Googoosh (alternately spelled: Gogosh, Gugush, Guguš, Googosh or Gougoush; , born Faegheh Atashin, Persian: فائقه آتشین , born 5 May 1950 in Tehran) is an Iranian pop singer and former actress. She is one of the most famous Iranian singers for different generations.
In the 1960s and 70s, Googoosh was considered the most celebrated recording artist in Iran and much of the Middle East.[2] In addition to music, Googoosh was also an actress in many Persian films of the 1960s and 1970s. She is more widely known as a singer than as an actress. After the Iranian Revolution in 1979, she is famously known for remaining in Iran until 2000 and not performing again due to the ban on female singers. Still, her following grew. Younger people have rediscovered her music via bootleg recordings.[3] Outside of Iran, she has a significant following in many Middle Eastern and Central Asian countries, and has even caught the attention of western media and press.[4]. Googoosh is rumored to reside in an estimated $16 million valued estate near Bel Air, Los Angeles, California,[5] and continues her career, albeit in a limited manner.
Googoosh was born 'Faegheh Atashin' on 5 May 1950[6] on Sarcheshmeh Street of Tehran. Her father, Saber Atashin was an Iranian Azerbaijani who emigrated back to his native Iran several years before his marriage. While Googoosh was still an infant, her father divorced her mother.[7] She began doing impersonations of some of the singers of the time[8]. When her father discovered this talent, he put her on stage[8]. She was raised bilingual, being fluent in the Persian and Azerbaijani languages.
[edit] 2000 and beyond
In 2000, a feature-length documentary called Googoosh: Iran's Daughter was released which chronicled the singer's life and her icon-status while detailing the socio-political turmoil that led to the 1979 Revolution in Iran. Made by Iranian-American filmmaker Farhad Zamani, the documentary began production in 1998 and was made at a time when Googoosh was still forbidden to perform interviews.[citation needed]
In January 2009 she ended her work and personal relationship with Mehrdad citing "creative differences" and In March 2009 began a new work relationship with her current Management team, which has lead her to much greater success in the recent year.
On 21 and 24 March for the year during Nowruz holiday Googoosh performed in Dubai. This concert was considered a homecoming for her since thousands of Iranians crossed the Persian Gulf to hear her.[9]
On 22 July 2009, Googoosh, delivered an emotional speech in which she said the outcome of the 12 June presidential election, which the protesters accuse President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of stealing, inspired her to make her first foray into politics. She and the other speakers stood in front of a banner bearing the names of some of the 600 protesters believed to remain in jail. The names of those killed were written in red.
“I have come here to be the voice for the sad mothers who lost their loved ones in peaceful demonstrations,” said the singer. “I have come here to be the just voice of the grass-roots and spontaneous movement among my compatriots and to show my solidarity.” Source New York Times.com
Awards
* 1971: first prize and golden record at the Midem trade fair in Cannes for her 7" record (as "Gougoush") featuring two songs in French: "Retour de la Ville" (A-side) and "J'entends Crier Je T'aime" (B-side).[10][11]
* 1972: First prize at the Carthage Music Festival
* 1972: First medal of arts of Tunisia[11]
* 1973: The best actress for Bita in Iranian Sepas film festival.[11]
* 1973: The best artist of the year at San Remo Music Festival.
Googoosh's first husband was Mahmoud Ghorbani. He was a music promoter who had helped Googoosh make a name for herself throughout the 60s. They married in 1968. They had a son, Kambiz, who currently lives in Los Angeles and who is also in the music industry. In 1973, Ghorbani and Googoosh divorced.
In 1974, Googoosh married Iranian actor, Behrouz Vossoughi. They divorced 14 months later.
During the late 1970s, Googoosh became involved with Homayoun Mestaghi, but after the Islamic Revolution in 1979, Googoosh served a 3 month jail sentence because she was living with him outside of marriage, which was illegal under the Islamic regime. Several years later, Googoosh divorced Mestaghi.
She married director Masoud Kimiai in 1995
http://googoosh.com/
