Discovery- Azeri Pop Singer Roya (The Caspian Madonna)

Even though the former Soviet Republic of Azerbaijan, now an independent country, has strong ethnic ties to Turkey, my late father Mehmet Gokbudak's country, I did not know much about Azeri pop music until yesterday.

My mother (who is an American) will be going to Baku, Azerbaijan, this summer.

Hence, she has been reading a travel book on Azerbaijan which she had to special-order because the Caspian Sea country which borders Armenia, Georgia, Turkey and Iran is not exactly a tourist destination though it has some amazing mountainous scenery.

I went on Youtube to look for some Azeri pop music yesterday, and in the process I found this amazing singer named Roya. Much to my shock (especially since Azerbaijan is a Muslim country) she was topless in her video!

It would have been my choice for a blog entry here to show that not all Muslim countries are like Saudi Arabia, but I live between two red states and as much as I love to agitate the Yosemite Sam crowd some times it simply isn't worth it!

But, I think these two videos work quite well on their own in spite of a lack of shock value.

Interestingly enough, both were partially filmed in Istanbul which suggests to me that Roya has tapped into the more lucrative Turkish market. She was also the subject of an article in a British pop culture magazine.

I found out about Roya thanks to a Canadian man who goes by Megaforce Media on Youtube.

According to a Wikipedia entry on Roya, she is 'known for her liberal artistic style in a predominantly Muslim nation."

And, surprisingly enough, her videos are seen in Iran through satellite tv from Azerbaijan. Both countries are Sh'iite Islamic in nature (as opposed to Turkey and Syria, which are Sunni Muslim countries), and there is a largeAzeri population in Iran.

But, one senses that if Roya is to give a concert in Tehran, she will do so with her clothes on! (Oh, I forgot women cover their heads in public there! Hmm.... I suppose Roya won't be in Iran, anytime soon then!)

Useful Links:

http://www.youtube.com/megafocemedia

http://www.coolopolis.blogspot.com (This blog from the guy who introduced me to Roya might be one of the best ones from Montreal!)

Tags: Roya, pop music, Azerbaijan, Istanbul, Baku, Armenia, Turkey, Iran, Montreal