Exiled Iranian musician Raam Emami is coming to Australia not only to play concerts, but to tell the story of a pop icon from his homeland who was brutally murdered.
Much-loved performer Fereydoun Farrokhzad, billed as the Iranian equivalent of Tom Jones, was assassinated in the German city of Bonn in 1992.
His unsolved killing is at the centre of a multimedia theatre piece, Things Hidden Since the Foundation of the World, which also takes a look at the nature of inquiry itself with a sly poke at investigative podcasting.
Following rave reviews in the US and UK, it's being staged as part of the Sydney Festival during January.
Emami - stage name King Raam - has more than a few things in common with Farrokhzad, although he says he is nowhere near such a cultural icon.
"I'm on the same trajectory of being someone who was a victim of political violence, and someone who is living in exile and someone whose life has also been threatened by the Islamic Republic," Raam told AAP.
Raam was a founder of the indie band Hypernova in the late 2000s, one of the first acts from Iran's underground music scene to get a record deal, find a western audience and tour globally.
Finding Iranian censorship "soul-crushing", Hypernova moved to New York, where it broke up but paved the way for other acts out of Iran.
"We got a lot of attention at the time but we faced the typical sex, drugs, rock and roll problems that every other band goes through," said Raam.
Not only was the Iranian regime taking notice of Hypernova, it also targeted his family.
Raam's father, an environmentalist, was arrested and died in prison in suspicious circumstances in 2018, while his mother was also detained for an extended period.
Raam now lives in Canada with his mother and says he cannot go back to Iran - he would face arrest if he returned.
He feels that people in western countries take their freedoms for granted and wants audiences to hear the stories of artists like him, who live under constant threat.
"Just expressing yourself, or sharing something online, could literally jeopardise your whole life and career, just because the government over there is so unpredictable and so paranoid," he said.
Farrokhzad, too, lived in exile, moving to Germany after he was detained following the 1979 Islamic Revolution, and for years he was a vocal critic of the Iranian government.
There is also an Australian link in Farrokhzad's story - according to Radio Free Europe, a long speech at a concert in Australia decades ago was one of the few times he ever openly discussed his sexuality.
"I have this bravery, this courage, so I will stand in front of you like a man and I will tell you what I think. For 10 years of my life I lived with a man and I loved him to bits," he told the crowd.
Raam believes the future of the Iranian nation is in the hands of its people, and praises the bravery of Iranian women who have participated in recent protests sparked by Mahsa Amini, who died while in custody for not wearing a compulsory hijab.
"You can only control people with fear for so long, until a point where they just don't care anymore and they're not afraid," said Raam.
Despite a difficult visa process, he is excited to visit Australia for the first time.
"Everyone tells me it's one of the most beautiful places they've ever been and they're going to fall in love with Australia, and I'm very much looking forward to it," he said.
Things Hidden Since the Foundation of the World plays at the Sydney Opera House January 19-21 as part of the Sydney Festival, followed by King Raam concerts in Sydney and Melbourne in February.
