Googoosh - Biography
Between 1970 and 1979 Googoosh was Iran’s top singer, a figure who dominated Iran’s pop scene by combining the sophisticated vocal power of a Barbra Streisand with the trend setting fashion consciousness of a Madonna. At her height, Googoosh generated the fanatical fan devotion of a Marilyn Monroe or an Elvis Presley; her albums were best sellers in Central Asia, Turkey, Iraq, Soviet Russia, Afghanistan and Tajikistan. During Tajikistan’s first democratic elections, Googoosh received more write-in ballots from disillusioned voters than many of the legitimate candidates. The singer appeared regularly on Iranian television performing songs that combined the exquisite poetry of Iranian poets with classical Iranian music, carefully arranged to draw on international influences that included Brazilian samba, Cuban rumba and Spanish flamenco. From the age of 10, the singer also starred in a series of successful films, giving Iranian women a heroine comfortable with Western-style worldliness. She set the style for a generation of young women; they wore mini-skirts when she did and followed her to the barber when she cut her hair short in 1975.
Googoosh was born in 1951, on Sarcheshmeh Street, to an Azerbaijani family. She started singing at two years of age, when her father failed to show up to a gig on time. Her father, Saber Atashin, led a troupe of performers that traveled throughout Iran entertaining in both cities and small villages. When he discovered his daughter could sing, he put her in the act doing impersonations of other singers. She was a seasoned professional by the time she was three. As a result, Googoosh received little real schooling, but developed a stage presence and the ability to form a bond with her audience.
Googoosh is actually an Armenian boy's name, bus since she was a child, everyone always called her Googoosh. In 1960, at the age of 10, Googoosh came to national attention when she appeared in Fereshteye Farrari, a film by Gorji Abadia, although she had already been in another film Beam va Omid in 1958. By the time she was a teenager, some of Iran’s best-known poets and composers were bringing her material to record. She already had a powerful voice that belied her tender years, capable of belting out big emotional statements with a tearful intensity. With a group of like minded singers, she started combining classical, folkloric and popular music. Some of the rhythms were Western, but they also blended flamenco, Iranian classical and folk music to created the first modern Iranian pop. Googoosh was a prolific singer, cutting singles and albums at an amazing pace. Her early songs are split between Persian melodies recorded with full orchestras and pop tunes clearly influenced by the American and British hits of the 60s. She even did a credible cover of Aretha’s “Respect.” She sang in Farsi, Hindi, French and English. Compilations of her early music can be found on the Caltex label, a company specializing in Iranian music - Best of Googoosh, Vol. 1: Jadeh (1996), Best of Googoosh, Vol. 2: Mordab (1996), Best of Googoosh, Vol. 3: Doe Mahi (1997), Best of Googoosh, Vol. 4: Doe Panjereh (2000), Best of Googoosh, Vol. 5: Kavir (1997).
During the reign of Shah Pahlevi, Iran underwent a period of modernization that had both up and down sides. There was personal freedom, especially for the middle and upper classes, but the underworld controlled much of Iran’s nightlife. Googoosh had a successful career, but she also found herself in debt to the mob. At one point, she was forced into marriage with a crime boss to retire the debt.
Then came the Islamic Revolution, which banned all music and sent many musicians and intellectuals into exile. Googoosh was one of the few who decided to stay. One moment Googoosh was an international star, the next almost a prisoner in her own apartment. Because of her celebrity, it was impossible for her to go out in public. At first, the Ayatollah Khomeini placed a ban on all music, but the music of Googoosh and other pop and folkloric artists could still be found on the black market, and playing discretely in cafes and marketplaces. Eventually the regime allowed traditional musicians to perform and record, but female performers remained banned because, according to the Ayatollah, female voices corrupt men.
Googoosh delved into meditation, and studied religious philosophy - Islamic, Indian and Zen - in an effort to come to terms with her isolation and depression. She lived quietly, avoiding the limelight, although she remained conscious of her influence on popular culture in Iran and her effect on Iranian ex-patriots around the world.
After the election of Mohammed Khatami, who was at first more liberal, the regime relaxed its constraints on pop culture; again the voice of Googoosh was blasting out of cassette shop speakers. In 1999, Googoosh’s husband, director Massoud Kimiai, was given permission to make a film outside of Iran and Googoosh was given permission to leave the country to act in the project. Immediately, plans were made for a come back tour.
The first come back concert took place on July 29th, 2000, in Toronto, Canada, in front of 10,000 mesmerized fans. The singer sold out a pair of L.A dates - one at the Forum and one at Anaheim Stadium - in three hours. The tour took her across the US, Canada, Europe and parts of the Middle East. She also recorded a new album for Canada’s Kia Entertainment Group in 2000, entitled Zoroaster, the first album on which she composed her own melodies. The album is a smooth global pop effort with Googoosh singing in a lower, more soulful register backed by mid tempo grooves that combine flamenco guitar, string charts that balance western and Persian classical impulses with hints of tango and R&B. In 2004, she recorded Akharin Khabar [Last News] (Caltex) new songs written by Shahyar Ghanbari and Zoya Zakarian, arranged by Monouchehr Cheshmazar. The music balances western string charts, disco and hip-hop rhythms, traditional acoustic instruments and Googoosh sounding like the soulful diva she is. Her most recent records are Manifest (2006), Shabe Sepid (2008), Hajme Sabz (2010), and Ejaz (2012).
