Mahasti
Encyclopedia
MahastibornEftekhar Dadehbala (November 16, 1946 - June 25, 2007) was a legendary Persian Pop
and classical
singer and diva and the younger sister of singer Hayedeh
.
. Mahasti's voice was discovered by maestro Parviz Yahaghi
, a distinguished Iranian composer and violinist. She was amongst a rare group of singers who "started" their careers on the prestigious Persian traditional music radio program Gol hâ ye Rangârang( گلهای رنگارنگ), in 1963 with the song "Anke Delam Râ Borde Xodâyâ"(Persian -آنكه دلم را برده خدایا) composed and arranged by maestro Parviz Yahaghi with lyrics from Bijan Taraghi. She has worked with some of the most famous Iranian composers, including Parviz Yahaghi
, Habibollah Badiei, Homayoon Khorram, Asadollah Malek, Anooshiravan Rohani, Jahanbakhsh Pazooki, Hasan Shamaeizadeh, Mohammad Heidari, Jamshid Sheibani, Sadegh Nojooki, and Manoochehr Cheshmazar as well as some younger composers such as Bijan Mortazavi
, Faramarz Aasef, Mehrdad Asemani, and Shadmehr Aghili
.
", a lady with great manners. Her enormous success in music opened the way for many other women, including her older sister, Hayedeh
, who started her work about 5 years after Mahasti. The two sisters made tremendous contributions to improving the image of female singers in Iran and in making the transition of Iranian music from where it was then, to where it is now.
Mahasti's career was remarkable. In 2005, she was awarded the Persian Female Pop-Classic Vocalist of Excellence by the World Academy of Arts, Literature and Media (formerly Persian Academy Awards) for over 40 years of top performance in Persian pop music. She sang more than 400 songs, contributed to more than 200 music albums with other Persian singers, and produced more than 35 music albums in which she was the only singer. In her albums she has worked with several other singers, including Hayedeh
(her sister), Sattar, Akbar Golpaygani (Golpa), Iraj (Hossein Khajeh Amiri)
, Mahmoodi Khansari, Aref
, Moein
, Shahram Solati, Faramarz Asef, Homeyra
, Hasan Shamaeizadeh, and Sadegh Nojooki.
Mahasti married Kouros Nazemiyan and gave birth to her only child, Sahar. Mahasti and her family lived in Abadan
for several years , finally moving back to Tehran. Her marriage with Nazemiyan ultimately ended in divorce. Nazemiyan was executed by the Revolutionary Court of the new Islamic Republic shortly after revolution. Several years later she re-married to Bahram Sanandaji, owner of a shoe factory, however their marriage also ended.
In 1978, Just before the Iranian Revolution
she emigrated to the United Kingdom
and then to the United States
where she lived thereafter.
with her daughter, Sahar. She died at 7:52 AM on June 25, 2007 in Santa Rosa.
Mahasti was interred at the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery
in Westwood, California
on June 29, 2007 the same cemetery where her sister Hayedeh
was also buried at. Her funeral was broadcast live on Persian Broadcasting Company "Tapesh" and was attended by many Persian celebrities and stars and other artists including the mayor of Beverly Hills Jimmy Delshad
and designer Bijan Pakzad.
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
and classical
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
singer and diva and the younger sister of singer Hayedeh
Hayedeh
Hayedeh born Ma'soumeh Dadehbala , was a Persian classical and Pop singer with a contralto vocal range. In a career spanning more than 20 years, she had many hits...
.
Background
Eftekhar Dadehbala (Mahasti) (November 16, 1946 - June 25, 2007) was an Iranian singer who was recognized as the "Banooye Golhaa va Delha" (Lady of hearts & flowers). She was the younger sister of another popular Iranian female singer, HayedehHayedeh
Hayedeh born Ma'soumeh Dadehbala , was a Persian classical and Pop singer with a contralto vocal range. In a career spanning more than 20 years, she had many hits...
. Mahasti's voice was discovered by maestro Parviz Yahaghi
Parviz Yahaghi
Parviz Yahaghi was a distinguished Iranian composer and violinist. He was born in Tehran in 1936 and died in Tehran in 2007....
