Googoosh facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Googoosh
گوگوش
Googoosh at the Hollywood Bowl, May 2018
Born	Faegheh Atashin (1950-05-05) 5 May 1950 (age 75) Tehran, Imperial State of Iran
Occupation	Singer actress
Years active	1953–1979; 2000–present
Spouse(s)	Mahmoud Ghorbani ​ ​ (m. 1967; div. 1972)​ Behrouz Vossoughi ​ ​ (m. 1975; div. 1976)​ Homayoun Mesdaghi ​ ​ (m. 1977; div. 1989)​ Masoud Kimiai ​ ​ (m. 1991; div. 2003)​
Children	1
Musical career
Labels	Avang, Caltex, MZM, Pars Video, Taraneh, RCA Italiana, RCA Victor, Barclay

Faegheh Atashin (born May 5, 1950), known as Googoosh, is a famous Iranian singer and former actress. She is one of the most popular entertainers from Iran, and her career has lasted for over sixty years! Googoosh has been very popular since she started, becoming a cultural icon both in Iran and around the world.

She is best known for her pop music, but she also starred in many Persian movies from the 1950s to the 1970s. She became incredibly famous in the late 1970s. During that time, many Iranian women copied her style, including her short haircut, which was even called the "Googooshi." After the Iranian Revolution in 1979, she stayed in Tehran until 2000. She could not perform during this time because female singers were banned.

Younger Iranians later discovered her music through old recordings. After leaving Iran in 2000, she performed many concerts in Europe and North America. She has recorded songs in many languages, including Persian, Azerbaijani, Turkish, English, Spanish, Italian, Arabic, Armenian, and French. She is very popular outside Iran and has even been noticed by media in Europe and Africa.

Her Early Life

Googoosh began singing and acting at a young age with her father, Saber

4-year-old Googoosh with her mother Nasrin Atashin

Googoosh was born as Faegheh Atashin on May 5, 1950, in Tehran. Her parents were Azerbaijani and had moved from the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic of the Soviet Union. She was quickly called "Googoosh," an Armenian name usually for boys, but it became her stage name. She said she was called Googoosh from a very young age, even though her birth certificate shows her birth name as Faegheh.

Her Amazing Career

Googoosh acting as a child, late 1950s

Before the Revolution (1953–1979)

Googoosh performing on stage in Tehran

In the 1970s, Googoosh became incredibly famous. She pushed the boundaries of Iranian pop music. She was known for her exciting outfits and fashion sense. Googoosh amazed her fans in Iran and other countries with her special hairstyles and cool style. Many Iranian women copied her looks.

Her music included upbeat pop songs from the 1960s and 1970s, mixed with traditional sounds. She also sang emotional songs about love and loss, similar to the French chanson style. Her music was popular even with people who didn't speak Persian. The Spanish singer Julio Iglesias even covered one of her songs, Bavar Kon.

Googoosh starred in over 25 movies. One of them became the most successful Iranian movie ever! She often performed for the royal family and was a favorite of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi's wife and children.

After the Revolution (1979-2000)

When the Iranian Revolution happened in 1979, Googoosh was in Los Angeles. But she missed her home and decided to return to Iran. She said she stayed "out of love for her homeland." Even though she represented many things the revolution wanted to change, Googoosh remained in Iran for years.

After the revolution, Googoosh and other artists were not allowed to perform, and her music was banned. She did not perform again until Mohammad Khatami became president. Then, she was allowed to tour outside of Iran.

Her Big Comeback (2000-Present)

Googoosh at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto

Googoosh left Iran and went to Canada in 2000. She had been in Iran for 21 years after the revolution. Her return was seen as a huge cultural event. It showed how much society was changing after years of isolation.

She released her first album after her comeback, called Zartosht (meaning Zoroaster), in 2000. In July 2000, Googoosh sang in public for the first time in 21 years. Her "Googoosh Comeback Tour" started with a sold-out concert in Toronto. She ended the tour in Dubai in March 2001, for the Iranian New Year, Nowruz. Her Dubai concert felt like a homecoming. More than 20,000 people attended, and 70% were Iranians who had traveled across the Persian Gulf to see her.

