# Arash (آرش لباف) (singer)
**Arash** (آرش لباف; born Arash Labaf, 1977, in Tehran, Iran) is an Iranian-Swedish singer, dancer, and producer based in Sweden whose Persian-language dance-pop made him one of the most internationally known singers of Iranian pop music.[1](https://www.universalmusic.fr/artistes/40064770971) • [2](https://ajammc.com/2012/09/05/how-good-is-arashs-persian-the-politics-of-language-identity-in-diaspora-iranian-pop-music-2/) His debut single "[Boro Boro](https://www.edgepedia.org/boro-boro)" reached number one in Sweden in 2004, and his records have since charted across Europe, Russia, and Asia.[1](https://www.universalmusic.fr/artistes/40064770971) • [3](https://generation.dance/en/artists/arash/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1977, Tehran, Iran, into a family of Azeri origin; moved to Sweden at age ten[1](https://www.universalmusic.fr/artistes/40064770971) |
| Breakthrough | "Boro Boro" (2004), number one in Sweden; debut album *Arash* (2005) with hits across Europe[1](https://www.universalmusic.fr/artistes/40064770971) |
| Albums | *Arash* (2005), *Crossfade: The Remix Album* (2006), *Donya* (2008), *SUPERMAN* (2014)[4](https://musicbrainz.org/artist/0e34ee8b-ac1f-4c95-aba7-856cca40ffb2) |
| Eurovision | Represented Azerbaijan in 2009 with AySel on "Always", finishing third[2](https://ajammc.com/2012/09/05/how-good-is-arashs-persian-the-politics-of-language-identity-in-diaspora-iranian-pop-music-2/) |
| Notable collaborations | Shaggy, Sean Paul, Snoop Dogg, T-Pain, Pitbull, Lumidee, Helena, Rebecca Zadig[5](https://www.allmusic.com/album/donya-mw0001672827) • [1](https://www.universalmusic.fr/artistes/40064770971) |
| Awards | European Border Breaker Awards (EBBA), Best International Artist at the Big Apple Awards, two Russian Grammys[3](https://generation.dance/en/artists/arash/) |
## Early life
Arash Labaf was born in Tehran in 1977 and arrived in Sweden with his family at the age of ten.[1](https://www.universalmusic.fr/artistes/40064770971) He lives in Malmö.[3](https://generation.dance/en/artists/arash/) In interviews he has said he wanted to work with music from around age 15, which is when he began.[6](https://europaplus.ru/news/intervyu-weekstar-c-arash)
## Breakthrough: Boro Boro and Arash (2004–2006)
His first single, "Boro Boro", released in 2004, was an immediate success and reached number one in Sweden.[1](https://www.universalmusic.fr/artistes/40064770971) The self-titled debut album *Arash* followed in June 2005 on Warner Music Sweden, and "Boro Boro" and "Temptation" entered charts across Europe, with their videos aired on more than thirty-five MTV channels worldwide.[3](https://generation.dance/en/artists/arash/) "Temptation", recorded with the Swedish singer Rebecca Zadig, became one of Arash's best sellers through online music stores.[5](https://www.allmusic.com/album/donya-mw0001672827) "Boro Boro" was also featured in the Bollywood film *Bluffmaster*, in which Arash appeared in a cameo role.[3](https://generation.dance/en/artists/arash/)
In 2005 he won the International Music Market award in Cannes. In 2006, his [FIFA World Cup](https://www.edgepedia.org/fifa-world-cup) song for Iran's national football team placed in the top three World Cup songs of that year according to *Sports Illustrated*, and in that year he also took home two Grammys in Russia and was named the top imported artist in the Russian Federation.[3](https://generation.dance/en/artists/arash/) A remix album, *Crossfade: The Remix Album*, appeared in 2006.[4](https://musicbrainz.org/artist/0e34ee8b-ac1f-4c95-aba7-856cca40ffb2)
## Donya (2008)
*Donya*, released in early 2008 on Warner Music Germany, was his third main album after the debut and *Crossfade*.[5](https://www.allmusic.com/album/donya-mw0001672827) It contains 14 songs, six of them multilingual: five in Persian-English and one in Hindustani-Persian. The title track features the Jamaican-American reggae singer Shaggy, and other guests include Lumidee on "Kandi", Helena on "Pure Love", and Aneela on "Chori Chori", the album's only Hindustani-Persian song.[5](https://www.allmusic.com/album/donya-mw0001672827) • [3](https://generation.dance/en/artists/arash/) The AllMusic review by Pouya Partovi describes the main genre as electronica with club/dance styles, and notes that Hindustani elements, prominent on earlier releases, were reduced in favor of more Persian melodies.[5](https://www.allmusic.com/album/donya-mw0001672827) "Pure Love", a duet with Helena, became the best-selling single of the year in Russia according to one account.[3](https://generation.dance/en/artists/arash/) Universal Music France characterizes *Donya* commercially as a step back, due largely to the absence of a substantial hit single.[1](https://www.universalmusic.fr/artistes/40064770971)
