Säye Skye is a transgender NB Iranian-Canadian rap artist, MV producer, composer, director, entertainer and LGBTQ+ rights activist at the forefront of a new hip-hop movement that has its basis in social consciousness.
Säye Skye is the first person in Iran’s current history after the revolution under the Islamic Regime to dare sing about the LGBTQ community, their existence and
their protracted struggle for freedom while living in Iran.
With astonishing originality, his experimental raps challenge deep-rooted stereotypes of misogyny, discrimination, and queerphobia. Since age 7, he has been crafting songs and poems that resonate deeply with people, using music as a platform for communicating truth. Säye Skye’s work is distinguished by both its mystery and infectious energy. Using the poetic language of Farsi, each song elicits an instant audience connection through its passion and pulse. From its unpredictable flow and hypnotic rhythms to its evocative lyrics, Säye Skye’s work invites listeners to question their current state of being.
In 2009, he recorded and released his first single in Tehran, Säye Yek Zane Irani (Shadow of an Iranian Woman). As a queer artist, he was consequently put at great risk for singing and advocating for LGBTQ+ rights through his music. In 2010, Säye Skye was forced to leave his home and seek asylum in Turkey, where he was granted political refugee status, and moved thereafter to Toronto, Canada. In 2013 he was the recipient of the Telus Best Newcomer Artist Award of the year in Canada.
In 2019 he performed TNE during the Berlinale Film Festival award ceremony, making history for the Iranian LGBTQ+ community as the first Iranian artist to perform on the Teddy Award stage of Berlinale.
In 2020 he composed the soundtrack along with the score for the multi-award-winning feature film "No Hard Feelings" directed by Faraz Shariat in Germany. A massive internationally successful movie that landed Säye his first international award nomination for the "Best Music" category from the prestigious Preis der Deutschen Filmkritik.
(The Preis der Deutschen Filmkritik is a prize given by the German Film Critics Association, awarded to the best German films of the past year. The Preis der Deutschen Filmkritik is the only German film prize issued exclusively by film critics.).
In 2021 he composed music and scored for the Peabody Award winner TV show called "Sort Of"; a mega-successful project by CBC and HBOmax, currently aired on Netflix Asia.
He also released his EP called "O'DALI" in November 2021, which is an emotional journey with songs navigating around human emotions like love, loss, chaotic state of mind and hope for the future.