We/Or/Me is the musical alias of Bahhaj Taherzadeh, quite possibly the world’s only Persian-Irish singer/songwriter. Born and raised in Dublin to an Iranian father and an Irish mother, Taherzadeh now lives in Chicago where he has plied his trade as a manuscript editor and writer over the years. Steeped in storytelling traditions on both sides of his lineage, Taherzadeh, a self-taught musician from a decidedly non-musical family, started to write songs in the mid-2000s, rarely sharing them with anyone apart from a few close friends. This all changed suddenly with the encouragement of Glen Hansard, who literally called Taherzadeh to the stage one night during a set of his own, and told him it was time to sing a song. That moment, coming after the two had shared an inspiring conversation on a rainy Dublin street a week prior, set Taherzadeh on a path he has been walking ever since. It has been a long and winding one that has seen him share the stage with the likes of Big Thief, Evan Dando, Glen Hansard, Ryley Walker, Laura Marling, Mumford and Sons, and Mt. Eerie to name just a few.

In 2009, after becoming the father of twins, Taherzadeh became obsessed with using what little free time he had creatively. He started to write songs in his car on his lunch breaks at work, recording them at night while his daughters slept. The daily/nightly routine yielded a string of self-produced releases that drew admiration from the likes of NPR Music, Lauren Laverne, Vashti Bunyan, and producer Brian Deck. (Bunyan became a collaborator, singing on 2013’s The Walking Hour, which Deck mixed).

Over the years, We/Or/Me has involved a rotating cast of collaborators as several musical luminaries have embraced the project and lent their talents to Taherzadeh’s vision.

“Gorgeous . . . emotionally wrenching, . . . delicate melodies and heartbreaking narratives. . . . Reminiscent of Bert Jansch or Leonard Cohen.” — Robin Hilton, NPR, All Songs Considered

“Exceptionally beautiful . . . features Vashti Bunyan and the most beautiful verses I’ve heard on an album this year.” — Alex Gallacher, Folk Radio UK

“We/Or/Me are a wondrous group—not just for the restraint and care of their songwriting, but for the way these songs are recorded, slow and breathing.” — Sean Michaels, Said the Gramophone