Merziye Feriqi

Who was Merziye Feriqi?

Merziye Feriqi was a Kurdish singer. She was born in Mariwan in west of Iran. Her family were originally from Sine. From a very early age, she was interested in music and singing, and was taking part in the local school music bands. She used to listen to the Kurdish music programs broadcast from Radio Baghdad, and in this way she got to know famous Kurdish singers such as Meryem Xan, Nesrîn Şêrwan, Eyşe Şan and Gulbihar. She finished her elementary and high school in Mariwan, and then began working as a teacher in the villages of that region. In 1977, she started working with the music band of Sine. She married the famous Kurdish singer Nasir Razazi in 1978. In the same year, she was arrested for her involvements in the Iranian Revolution by the Pahlavi regime. Around the same period, she and her colleagues formed a Kurdish music band and began working together. In 1980, she joined the peshmerga forces of Komala, and formed another music band named Korî Bangewaz. She recorded several songs in this period, among them Silaw bo Pêşmerge, Giyanekem bo asmanî şîn, Maçî Xudayî and Payîz.