Here, we dig through Googoosh’s extensive catalog, discuss her musicianship and music, explore her cultural impact and legacy, and tell the story of an immense and — at least to most Westerners — little-known talent.Googoosh was born Faegheh Atashin on May 5, 1950. “persian stars were known by a single first name,” GJ Breyley, a senior research fellow at Monash University in Australia and an expert on persian pop music, says about the origin of Googoosh’s stage name.
“She began her career as a child, so the nickname was fitting — and it stuck. It is an Armenian name, usually used for boys, and it refers to a bird.” Her parents were Azerbaijani, which is an ethnic minority in homeland, and they divorced when she was an infant.
