Eftekhar Dadehbala), and others Eftekhar ( fa, افتخار). ( fa, افتخار دده‌بالا; 16 November 1946 – 25 June 2007), known by her stage name Mahasti ( fa, مهستی), was an Iranian singer of Persian classical,

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Folk Plus or Fol ...

, and

pop music Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. The terms ''popular music'' and ''pop music'' are often used interchangeably, although the former describe ...

with a

mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano or mezzo (; ; meaning "half soprano") is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. The mezzo-soprano's vocal range usually extends from the A below middle C ...

vocal range. She was active for more than four decades.

Early life and career

Khadijeh (Eftekhar) Dadehbala was born on 16 November 1946, 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 ...

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

. She was the younger sister of Iranian singer

Hayedeh Ma'soumeh Dadehbala ( fa, معصومه دده‌بالا; 10 April 1942 – 20 January 1990), known professionally as Hayedeh ( fa, هایده), was an Iranian singer with a contralto vocal range. Known for her wide range of voice, her career span ...

. Their parents later divorced and married other people. Mahasti started her career on the

Persian traditional music Persian traditional music or Iranian traditional music, also known as Persian classical music or Iranian classical music, refers to the classical music of Iran (also known as ''Persia''). It consists of characteristics developed through the coun ...

radio program " Gol hâ ye Rangârang" ( fa, گلهای رنگارنگ "Colorful Flowers") in 1963, with the song "Ân ke Delam Râ Borde Khodâyâ" ( fa, آنكه دلم را برده خدایا) composed and arranged by maestro

Parviz Yahaghi Parviz Yahaghi ( fa , پرویز یاحقی ) (September 23, 1935 – February 2, 2007) was a distinguished Iranian composer and violinist. He resided in Tehran city for practically his whole life, and was born and died there. His birth name was ...

with lyrics by Bijan Taraghi. In the beginning, Mahasti's family was reluctant to allow her to pursue a career in entertainment because it was not an appreciated career for women in Iran at that time. However, Mahasti overcame this stigma providing Iran with a new image for women within the entertainment industry. Mahasti created an image of a "gentle-woman" singer, a lady with great manners. Her enormous success in music opened the pathway for many other women, including her elder sister, Hayedeh, who started her work 5 years after Mahasti. The two sisters had tremendous contributions to improving the image of female singers in Iran and in transitioning the Iranian music from where it was to where it is now. In 1978, before the

Iranian 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 dynas ...

. she emigrated to the United Kingdom, and then to the United States in 1981, where she lived thereafter.

Death and burial

Grave of Mahasti at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery

In March 2007, Mahasti publicly announced that she had been battling

colon cancer Colorectal cancer (CRC), also known as bowel cancer, colon cancer, or rectal cancer, is the development of cancer from the colon or rectum (parts of the large intestine). Signs and symptoms may include blood in the stool, a change in bowel mo ...

for four years. She hoped that her experience would raise awareness within the Iranian community regarding cancer and the importance of regular physical examinations. She was then living in

Santa Rosa, California Santa Rosa (Spanish language, Spanish for "Rose of Lima, Saint Rose") is a city and the county seat of Sonoma County, California, Sonoma County, in the North Bay (San Francisco Bay Area), North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, Bay Area ...

with her daughter, Sahar, her husband, Naser, and their two children, Natasha and Natalie, her only grandchildren. She died on 25 June 2007, aged 60, in Santa Rosa. Mahasti was interred at the

Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park & Mortuary is a cemetery and mortuary located in the Westwood Village area of Los Angeles. It is located at 1218 Glendon Avenue in Westwood, with an entrance from Glendon Avenue. The cemetery was ...

Westwood, California Westwood is a census-designated place (CDP) in Lassen County, California, United States. Westwood is located 20 miles (32 km) west-southwest of Susanville, at an elevation of 5,128 feet (1,563 m). Its population is 1,541 as of the 2020 cens ...

on 29 June 2007, the same cemetery where her sister Hayedeh was also buried. 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.

Discography

Albums

* ''Parandeye Mohajer'' (1981) * ''Eyde Shoma Mobarak'' (1982) with

Sattar Sattar ( ar, ستار ) is a male Muslim given name and surname. It occurs in the compound form *Abdul Sattar, where further details can be found. People with the name in its simple form include: Given name *Sattar (singer) (born 1949) birth n ...

& Manoucher Cheshmazar * ''Moj'' (1983) * ''Yeki Ra Doost Midaram'' (1983) with Hayedeh & Houshmand Aghili * ''Asheghaneha (1983)'' with Hayedeh * ''Zendegi (1985)'' with Hayedeh * ''Tou Bezan ta Man Beraghsam'' (1985) * ''Gol-haye Ranga-Rang'' (1988) * ''Sepideh Dam'' (1990) * ''Masti'' (1990) * ''Asir'' (1990) * ''Ziyafat'' (1991) * ''Mosafer'' (1991) * ''Ghasam'' (1993) * ''Gole Omid'' (1993) * ''Nameh'' (1994) * ''Ashofteh'' (1994) * ''Beganneh'' (1994) * ''Havay Yaar'' (1994) * ''Parandeha'' (1995, with

Leila Forouhar Leila Forouhar ( fa, لیلا فروهر, ''Leilâ Foruhar'') (born 23 February 1959) is an Iranian pop and classical singer. She was a child star, acting from the age of 3. She relocated to next door Turkey in 1986, then to Paris, before emigrat ...

