When I met Rostam earlier this year to talk about one of the best albums of the year, his solo debut Half-Light, we spoke extensively about his parents, who fled their native Iran as refugees to relocate to France and eventually America. They worked on cookbooks that bridge east and west, a move that often feels like it relates to Rostam’s own musical aesthetic. “My parents have survived a lot,” he said. “They have a lot of perspective that I don’t really have, but I think they are happy with their decision to come to America.”
In a new video from Vevo, Rostam’s mother Najmieh Batmanglij invites viewers inside her kitchen as she and Rostam prepare a Persian feast. While giving plenty of insight into the culture that Rostam was raised, it’s also an adorable glimpse into the loving relationship between a mother and her son. “I love music and I love film, and god gave me two boys that are doing it,” she says, also referencing Rostam’s filmmaker brother, The OA creator Zal Batmanglij.
The whole thing offers an intimate look at Rostam outside of his music. He shares stories of his mother cooking for the Obamas and she tells about crying the first time she heard his solo record as well as the joy of seeing him perform his music in front of a packed house. Check out the wonderful video above.