In 2000, a documentary called Googoosh: Iran's Daughter was released. It told the story of her life and how she became an icon. It also explained the political changes that led to the 1979 Revolution.

Googoosh worked with Mehrdad Asemani on albums like QQ Bang Bang (2003), Akharin Khabar (2004), Manifest (2005), and Shabe Sepid (2008).

Googoosh in one of her concerts, 2006

Starting in 2011, she was a main judge and head of the academy for the popular singing competition Googoosh Music Academy. This show was broadcast on the London-based Iranian channel Manoto 1 and was very popular. The show lasted for three seasons. In December 2010, Googoosh held a big concert in the Kurdish region of Iraq. Tens of thousands of Iranians came from all over to see her.

In 2010, Googoosh released the album Hajme Sabz (Green X). She wanted to include songs from different writers and composers. She also re-recorded her old song Mano Gonjeshkaye Khooneh with a new sound.

In 2011, Googoosh shared a preview of a new song, Bedrood, on YouTube. She also launched her own makeup line, Googoosh Cosmetics. She held successful concerts at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles and the Royal Albert Hall in London.

In 2012, Googoosh released her 6th album since her comeback, called Ejaz (Miracle). It had 10 songs and featured collaborations with other artists. One song, Bi Manoto, was a musical version of a poem by the Persian poet Rumi. She had wanted to record this song for a long time.

In February 2014, she released a music video for the song Behesht. This video supported the gay and lesbian community in Iran, who face many difficulties in their fight for equal rights.

That same year, Googoosh released a song with Ebi called Nostalgia. They then went on a world tour together, singing both solo and duet songs.

On March 21, 2015, Googoosh released her 7th album, Aks-e Khosoosi (Private Portrait). It included 11 songs from various writers and composers. She also sang the old song Morghe-e Sahar on this album.

In 2017, Googoosh started a world tour called "The Memory Makers" with Hassan Shamaizadeh and Ardalan Sarfraz. In 2018, she released a song with Martik called Refaghat. They worked together on two more songs, Eshghe Kamyab and Asheghet Hastam.

Googoosh released her latest album, Twenty One, in 2021. It featured music by Siavash Ghomayshi and lyrics by Raha Etamadi. During its creation, all three artists got COVID-19.

On September 14, 2023, Googoosh announced on social media that her new tour, "Final Chapter," would be her last world tour. Despite all the challenges she has faced, Googoosh has remained a beloved figure for over fifty years.

Her Views and Activism

Googoosh has spoken out on important issues. In 2009, she joined a protest at the United Nations to support Iranian protestors. She said she became involved in politics because of the 2009 Iranian presidential election. She wanted to be a voice for mothers who lost loved ones and to show support for her country's people.

In 2018, Googoosh and Siavash Ghomayshi released a political song called 40 Saal, which criticized the Islamic Republic.

Googoosh dedicated her Frankfurt 2022 concert to Mahsa Amini. She released the song Dobareh to support the Iranian protests. She spoke at a gathering in Washington, saying she felt proud and angry, but also hopeful for Iran's future.

Her Personal Life

Googoosh playing tennis in 1970s

Googoosh has several half-brothers and a brother and sister. One of her brothers passed away when he was young.

In 1980, Googoosh was held in prison for about a month after the Iranian Revolution. In 2018, when asked how she stays young, she replied, "Love, music and lots of fruit!"

Marriages

Googoosh and Behrouz Vosooghi in 1970s

Googoosh's first husband was Mahmoud Ghorbani, who owned a cabaret and helped her become famous in the 1960s. They married in 1967 and had a son named Kambiz. They divorced in 1972.

In 1975, Googoosh married Iranian actor Behrouz Vossoughi, but they divorced a year later. They were considered a very famous couple in the country. In the late 1970s, Googoosh married Homayoun Mesdaghi in 1979. They divorced in 1985. She then married director Masoud Kimiai in 1991, and they divorced in 2003.