Shahram Solati Shahram ( persian, شهرام) is a masculine Persian given name. The name is made of two parts, 'shah' meaning king and 'ram' meaning doe (female deer). The meaning behind a "king of female deer" implies a benevolent ruler who cares for their sub ...

) * ''Hagheghat'' (1995) * ''Bazm Mahasty & Sattar'' (1996) * ''Saraabe Eshgh'' (1996) * ''Labkhand'' (1996) with Shahram Solati * ''Havaye Asheghi'' (1998) * ''Avazak'' (1999) * ''Hamishe Ashegh'' (1999) * ''Gole Gandom'' (2000, with Sattar) * ''Deldadeh'' (2001) * ''Hamisheh Sabz'' (2003) * ''Az Khoda Khasteh'' (2004) Also appeared on: *''Khatereh 2'' (1983) with Hayedeh &

Homeyra ) , alias = Homeyra, Homayra, Homeira , birth_date = , birth_place = Tehran, Imperial Iran , origin = , genre = Persian traditional music, Fusion music, Pop music , occupation = Singer , ...

*''Nargez Shiraz''(1984) with Sattar, Hayedeh *''Entekhabi 2 (Sarbaz Kocholoo)'' (1984) *''Entekhabi 3 (Ghanari)'' (1985) *''Khatereh 4'' (1985) with

Ebi Ebrahim Hamedi ( fa, اِبراهیم حامدی, also Romanized as "Ebrāhim Hāmedi"; born 1949), better known by his stage name Ebi (Persian: ), is an Iranian pop singer who first started his career in Tehran, gaining fame as part of a ban ...

, Sattar, Hayedeh *''Khatereh 5'' (1986) with Hayedeh,

Sadegh Nojouki Sadegh Nojouki ( fa, صادق نوجوکی; born February 11, 1950 in Tehran) is a famous Iranian musician, composer, arranger, and pianist of Persian classical and pop music. He is credited for the use of string orchestra and piano for first tim ...

, Hooshmand Aghili *''Entekhabi 7 (Gozashtehaye Shirin)'' (1986) *''Entekhabi 8 (Kieh Kieh)'' (1986) *''Entekhabi 9 (Ya Mowla)'' (1987) *''Tanine Solh'' (1987) *''Saghare Hasti'' (1987) with

Moein Moeen or Moein or Moien is a given name and surname. It is a Quranic name which means: helper, supporter, or provider of refuge. Notable persons with the name include: Persons with the given name * Moein (singer) (born 1951), Iranian singer * ...

, Hayedeh, Bahram Forouhar *''Ganjineh 1'' (1987) with Moein, Sattar, Hayedeh *''Parastooha'' (1988) with Sattar, Hayedeh *''Entekhabi 11 (Bi Nazir)'' (1991) *''Hamsafare Eshgh'' (1993) with Sattar, Delaram, Fataneh, Ahmad Azad *''Khaneh Ashgegh Koojast'' (1993) with Homeyra, Sattar, Shohreh,

Martik Martik Qarah Khanian ( fa, مارتیک قره‌خانیان; born 17 July 1949), known mononymously as Martik (Armenian: Մարտիկ), is an Iranian Armenian singer and songwriter. Discography Studio albums * ''Martik 1'' 1977 Avang * ''T ...

, Emad Ram

Singles

* 2007: Music (with Leila Forouhar,

Andy Andy may refer to: People * Andy (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Horace Andy (born 1951), Jamaican roots reggae songwriter and singer born Horace Hinds * Katja Andy (1907–2013), German-American pianist and pi ...

Aref Arif or Aref may refer to: *Arif, a local name for the Rif mountains in northern Morocco * Arif (given name) * Arif (surname) *‘arif, a concept in Sufism, see Ma'rifa Maʿrifa (Arabic: “interior knowledge”) is the mystical knowledge of God ...

)

Notes

References

External links

* * {{Authority control 1946 births 2007 deaths People from Tehran Singers from Tehran 20th-century singers Iranian folk singers Iranian women singers Caltex Records artists Women singers on Golha Persian-language singers Iranian classical singers Iranian women pop singers Iranian singer-songwriters 20th-century women singers Deaths from colorectal cancer Deaths from cancer in California 20th-century Iranian women singers American people of Iranian descent Iranian emigrants to the United States Iranian emigrants to the United Kingdom Burials at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery Exiles of the Iranian Revolution in the United States Exiles of the Iranian Revolution in the United Kingdom