Googoosh talks music, career, and ending on high note
Pop star has been one of the biggest names in the Iranian music scene for decades
Often called the ‘Madonna of Iran’, Googoosh fans in the UAE were a part of the iconic pop star’s last tour — aptly named the ‘Final Chapter’. “I want to end on a ‘high note’,” said Googoosh over email.
She performed in Abu Dhabi on Saturday as part of a three-month music series — Saadiyat Nights. The musical extravaganza also saw fivetime Grammy winner Mariah Carey serenade the crowds on January 6 kicking off the series.
A 21-YEAR HIATUS
Googoosh has been one of the biggest names in Iranian music for decades, but the last time she performed there was 1979, after the country banned women singers as part of the Islamic Revolution. When she stepped off the stage then, Googoosh already had 200 songs in her repertoire, in Persian, English, Italian and Spanish.
After a 21-year-hiatus Googoosh went back on stage in 2001 — also performing in Dubai that year at the World Trade Centre. The UAE was her first GCC-stop during that tour. Since then she has performed multiple times in the country, most recently during Expo 2020 in Dubai.
Talking about her favourite city to perform in, Googoosh said, “Tehran, a city I haven’t been able to sing in for 45 years. So for the past years it’s mainly the cities near Iran, such as: Istanbul, Dubai or the country of Kuwait that reminds me of singing in Iran.”
ABU DHABI HAS HER HEART
The star, often labelled as the Madonna of Iran commented on the comparisons with the legendary singer: “Although we are two completely different artists and characters, I think that it’s the courage they see in her boldness or certain images that might remind them of me, but overall there’s not many similarities.”
WHAT’S NEXT FOR GOOGOOSH?
The charismatic singer, who has a steadfast fan base across the world, is only ending her touring career.
“The age is getting close to a number that makes me want to spend more time at home, focus on my new charity foundation, I’ve also have my own perfume line which is launching in 2024,” Googoosh said. She is also working on transplanting her life into a compelling book.
“My memoir has just finished its editing phase and will also be published within the next 12-14 months.
Touring makes it hard to focus on other things and I feel that I have more to explore.”
SAADIYAT NIGHTS
A lot of thought was poured into making this performance in Abu Dhabi memorable.
“Being that it’s a tour and most of its aspects have been pre-produced and arranged for the stage I decided to keep each night as unique as possible. Meaning that we were still changing visuals, songs, light designs for each period of the tour.” She was also keenly aware that each country had its own musical preferences.
“For Abu Dhabi … I already made five song changes which is somewhat unusual, but I know that the taste varies depending on which part of the world I’m singing in.”
INCREDIBLE LINE-UP
The line-up for the music series includes British star Sting, Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli, and Lebanese legend Magida El Roumi. Last week, the event organisers announced that the 9-week series would end with performances by award-winning singers John Legend and Sir Tom Jones.
Tickets are available online.