Chris De Burgh Releases “People Of The World”

In 2007, Chris de Burgh was asked to record his song The Words ‘I Love You’ with an Iranian group; The Arian Band. This was the first time there had been a collaboration between a Western artist and an Iranian group since the Islamic Revolution of 1979, and the song was released in 2008, becoming a major hit.

Subsequent to the release, Chris visited Tehran to explore the idea of a series of concerts in Iran, and he and his team were extremely impressed by the encouragement and support from the Iranians that they encountered. However, the dramatic and repressive changes since the elections of 2009 made it impossible for Chris de Burgh and his Management to even consider such a project, for the foreseeable future. Chris de Burgh has now recorded a brand new song “People of the World” which will be released as a free download on 20th June 2010, exclusively on his website www.cdeb.com to celebrate the life of a young Iranian woman, Neda Agha-Soltan, who was shot and killed during a demonstration in Tehran on 20th June 2009. Neda was an aspiring singer and musician who was not politically active. Chris explains;“On June 20th 2009, during a demonstration in Tehran against what many felt was a fraudulent election result, a young woman called Neda Agha-Soltan was targeted and shot to death by a sniper. An innocent bystander, and some distance away from the protest, her dying moments were filmed and seen by millions around the world. In Persian, her name means “voice,” “calling” and “divine message,” and she has become a powerful and iconic symbol for those who struggle against brutality and repression, seeking only freedom and truth. Neda, this song is for you.”

“People of the World” will also feature on Chris’s new album “Moonfleet & Other Stories” to be released later this year.