Joy arrives first in “Dance Til You’re Free.” A rush of rhythm, a pulse of movement, a song that invites bodies to move before revealing why they must. But beneath the brightness of SHAB’s world-pop anthem lies a more profound truth: using your voice and expressing yourself can be an act of survival.
As an Iranian refugee who grew up during the Iranian Revolution, SHAB learned early that music and movement were forbidden. Yet in those quiet moments, dancing with her sisters became a secret language of freedom – an escape when words were unsafe. Those memories now breathe through this song, transformed into something open, luminous, and shared.
Today, as Iran faces economic collapse, violent repression, and the largest demonstrations in over two decades, the song echoes far beyond its original inspiration. Decades later, its message lands with renewed urgency: unity still matters, and hope still moves.
Beyond the music, SHAB’s voice rings loudly through her activism. Across her Instagram, she courageously urges Iranians to continue speaking out against a regime built on fear rather than law. “Dance Til You’re Free” stands as a call to action, becoming more than a melody – it is a reminder that even in darkness, resistance can be beautiful.
SHAB spoke openly about the powerful movement that is leading the nation toward its long-awaited freedom – after years of unrest: “We have had many periods of protest in Iran over the past two decades as Iranians have increasingly grown sick and tired of living under the thumb of corrupt self-proclaimed holy men and their suffocating security apparatus, but this current uprising feels different.”
“As the numbers seem to increase daily, it is almost as if the Iranian masses have finally awoken to the fact that they will live under the yoke of their oppressors until enough of my brothers & sisters are willing to risk their lives in publicly standing against the Gangster Regime. And with the enlightened leadership of Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi and the steadfast American & Israeli support for the Iranian people, we can almost dream that we are on the verge of a new era of co-operation and prosperity in the Middle East. My homeland is on the cusp of freedom.”