Dariush Eghbali ( fa, داریوش اقبالی ), known mononymously as Dariush (), is an Iranian singer.

Biography

Childhood and Youth

Dariush was born in

Tehran Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...

to parents from Mianeh on 4 February 1951. He spent his early years in Mianeh,

Karaj Karaj ( fa, کرج, ) is the capital of Alborz Province, Iran, and effectively a satellite city of Tehran. Although the county hosts a population around 1.97 million, as recorded in the 2016 census, most of the county is rugged mountain. The urb ...

and his musical talent was first recognized at age nine when he appeared on stage at his school. Hassan Khayatbashi introduced him to the public at age 20 through Iranian national television. He gained popularity for his song "Don't Tell Me You Love Me". (

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

: به من نگو دوست دارم )

Before the Islamic Revolution

Before the

Islamic Revolution The Iranian Revolution ( fa, انقلاب ایران, Enqelâb-e Irân, ), also known as the Islamic Revolution ( fa, انقلاب اسلامی, Enqelâb-e Eslâmī), was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dyna ...

in Iran, Dariush was named the most popular singer in Iran by a youth magazine in 1977. Dariush also worked with many famous pre-revolution songwriters in Iran.

Imprisonment

During the rule of Shah Mohammadreza Pahlavi, Darisuh was arrested and sentenced to prison many several times because he sang political songs. Such songs include Jangal, Bonbast, and Booye Gandom. During his first sentence, Parvis Sabeti said that after an officer of the crown arrested him, he was kept in

solitary confinement Solitary confinement is a form of imprisonment in which the inmate lives in a single cell with little or no meaningful contact with other people. A prison may enforce stricter measures to control contraband on a solitary prisoner and use additi ...

for 6 months. He was then released after a total of 9 months in prison. In total, he was in prison for 26 months during the Mohammadreza Pahlavi era.

After the Islamic Revolution

After the

, Dariush left Iran in 1978 and became a part of the diasporic music scene in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. His work consists of over 208 songs in over 27 albums. He has also performed in two Iranian movies. Dariush's song "Dastaye To (Your Hands)" was named as the most enduring song in Iranian music history by Manoto TV.

Ethnomusicology Ethnomusicology is the study of music from the cultural and social aspects of the people who make it. It encompasses distinct theoretical and methodical approaches that emphasize cultural, social, material, cognitive, biological, and other dim ...

Professor Farzaneh Hemmasi has described Dariush as "the best-loved popular musician of his generation" alongside

Googoosh Faegheh Atashin ( fa, فائقه آتشین; born 5 May 1950), known professionally as Googoosh ( fa, گوگوش, ), is an Iranian singer and former actress. One of the most popular and prolific entertainers in Iran, her career has spanned over ...

. His new songs protested Iran's new political system, which caused his popularity to grow even more, making him one of the most well known Iranian singers. Also, while staying in

, he supported all Iranians who sought asylum.

Addiction

Dariush suffered through a

heroin Heroin, also known as diacetylmorphine and diamorphine among other names, is a potent opioid mainly used as a recreational drug for its euphoric effects. Medical grade diamorphine is used as a pure hydrochloride salt. Various white and brow ...

addiction ever since his first imprisonment. In the year 2000 Dariush quit heroin, and sang a song titled ''Silent Miracle'' (

: ''معجزه خاموش''). The song references a turning point in his life, where he is through with being addicted. Dariush launched his recovery site, https://www.ayeneh.org/, (ayeneh translates to mirror in

) which marked history as the first ever website to help Iranian addicts and their families. Then, he started his Ayeneh foundation (mirror foundation in

) to help Iranian addicts. His foundation has helped 40,000 Iranians quit addiction so far.

Philanthropy

The Ayeneh (Mirror) Foundation was established by Dariush aimed at helping addicts recover. The Ayeneh foundation broadcasts radio and television programs to help addicts and their families. They also set up various seminars to help families. Dariush is a member of

Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says it has more than ten million members and sup ...

. Dariush helps Amnesty International by focusing efforts on Iranian asylum seekers, as well as saving working children.

Personal life

He is married to Venus Eghbali.

References

External links

Official Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dariush 1951 births Living people Iranian exiles Iranian bloggers Iranian activists People from Tehran People from Mianeh Acid attack victims Iranian pop singers Singers from Tehran Iranian male singers Iranian rock singers Iranian Azerbaijanis Iranian Shia Muslims Musicians from Tehran Caltex Records artists Taraneh Records artists Persian-language singers Iranian singer-songwriters Azerbaijani-language singers Iranian prisoners and detainees Prisoners and detainees of Iran 20th-century Iranian male singers American people of Azerbaijani descent