Religious Beliefs

Googoosh with Chador for pilgrimage to Imam Reza shrine by Ettela'at Newspaper (29 August 1972)

Googoosh has mentioned that she used to pray every day until 2004. In an interview in 2022, she said that her past beliefs had changed.

In 2023, she shared a video where she explained that she uses "God" instead of "Kaaba" in her song Marham because she feels a distance from religion now. She had previously explained that she asked for this lyric change after her pilgrimage to Mecca.

Music Albums

An album cover which contains the Bigharar song

Albums from 1970s:

• 1970: Do Panjereh (Two Windows)
• 1970: Fasle Tazeh (New Season)
• 1971: Mordab (The Swamp)
• 1971: Nimeye Gomshodeye Man (My Lost Half)
• 1972: Kooh (The Mountain)
• 1973: Mano Gonjeshkaye Khooneh (Me and the House Sparrows)
• 1974: Do Mâhi (Two Fish)
• 1974: Hamsafar (Co-Traveler)
• 1975: Pol (The Bridge)
• 1975: Mosabbeb (With Dariush)
• 1977: Dar emtedâde shab (Along the Night)
• 1978: Ageh bemouni (If You Stay)

Albums since 2000:

• 2000: Zartosht (Zoroaster)
• 2004: Akharin Khabar (Latest News)
• 2005: Manifest
• 2008: Shab-e Sepid (White Night) (With Mehrdad Asemani)
• 2010: Hajm-e Sabz (Green X)
• 2012: E'jaz (Miracle)
• 2015: Aks-e Khosoosi (Private Portrait)
• 2021: Twenty One (21)

Some Singles since 2000:

• 2004: QQ Bang Bang
• 2014: Nostalgia (ft. Ebi)
• 2014: 40 Saal (40 years) (ft. Siavash Ghomayshi)
• 2018: Refaghat (Friendship) (ft. Martik)
• 2022: Dobareh (Again) (ft. Leila Forouhar, Shahrzad Sepanlou, Darya Dadvar, Sogand & Shohreh Aghdashloo)

Movies She Starred In

Googoosh acted in many movies. Here are some of them:

Googoosh also acted in many television shows and commercials in Iran.

Awards and Achievements

Googoosh on the cover of Javanan e Emrooz Magazine, 1974

• 1971: Won first prize and a gold record for best singer in the world at the Midem trade fair in Cannes.
• 1972: Performed at the Cantagiro Music Festival and the Carthage Music Festival.
• 1972: Received the first medal of arts of Tunisia.
• 1973: Won best actress for Bita at the Iranian Sepas film festival.
• 2001: Performed again at the Carthage Music Festival.
• 2014: Named Best Iranian Singer at the World Music Awards.
• 2017: Won Best Music Video for Do Panjereh (directed by Yasmin Asha) at the Festigious Film Awards.
• Received two awards from Microsoft Theatre in Los Angeles for breaking performance records.
• 2022: Performed at the Expo Festival.
• 2023: Performed at the Saadiat Nights Festival.
• 2024: Recognized by Arab Glamour 2024 (Enigma magazine).

Images for kids

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  Googoosh at the Hollywood Bowl, May 2018

• 

  Googoosh began singing and acting at a young age with her father, Saber

• 

  4-year-old Googoosh with her mother Nasrin Atashin

• 

  Googoosh acting as a child, late 1950s

• 

  Googoosh performing on stage in Tehran

• 

  Googoosh at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto

• 

  Googoosh in one of her concerts, 2006

• 

  Googoosh playing tennis in 1970s

• 

  Googoosh and Behrouz Vosooghi in 1970s

• 

  Googoosh with Chador for pilgrimage to Imam Reza shrine by Ettela'at Newspaper (29 August 1972)

• 

  An album cover which contains the Bigharar song

• 

  Googoosh on the cover of Javanan e Emrooz Magazine, 1974

See also

In Spanish: Googoosh para niños

• List of Iranian women