Iran’s Ministry of Culture says it has not given any guarantees to underground singer Amir Tataloo that singing a song in support of the Islamic Republic’s nuclear energy policies would help him shed his underground status and earn him a chance to give public concerts.
Deputy culture minister Hossein Noushabadi told a press conference on Monday July 27 that the ministry looks positively on “changes in an artist’s approach and a return to the values of the regime” but it has not given Amir Tataloo a green light.
Tataloo, an Iranian R&B underground singer, recently released an album called “Nuclear Energy”, lauding the Islamic Republic’s position on the issue and criticizing the United States, and he applied for an official licence to allow its distribution.
A video for the song was made by Ahmad Ardeshiri with support from the Iranian navy and police force.
Noushabadi said, however, that so far no permit has been issued for the distribution of this work.
Earlier, Noushabadi had said the ministry does not consider an artist’s past when deciding on a licence, only the current content of his or her work.
Amir Tataloo, born in 1983, launched his singing career in 2006 through social media. Two years ago, he was briefly arrested for his artistic activities.
He has written on his Facebook page that he made the “Nuclear Energy” album in order to get government approval to distribute his work.
