© 2026 WFAE

Mailing Address:
WFAE 90.7
P.O. Box 896890
Charlotte, NC 28289-6890
Tax ID: 56-1803808
90.7 Charlotte 93.7 Southern Pines 90.3 Hickory 106.1 Laurinburg
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

In self-titled memoir 'Googoosh,' the Iranian pop star reflects on a life of song and silence

The cover of "Googoosh: A Sinful Voice" and author Googoosh. (Courtesy of Brian Bowen Cox)
Courtesy of Brian Bowen Cox
The cover of "Googoosh: A Sinful Voice" and author Googoosh. (Courtesy of Brian Bowen Cox)

Prior to the 1979 revolution, Iranian singer and actor Googoosh was a pop superstar. But she was jailed by the Islamic Republic and forced to agree to never sing or perform in public. After 20 years of isolation in Iran, she was eventually able to leave and resume her performing career.

Googoosh writes about her life, with Tara Dehlavi, in the new memoir, “Googoosh: A Sinful Voice,” and she joins Peter O’Dowd to talk about it.

Book excerpt: ‘Googoosh: A Sinful Voice’

By Googoosh with Tara Dehlavi

Reprinted with permission of the publisher, Gallery Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. Copyright © 2025 by Googoosh and Tara Dehlavi. All rights reserved.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

Copyright 2026 WBUR

Here & Now Newsroom