Biography
Who is Googoosh?
Early life and real name
Faegheh Atashin was born on May 5, 1950, in Tehran. Her parents were Iranian Azerbaijanis. She received the name Googoosh at a young age. This is an Armenian name usually for boys. It later became her professional stage name. Her birth certificate lists her name as Faegheh. She began her career as a child. She worked as a dancer and singer in stage shows. These shows were run by her father, Saber Atashin. He was an acrobat and cabaret artist.
Rise to fame and fashion
She acted in several films during the 1960s, including Fear and Hope. She starred in more than 25 movies total. One of these films became the most successful Iranian movie commercially. During the 1970s, she became a major pop star. She recorded music and wore bold outfits. Many Iranian women copied her short haircut, which people called the Googooshi. They also wore miniskirts to match her style. She sang emotional ballads and upbeat pop songs. Her style was similar to the chanson music of Edith Piaf. She performed for the royal family of Iran. This included a show for the 17th birthday of Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi.
Revolution and hiatus
She was in Los Angeles during the 1979 Iranian Revolution. She decided to return to Tehran because of her love for her country. The new regime banned female singers. This meant she could not perform for 21 years. The government put a lien on her home and denied her a passport. She was also imprisoned for a time. Younger Iranians listened to her music through bootleg tapes. She finally got permission to tour outside Iran during the presidency of Mohammad Khatami.
Return to music and global tours
She moved to Canada in 2000. That year, she performed 27 concerts across North America and Europe. Her first comeback concert took place on July 29, 2000, at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto. Over 12,000 people attended. She later performed in Dubai in March 2001. She has played at the Royal Albert Hall in London and the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. Other venues include Madison Square Garden and the Ericsson Globe. She sings in several languages, such as French, Spanish, and Arabic.
Recent albums and television
Her recent work includes the 2012 album Ejaz. She collaborated with Hassan Shamaizadeh on this project. She also served as the head judge for Googoosh Music Academy on the channel Manoto 1. She released a cosmetic line called Googoosh Cosmetics in 2011. Other albums include Zartosht from 2000 and Hajme Sabz from 2010. She collaborated with Mehrdad Asemani on the 2003 project QQ Bang Bang. A documentary called Googoosh: Iran's Daughter was released in 2000. This film was made by Farhad Zamani.
Birthday and age
Googoosh was born on May 5, 1950, which makes Googoosh 76 years old today. That birthday falls under the Taurus sign. Googoosh shares the date with 61 other famous people.
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