## Eurovision and later singles (2009–2016)
In 2009 Arash represented [Azerbaijan](https://www.edgepedia.org/azerbaijan) in the [Eurovision Song Contest](https://www.edgepedia.org/eurovision-song-contest) alongside the Azerbaijani singer AySel, placing third with the English-language duet "Always".[2](https://ajammc.com/2012/09/05/how-good-is-arashs-persian-the-politics-of-language-identity-in-diaspora-iranian-pop-music-2/) "Broken Angel" followed in 2010, and in December of that year he released "Glorious", the official song for the 2011 Men's World Handball Championship.[3](https://generation.dance/en/artists/arash/) In 2012 he teamed with [Sean Paul](https://www.edgepedia.org/sean-paul) for "She Makes Me Go", which reached fifth place on the German sales chart.[1](https://www.universalmusic.fr/artistes/40064770971) His album *SUPERMAN* appeared in 2014, along with singles including "One Day" and "Sex Love Rock N Roll (SLR)" with T-Pain.[4](https://musicbrainz.org/artist/0e34ee8b-ac1f-4c95-aba7-856cca40ffb2)
In 2016 he released the single "OMG" with [Snoop Dogg](https://www.edgepedia.org/snoop-dogg). Arash said his record label contacted Snoop Dogg's label, that Snoop liked the song and sent vocals, and that the two then filmed a music video together in Los Angeles.[7](https://www.aftonbladet.se/nojesbladet/musik/rockbjornen/a/VRojJp/arash-om-att-jobba-med-snoop-dogg-han-ar-en-legend) That year he also recorded "Goalie Goalie" with Pitbull, Nyusha, and Blanco as a 2018 World Cup anthem.[1](https://www.universalmusic.fr/artistes/40064770971)
## Language and diaspora identity
Arash's entire body of work is mainly geared toward Persian speakers, which makes his command of the language a recurring topic in discussion of his music. A 2012 analysis by Kamyar Jarahzadeh, a writer on migration and Middle Eastern culture at the Ajam Media Collective, notes that in early songs such as "Tike Tike Kardi" Persian speakers recognize an overall strangeness: his accent, shaped by growing up in Sweden, is atypical of a native speaker, and some word and pronoun choices are unorthodox, though not egregiously wrong.[2](https://ajammc.com/2012/09/05/how-good-is-arashs-persian-the-politics-of-language-identity-in-diaspora-iranian-pop-music-2/) The same analysis finds that the later single "Broken Angel", despite its English chorus, shows a much more natural-sounding Persian with more correct vowels.[2](https://ajammc.com/2012/09/05/how-good-is-arashs-persian-the-politics-of-language-identity-in-diaspora-iranian-pop-music-2/) In a 2012 interview on the Los Angeles-based Tapesh satellite channel, co-founder Alireza Amirghassemi told Arash he was pleased with how much his Persian had improved over his career.[2](https://ajammc.com/2012/09/05/how-good-is-arashs-persian-the-politics-of-language-identity-in-diaspora-iranian-pop-music-2/)
His Persian-language songs also reached listeners far beyond the [Iranian diaspora](https://www.edgepedia.org/iranian-diaspora) in Europe. RFE/RL reported in April 2005 on the surprise that a Persian-language song could succeed on the European music scene, quoting Arash saying he uses his songs to share personal experiences.[8](https://www.rferl.org/a/1058593.html)
## Songwriting and later career
Arash also writes for other performers; in a 2010s interview on Europe Plus he cited Mohombi's "Mr Loverman", then in rotation on the station, as an example of his songs for other artists.[6](https://europaplus.ru/news/intervyu-weekstar-c-arash) In 2016 he was working on his fifth album and announced a move from Sweden to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, where he had already built a studio.[7](https://www.aftonbladet.se/nojesbladet/musik/rockbjornen/a/VRojJp/arash-om-att-jobba-med-snoop-dogg-han-ar-en-legend) His release pace continued through the 2020s with singles such as "Mary Jane" with [Ilkay Sencan](https://www.edgepedia.org/ilkay-sencan) (2020), "Lavandia" with [Marshmello](https://www.edgepedia.org/marshmello) (2021), "Layla" with Dynoro (2024), and "I Adore You" with HUGEL and Topic featuring Daecolm (2024).[4](https://musicbrainz.org/artist/0e34ee8b-ac1f-4c95-aba7-856cca40ffb2)
## References
1. [Arash, Universal Music France artist page](https://www.universalmusic.fr/artistes/40064770971)
2. [Kamyar Jarahzadeh (2012). How Good Is Arash's Persian? The Politics of Language & Identity in Diaspora Iranian Pop Music. Ajam Media Collective.](https://ajammc.com/2012/09/05/how-good-is-arashs-persian-the-politics-of-language-identity-in-diaspora-iranian-pop-music-2/)
3. [Arash, Biography and discography, Generation Dance](https://generation.dance/en/artists/arash/)
4. [Arash, MusicBrainz artist page](https://musicbrainz.org/artist/0e34ee8b-ac1f-4c95-aba7-856cca40ffb2)
5. [Pouya Partovi. Donya Review, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/album/donya-mw0001672827)
6. [Интервью Week&Star с Arash, Европа Плюс](https://europaplus.ru/news/intervyu-weekstar-c-arash)
7. [Filip Joelsson (2016). Arash om att jobba med Snoop Dogg: "Han är en legend", Aftonbladet](https://www.aftonbladet.se/nojesbladet/musik/rockbjornen/a/VRojJp/arash-om-att-jobba-med-snoop-dogg-han-ar-en-legend)
8. [Iran: Arash Tops European Pop Charts With Persian-Language Hits, RFE/RL (21 April 2005)](https://www.rferl.org/a/1058593.html)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musicians and ensembles › Individual musical biographies › World, regional traditional, and non-Western popular musicians › Middle Eastern and North African musicians*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license