JFC. Mind blown.

WatchMojo may be best known for film, TV, and gaming—but my soul has always been music. Early on, around 2012, I leaned into that and personally wrote and produced many of our music Top 10s, curating the best of countless artists.

This past year, while producing Top 10 Iconic Iranian Songs, I went down a rabbit hole.

Although my spoken Farsi is strong, I never learned to read or write it—I left Iran at age five. Immersing myself in these songs expanded my vocabulary, but more than that, even the simplest words formed a kind of sonic poetry. A symphony that soothed the ears. That’s the lyrics and the vocals.

The music itself?
Traditional Iranian music is flawless—santur, oud, tar, kamancheh. But modern Iranian pop, while often lyrically excellent, can feel musically underpowered when compared to Western rock, hard rock, pop, or dance—putting it mildly.

With an expansive, creative mindset, I started imagining English-language equivalents: what these songs could sound like if reinterpreted sonically, not just translated. Over a ten-day stretch, I translated and re-imagined more than ten songs. That was the origin and nucleus of ARYA: Songs from Iran.

I realized—just like in the early WatchMojo days—that it’s often easier to create the first proof-of-concept yourself and then hand it off to professionals. Same logic here. Demos first.

As events in Iran intensified, I widened the net and released a few demos.

“Ey Iran” landed well—powerful and inspiring—and will inform the final album version. I re-imagined it through a Queensrÿche / Iron Maiden / Dream Theater lens.
“Nightingale (Morgh-e Sahar)” was also strong and riveting.
Both are in the public domain.

Mahasti’s “Shayad,” re-imagined as “Maybe” in a Miley Cyrus / Pink / Evanescence / Nightwish vein, was my personal favorite—deeply soulful. Pairing it with imagery of victims struck the right emotional note. While clearly transformative in the creative sense, translated songs are still considered derivative works legally. I’ve reached out to her daughter and will continue to do so. I’m confident we’ll secure her blessing as we license the song properly for the official album. If anyone reading this can connect me with Mahasti’s or her sister Hedieh’s family or representatives, I would be deeply grateful.

Then came the next demo.

JFC. OMG. OMFG.

This summer, I’d been listening to “Tannâz” by Moein, and it hit me like Tony Iommi. My mind immediately re-imagined it. Tannâz—a Persian female name connoting playful, coy, flirtatious charm; wit, grace, and mischievous elegance—became “Tantrums.”

The result? A heavy, Sabbath-inspired riffmaster with undertones of Deep Purple, Ozzy, and Dio. Think industrial England in the 1970s. Hard and heavy. Judas Priest energy.

I’ll release it tomorrow, with several demo versions. V4 is pure chef’s kiss.

Special thanks to Rob Flis for helping me implement the musical vision and direction, working on iterative sound development, and to Joe Pacheco for creating the visuals based on my vision—very much a v1.0.

But just as with WatchMojo and the digital media canvas, I can clearly see how a rebooted SoundMojo could become a dominant label.

Related but separate: I also received a flood of inbound emails after announcing the relaunch of WatchMojo Studios, which I’ll talk about soon.

Thank you.
LFG.

Lyrics, by yours truly.

Your tantrums and tears, they terrorize.

I speak from the heart—there are no lies.

You still laugh—I see,

You still dance—I see,

Just not with me…

Just not with me.

Your tantrums and tears, they terrorize.

I speak from the heart—there are no lies.

This life can’t stay in disarray,

But this love—it will never fade away.

Whoever has you, holds the skies,

Since you left, I’ve paid the price.

You turn from my cries, ignore my calls,

Since you’ve gone, I’ve lost it all.

My world is dim, no light remains,

A soul reshaped by loss and pain.

Even I can barely see

The man I was—the man you freed.

Your scent, your touch, they still control,

They haunt the corners of my soul.

They said that God is great above,

You swore your heart was made of love.

That sweetness now has turned to stone,

This clouded sky chills to the bone.

Yet moonlight breaks through endless night,

Will you bring warmth, or will we fight?

Your tantrums and tears, they terrorize,

I come again with no disguise.

You still laugh—I see,

You still dance—I see,

But not with me…

No, not with me.