, a distinguished Iranian composer and violinist. She was amongst a rare group of singers who "started" their careers on the prestigious Persian traditional music radio program Gol hâ ye Rangârang( گلهای رنگارنگ), in 1963 with the song "Anke Delam Râ Borde Xodâyâ"(Persian -آنكه دلم را برده خدایا) composed and arranged by maestro Parviz Yahaghi with lyrics from Bijan Taraghi. She has worked with some of the most famous Iranian composers, including Parviz Yahaghi
Parviz Yahaghi
Parviz Yahaghi was a distinguished Iranian composer and violinist. He was born in Tehran in 1936 and died in Tehran in 2007....
, Habibollah Badiei, Homayoon Khorram, Asadollah Malek, Anooshiravan Rohani, Jahanbakhsh Pazooki, Hasan Shamaeizadeh, Mohammad Heidari, Jamshid Sheibani, Sadegh Nojooki, and Manoochehr Cheshmazar as well as some younger composers such as Bijan Mortazavi
Bijan Mortazavi
Bijan Mortazavi , born on November 16, 1957 in Babol, is a popular Iranian violinist, singer and songwriter. Although his albums are banned in Iran his instrumental pieces aired many times in Iran TV.- Background :...
, Faramarz Aasef, Mehrdad Asemani, and Shadmehr Aghili
Shadmehr Aghili
Shadmehr Aghili born 27 January 1973 in Tehran, Iran) is the most favorite Iranian pop singer, musician, composer, music arranger, producer and song-writer, and formerly an actor. He emigrated to Canada first, but currently resides in Los Angeles, California.-Career:Shadmehr was a child prodigy...
.
Musical career
In the beginning, her family was reluctant to allow her to pursue a career in entertainment because it was not appreciated for women at the time in Iran. However, Mahasti overcame this stigma by providing Iran with a new image for women within the entertainment industry. She was an image of a "gentle-womanGentlewoman
A gentlewoman in the original and strict sense is a woman of good family, analogous to the Latin generosus and generosa...
", a lady with great manners. Her enormous success in music opened the way for many other women, including her older sister, Hayedeh
Hayedeh
Hayedeh born Ma'soumeh Dadehbala , was a Persian classical and Pop singer with a contralto vocal range. In a career spanning more than 20 years, she had many hits...
, who started her work about 5 years after Mahasti. The two sisters made tremendous contributions to improving the image of female singers in Iran and in making the transition of Iranian music from where it was then, to where it is now.
Mahasti's career was remarkable. In 2005, she was awarded the Persian Female Pop-Classic Vocalist of Excellence by the World Academy of Arts, Literature and Media (formerly Persian Academy Awards) for over 40 years of top performance in Persian pop music. She sang more than 400 songs, contributed to more than 200 music albums with other Persian singers, and produced more than 35 music albums in which she was the only singer. In her albums she has worked with several other singers, including Hayedeh
Hayedeh
Hayedeh born Ma'soumeh Dadehbala , was a Persian classical and Pop singer with a contralto vocal range. In a career spanning more than 20 years, she had many hits...
(her sister), Sattar, Akbar Golpaygani (Golpa), Iraj (Hossein Khajeh Amiri)
Hossein Khajeh Amiri
Iraj , was born on the 2nd day of January, year 1932, in Khaled Abad a small town located 55 kilometers west of Kashan, Iran. He began his musical career at the age of 6 by practicing traditional Persian singing under his father's direction...
, Mahmoodi Khansari, Aref
Aref (Aref Arefkia)
Aref Arefkia, known as Aref , born August 10, 1941 in Miyaneh, Iran, is an Iranian-born pop singer. Aref’s first introduction to music came in part from his Azari mother listening to Radio Baku as a child. Radio Baku played Azari and Western music as well as European operas in that time...
, Moein
Moein
Nasrollah Moein known as Moein is an Iranian singer known for his love songs. Born in 1951 in Najaf Abad in Esfahan, he has played lots of concerts across the world...
, Shahram Solati, Faramarz Asef, Homeyra
Homeyra
Parvaneh Amir-Afshari also known as Homeyra is an Iranian singer. She is a veteran celebrity of Iran's Golden Years of music. Her voice has been measured to span three octaves.-Early life:...
, Hasan Shamaeizadeh, and Sadegh Nojooki.
