Rana Farhan has earned international acclaim for her fusions of Persian poetry by the medieval Persian poets Rumi, Hafez, and Omar Khayyam with American blues, jazz and soul. Writing in the Wall Street Journal, August 30, 2011, Emily Esfahani Smith called Farhan's work, "an intoxicating and utterly fresh musical combination," and said, "While Ms. Farhan has been a renowned musician in Iran for several years now, it was not until 2009 that she grabbed the attention of the international scene with her sultry jazz song 'Drunk With Love.'" Based on a poem by Rumi that combines erotic imagery with sensual longing, the song is prominently featured in the film, NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT PERSIAN CATS.
Bahman Ghobadi, notable Iranian filmmaker and director of PERSIAN CATS, calls Farhan, "an important figure in the Iranian music scene today," adding that, "Like a needle and thread, Rana stitches East and West together through her music."
Farhan grew up in Iran and attended Tehran University before relocating to New York City. Her music enjoys wide circulation in Iran through legal and illegal internet downloads. She has also been featured on BBC and Voice of America radio and television. In July 2011 she headlined Toronto's Tirgan Festival, the world's largest Iranian cultural festival outside of Iran. Farhan's albums include Moon and Stone (2011), Your Wish (2009) and I Return (2007).
