In my previous open letter to META, I spoke about the ongoing copyright violations affecting my music and reels online. Since then, much more has happened - both in the world and within the communities that claim to stand for Iran and in my own work and in the world around us. The situation in and around Iran has continued to evolve in ways that affect not only one nation of almost ninety million people, but the stability of an entire region.
Many have asked why I have been silent.
The truth is simple: silence is sometimes the only honest response when your voice is being misused.
Over the past months I invested my time, energy, and resources into creating music and visual work meant to give a voice to Iranians inside and outside the country. Yet while doing so, I watched my own reels being downloaded, reposted, and circulated across social media without permission. In several cases the people sharing my work blocked me while continuing to distribute my copyrighted material.
When that happens, something fundamental breaks. Not only trust in the platforms that host our work, but trust in the basic respect between people who claim to share the same cause.
More songs could have been released by now. More messages of solidarity could have been shared. But when your own creative work is taken, reposted, and protected by those who refuse to remove it, it becomes difficult to continue speaking into that same space.
At the same time, the conversations surrounding Iran have once again revealed something deeper that has shaped our history for decades: division. For many years Iranians have struggled not only with political systems but also with a lack of unity among ourselves. In recent weeks that fragmentation has once again become painfully visible.
Different groups promote different visions, different leaders, and different strategies for the future. Meanwhile, the voices of ordinary people - those who simply want dignity, safety, and peace - are often lost in the noise.
Watching these divisions grow while violence and instability spread across the region has been deeply disheartening. Human lives should never become symbols in political games, and no nation deserves to see its people caught between power struggles and competing agendas.
For these reasons I have chosen, for now, to step back from releasing political songs. Silence is not indifference. It is a pause - a moment to protect my work, my values, and my peace of mind.
Another reason for my silence has been the tone of some conversations I have seen online in recent weeks. I have watched posts on social media where people celebrate military actions and publicly thank foreign governments for attacks that are reported to have caused destruction and loss of life, including damage to civilian spaces such as schools and hospitals.
From a human point of view, I find this deeply troubling. No matter which government is responsible, suffering and the loss of innocent lives should never become something to applaud.
For me, solidarity with Iran has always meant solidarity with its people - not cheering for violence carried out by any power. When I see messages celebrating destruction or treating war as a victory for one side or another, it conflicts with my values and my understanding of humanity. My voice cannot join that chorus. Respect for human life must remain above politics, ideology, or geopolitical alliances.
In the meantime, I will continue working quietly on my catalogue and focusing on music that brings light, strength, and positivity. Music has the power to heal, and that is where I want to place my energy moving forward.
My voice is not gone. It is simply choosing its moment.
A voice that is misused must sometimes step back in order to remain honest.
Lily Amis
Note: Bandcamp is a platform for purchasing music rather than streaming. For this reason, and to protect my work from unauthorized circulation, the tracks in this album become visible after the album is downloaded.
