he posted a cover online blending languages and styles, which eventually led to them getting in touch.
"I was in Paris and reached out saying I’d love to collaborate," he says, adding that their schedules unexpectedly aligned at the very end of his trip.
"She happened to be in Paris at the same time, right as I was leaving," he continues.
Together, they combined Emel's Holm and his song Soltane Ghalbha , which share the same melody but have different lyrics, with Holm about peace and freedom.
"It's about imagining a future where people can live freely and express themselves," he says.
For Navan, the collaboration felt especially meaningful given the political context at the time, as he felt it connected directly to the themes he was already exploring in his own work.
A similar approach shaped his later collaboration with French singer Oria , whom he met in Paris through a shared writer, with the focus this time on merging their cultural influences into a single track that reflected both backgrounds equally.
"We wanted to create something that brought both of our cultures together," he says, adding that they recorded the song informally in a hotel room without expecting it to go beyond that moment, keeping the process simple and unplanned.
That said, the track went on to gain unexpected attention online, eventually reaching more than 12 million views across platforms, which led them to revisit it and record a studio version for official release. Chasing dreams Looking ahead, Navan is preparing to release his debut album Kisses on the Moon , which he has been developing for nearly two years and which marks what he describes as a clear shift in how he understands himself as an artist.
He explains that working on music full-time gave him the space to better understand his identity, particularly his multilingual background, which has now become central to his work.
"Working full time on music helped me understand who I am," he says, adding that embracing his multilingual identity has directly shaped the record.
The album explores themes of love, distance, travel and ambition, alongside the emotional cost of pursuing creative goals and the parts of life left behind along the way.
"It's about relationships across distance and what you lose while chasing your dreams," he reflects.
It is also intentionally multilingual, bringing together Persian and French throughout in a way that reflects his lived experience.
"It's the first time I’ve fully brought Farsi and French together in one project," he notes.
Alongside the release, he is preparing for a North American tour including Vancouver, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Montreal and Toronto, with European dates expected to follow.
Despite the scale of what is ahead, live performance remains at the centre of his work.
"When I’m on stage, I feel at home," he says, adding that it is where everything feels most grounded and clear for him. Zainab Mehdi is a British Iraqi journalist and the Associate Features Editor at The New Arab . She holds a BSc in Modern History and International Relations from the University of Essex and an MA in Near and Middle Eastern Studies from SOAS Follow her on Instagram: @zaiamehdi_ / @zainabmehdiwrites_