Personal life
Mahsati's parents got divorced and got married to other people. When she wanted to pursue a career of singing her parents weren't happy because of Society's look upon female singers at the time.Mahasti married Kouros Nazemiyan and gave birth to her only child, Sahar. Mahasti and her family lived in Abadan
Abadan
Abadan is a city in and the capital of Abadan County, Khuzestan Province, Iran. It lies on Abadan Island , from the Persian Gulf, near the Iraqi-Iran border. The civilian population of the city dropped to near zero during the eight-years Iran–Iraq War. In 1992, only 84,774 had returned to live...
for several years , finally moving back to Tehran. Her marriage with Nazemiyan ultimately ended in divorce. Nazemiyan was executed by the Revolutionary Court of the new Islamic Republic shortly after revolution. Several years later she re-married to Bahram Sanandaji, owner of a shoe factory, however their marriage also ended.
In 1978, Just before the Iranian Revolution
Iranian Revolution
The Iranian Revolution refers to events involving the overthrow of Iran's monarchy under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and its replacement with an Islamic republic under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of the...
she emigrated to the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and then to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
where she lived thereafter.
Death
In March 2007, Mahasti publicly announced that she had been battling colon cancer for four years. She hoped that her experience would raise awareness within the Iranian community regarding cancer and the significance of constant physical examinations. She was then living in Santa Rosa, CaliforniaSanta Rosa, California
Santa Rosa is the county seat of Sonoma County, California, United States. The 2010 census reported a population of 167,815. Santa Rosa is the largest city in California's Wine Country and fifth largest city in the San Francisco Bay Area, after San Jose, San Francisco, Oakland, and Fremont and 26th...
with her daughter, Sahar. She died at 7:52 AM on June 25, 2007 in Santa Rosa.
Mahasti was interred at the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery
Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery
The Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery is a cemetery in the Westwood Village area of Los Angeles, California. It is located at 1218 Glendon Avenue in Westwood....
in Westwood, California
Westwood, Los Angeles, California
Westwood is a neighborhood on the Westside of Los Angeles, California, United States. It is the home of the University of California, Los Angeles .-History:...
on June 29, 2007 the same cemetery where her sister Hayedeh
Hayedeh
Hayedeh born Ma'soumeh Dadehbala , was a Persian classical and Pop singer with a contralto vocal range. In a career spanning more than 20 years, she had many hits...
was also buried at. Her funeral was broadcast live on Persian Broadcasting Company "Tapesh" and was attended by many Persian celebrities and stars and other artists including the mayor of Beverly Hills Jimmy Delshad
Jimmy Delshad
Jamshid "Jimmy" Delshad is an Iranian-American politician in the state of California. He became Mayor of Beverly Hills on March 21, 2007 and again on March 16, 2010. He is the first Iranian-American to hold public office in Beverly Hills.-Biography:...
and designer Bijan Pakzad.
Albums
- 1991: Deldadeh
- 1991: Gol-haye Ranga-Rang
- 1991: Sepedeh Dam
- 1991: Ziafat
- 1992: Album 2
- 1992: Asir
- 1992: Mosafer
- 1993: Ghasam
- 1993: Moj
- 1994: Nameh
- 1994: Ashofteh
- 1994: Beganneh
- 1994: Havay Yaar
- 1995: Parandeha (with Leila ForouharLeila ForouharLeila Forouhar is a singer and actress from Iran. She relocated to Los Angeles after the Iranian Revolution.-Career:Leila is the daughter of the late Iranian actor Jahangir Forouhar, who had already established a solid background in the Iranian entertainment industry by the early 1970s. She speaks...
, Shahram Solati) - 1995: Haghe-ghat
- 1996: Bazm Mahasty & Sattar
- 1996: Labkhand
- 1998: Havay Ashegee
- 1999: Avazak
- 1999: Hamesh Ashgh
- 1999: Tou Bezan ta Man Beraghsam
- 2000: Avay Deldadegan
- 2001: Gole Gandom (with Sattar)
- 2003: Evergreen
- 2005: Az Khoda Khasteh
External links
- http://www.cloob.com/clubname/mahastyclub
- Mahasti Picture Gallery - www.parstimes.com
- MAHASTI, The Acclaimed Iranian Singer, Dies at 60 in California - www.payvand.com
- Mahasti profile - www.iranian.com
- Mahasti Memorial Services - www.parstimes.com
- Mahasti Discography - music.tirip.com
- Mahasti's Music-Videos
- Mahasti website