An intimate, vocal-forward performance had an earth-rattling impact. Last September, the widely publicized death of 22-year-old Iranian woman Mahsa Amini while in custody of the morality police in Iran sparked outrage and protests across the world. Less than two weeks later, Iranian singer/songwriter Shervin Hajipour poured his raw feelings into "Baraye."
An emotive offering to the Iranian population, and the rights of women everywhere, the song became a global clarion call for protesters on the ground as well as those in solidarity with them. Hajipour posted "Baraye" on his Instagram page. In less than two days, it gained more than 40 million views.
In recognition of this culture-shifting song, the Recording Academy — by way of presenter First Lady Jill Biden — awarded Hajipour with the inaugural Special Merit Award for Best Song For Social Change at the 2023 GRAMMYs.
The Recording Academy's Chief Awards & Industry Officer, Ruby Marchand, and Sr. Director of Awards, Nick DiFruscia, speak for this entire society of music people when they describe how "Baraye" fulfills the mission of the Best Song For Social Change Special Merit Award — one of the highest honors a socially conscious song can receive.
"I think it's global and it's universal," DiFruscia says of the song in an interview with GRAMMY.com. "The magic in the ether came together. And then you see how it's impactful. It becomes the anthem or the unofficial anthem of a movement that the globe has now focused on, and then all the behavior around it."
"I think that if ever there were an example of how a simple song can change the world, you have it in 'Baraye,'" Marchand adds. "A man sitting behind a keyboard creating this very sweet, evocative melody, but yet the lyrics are piercing for those who understand them. And even for those who don't, they hear the emotion in his voice and completely identify with that."
"Music is one of the most powerful forces on earth and has long been an engine of important social and political advancements. We created this award to shine a spotlight on the music that is making a difference and there couldn't have been a better song to win this inaugural honor than Shervin's," Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason jr. said in a statement announcing Hajipour as the honoree.
To Marchand, no matter which languages you speak or understand, the moving emotion of "Baraye" transmitted loud and clear. "It wasn't about language; it wasn't about a particular image or lyric that we may not all have in common," she says. "It was about the humanity in the performance and in the song. And that's where a song can truly change the world."
The Special Merit Award is determined by a Blue Ribbon Committee, a group of qualified Recording Academy voting members, and ratified by the Recording Academy Board of Trustees.
"These are members who are very steeped in the craft and art of songwriting, of lyrical development, and of social justice themes and social change possibilities" Marchand notes. "It was a diverse, dedicated, and remarkable group of people who came together and understood the purpose behind this award."
The process, she says, is highly intensive in multiple regards. "We're talking about dozens and dozens of hours spent listening in order to absorb the full breadth and scope of the submissions", Marchand reflects. "It was truly a meeting of the minds."
Some great songs are personal; some are political; some are neither. Some blend the personal and political until they're indistinguishable. How does one compare a great song to an impactful song? To DiFruscia, there's no concrete delineation.
"One never knows what is going to impact the public — either it be emotionally, either it be political, it is a magic sort of ether. A very special mix in the air that comes together," he says.
To DiFruscia, a song worthy of the Best Song For Social Change caliber can run the gamut as per topics at play, as well as the composition's relative complexity. He says it can be "a magnificently crafted composition that's academically superior,” or “a very simple, three-chord song that completely captivates an audience.”
"It relates to how our committee members digested and listened and judged these songs that were submitted based on their own understanding and their own direction of the spirit of the award," DiFruscia notes. "I think a lot of that magic sort of has to process and then gets conveyed through conversation in the meetings."
With the first-ever Special Merit Award for Best Song For Social Change in the bag, both Marchand and DiFruscia are feeling very positive and centered toward the development and future of the award. "We want to continue to protect its integrity and also to ensure that the award is known to songwriters who are deserving of consideration because they're engaged in social impact."
"For however long as I'm involved, I just would like to watch it unfold without any expectation," DiFruscia says of the award." I think there's going to only be more magic that happens around this award in the subsequent years."
For the creators who are ready to take a massive swing and write or sing about our beautiful, terrifying, complex world in the young 2020s, Marchand encapsulates the essence of this monumental Special Merit Award in seven words: "The world needs to hear your voice."
