Sepideh, Persian pop star, comes to North Hempstead

Janelle Clausen
Sepideh

Persian pop singer Sepideh will perform at North Hempstead Beach Park on Aug. 27, adding an international flair to the summer.

Sepideh, who was born in Tehran, Iran, moved to Washington, D.C., with her family in the late 1980s. She first began singing in high school with a Persian band named Setareh, before joining Mask and performing along the East Coast.

Sepideh then moved to Los Angeles to pursue a “more professional music career,” according to her biography. She ultimately decided to go solo in the early 2000s with producer Ramin Zamani.

As Sepideh continued to grow as a woman and solo artist, she said she aimed to shatter “the previously perceived Persian female image that has always been the victim throughout Iran’s post-Islamic history.”

“I pushed to do more of the kind of music that spoke my own truth and project an image that displayed more of a strong, sexy, proud, yet independent Persian woman,” Sepideh said.

Now Sepideh works with music producer Schubert Avakian, having produced albums like “No Fear” and “No Regrets!”

The 5:30 p.m. concert, part of the Town of North Hempstead’s Summer Concert Series and co-hosted by the Great Neck Park District, is expected to draw thousands. Previous concerts featuring Persian stars, like Pouya in 2014 and Hengameh in 2015, drew 2,000 to 3,000 people.

“It always gets a big crowd,” said Carole Trottere, a spokeswoman for the Town of North Hempstead.

Councilwoman Anna Kaplan, a partner in this concert, said that it is always good to get entertainers like Sepideh to perform in North Hempstead.

“It’s a wonderful, diverse town with people from all over the world, and we have a huge Iranian-American constituency,” Kaplan said in an interview.

Kaplan also noted the power of music to reach people in times of need and said she hopes that thousands will come out to enjoy the concert.

“Music is just one language that speaks to many people in many different ways,” Kaplan said.

Concert admission is free and there is no parking fee after 5 p.m. There will also be free busing from Mashadi Temple, 54 Steamboat Road, Great Neck, at 4:30 p.m.

Concertgoers are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and snacks.

Proceeds will go toward the restoration of the Stepping Stones Lighthouse, officials said.

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