Roya Arab is a UK based Iran

Iran

Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...

ian musician and archaeologist. She was born in Tehran

Tehran

Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...

/Iran

Iran

Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...

 in 1967, and fled her country with her parents and siblings during the 1979 revolution of Iran

Iranian Revolution

The Iranian Revolution refers to events involving the overthrow of Iran's monarchy under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and its replacement with an Islamic republic under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of the...

.

Roya Arab has written lyrics and melodies for a variety of artists. Her first foray into recorded music in the UK was on Londinium (album)

Londinium (album)

Londinium is the debut album by London-based trip hop band Archive. The title is taken from the Roman name for London. Roya Arab is the principal vocalist throughout the album, and Rosko John provides rapping....

 as Archive

Archive (band)

Archive is a musical group based in London, England, whose music spans electronic, trip-hop, avant-garde, post-rock and progressive rock. Over their sixteen-year history, the band has released eight studio albums and enjoyed established success throughout Europe, while remaining little-known in...

. Since then she has written and recorded with her sister Leila Arab

Leila Arab

Leila is an Iranian recording artist, producer and dj based in London.She has worked with prominent European musicians such as Björk, and has released music on Rephlex Records, XL Recordings and Warp Records....

, Grooverider

Grooverider

Grooverider is a British drum and bass DJ.-Biography:Grooverider began his DJing at illegal raves and warehouse parties in the UK in the late 1980s, and rose to prominence with partner Fabio through his sets at nightclub nights such as 'Rage'. Grooverider was also on the London pirate radio...

, Zend Avesta and Naab, and collaborated with Mike Figgis

Mike Figgis

Michael "Mike" Figgis is an English film director, writer, and composer.-Personal life:Figgis was born in Carlisle, England and grew up in Africa. Figgis for several years had a relationship with the actress Saffron Burrows and cast her in several films...

. After a youth spent pursuing her love of music and travel, she attended university to complete a Degree and Masters in Archaeology

Archaeology

Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...

 at the Institute of Archaeology

Institute of Archaeology

The UCL Institute of Archaeology is an academic department of the Social & Historical Sciences Faculty of University College London , England. It is one of the largest departments of archaeology in the world, with over 80 members of academic staff and 500 students...

, UCL

University College London

University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...

.

Besides music, Roya has a passion for all things Iran

Iran

Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...

ian/Persian

Persian people

The Persian people are part of the Iranian peoples who speak the modern Persian language and closely akin Iranian dialects and languages. The origin of the ethnic Iranian/Persian peoples are traced to the Ancient Iranian peoples, who were part of the ancient Indo-Iranians and themselves part of...

, past and present.

Discography

• 1996: Archive
  Archive (band)
  Archive is a musical group based in London, England, whose music spans electronic, trip-hop, avant-garde, post-rock and progressive rock. Over their sixteen-year history, the band has released eight studio albums and enjoyed established success throughout Europe, while remaining little-known in...
  
  , Londinium
  Londinium (album)
  Londinium is the debut album by London-based trip hop band Archive. The title is taken from the Roman name for London. Roya Arab is the principal vocalist throughout the album, and Rosko John provides rapping....
  
  (Island Records): "All Time", "So few Words", "Ubiquitous Wife" (a.k.a "Headspace"), "Darkroom", "Londinium
  Londinium (song)
  Londinium is the title track from the first album of the London based band Archive. The song was remixed by Kevin Shields and released as a 12". "Londinium" was also featured on the The Prince's Trust Sony PlayStation demo disc Power Source in a promotional video entitled 'Blown Away'....
  
  ", "Nothing Else", "Parvaneh (Butterfly)", "Last Five", "Ubiquitous Wife Remix" (hidden song)
• 1998: Grooverider, Mysteries of Funk: "Rainbows of Colour" (Arab, Grooverider, Optical)
• 1998: Leila, Like Weather: "Blue Grace" (R. Arab, L. Arab)
• 1999: Naab, L’étranger: "L’étranger" (Arab, Naab)
• 2000: Zend Avesta, Organique: "À la Manière" (Arab, Rebotini)
• 2000: Leila, Courtesy of Choice: "Different time" (R. Arab, L. Arab, G. Jones, Woolley)
• 2008: Leila, Blood, Looms and Blooms: "Daisies, Cats and Spacemen" (R. Arab, L. Arab)