Hayedeh

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هایده Hayedeh
Image used on Hayedeh's album "Shab Eshgh" (Photo by Saeed Noushinfar, Source: Javanan Magazine)
Background information
Birth name	Hayedeh
Born	1942 Tehran, Iran
Died	January 20, 1990 Los Angeles, USA
Genre(s)	Persian classical Persian Pop
Occupation(s)	Singer
Years active	1968–1990
Label(s)	Taraneh Records Apolon Records Caltex Records

Hayedeh (also transcribed Haideh or Haydeh; Persian: هایده‎ ; (1942 - January 20, 1990) was a Persian pop and classical singer who died in exile some hours after one of her performances.

1 Early career
2 The 1979 Revolution and immigration to the West
3 Hayedeh in exile
4 Death
5 References

[edit] Early career

Hayedeh was born in the Iranian capital, Tehran. Her career began as a singer on a Tehran Radio program called Gol-ha-ye Rangarang (Colorful Flowers) directed by Davood Pirnia. She studied Avaz (Persian vocal music) with the great Persian violinist and composer Ali Tajvidi. "Azadeh" (music by A. Tajvidi, lyrics by Rahi Moayeri) became Hayedeh's first hit, performed on Radio Tehran with the Gol-ha Orchestra in 1968. Apalon Records in Tehran released "Azadeh".

Hayedeh and Anoushiravan Rohani at the National Iranian Radio and TV, Tehran, 1975 (Photo from Persian Weekly Tamasha)

In the 1970s Hayedah added Persian pop music to her classical Persian repertoire. In the course of her career Hayedeh worked with several composers and songwriters, such as Ali Tajvidi, Farid Zoland, Anoushiravan Rohani, Sadegh Nojuki, Andranik and Mohammad Heydari. Prominent lyricists she worked with included Esmaeel Navabe Safa, Bijan Taraghi, Leila Kasra (aka Hadieh), Homa Mir-Afshar and Ardalan Sarfaraz.

[edit] The 1979 Revolution and immigration to the West

Shortly before the Iranian Revolution in 1979, Hayedeh emigrated to the United Kingdom. She moved on to the United States in 1982 to continue her career.

From 1982 until the end of her life, Hayedeh lived in Los Angeles near her sister, Mahasti, also a well-known Persian singer. The growth of the Persian-American community in Southern California (due to the increasing number of Persians leaving Iran after the Islamic Revolution) bolstered Hayedeh's career in the 1980s. Hayedeh's political and nostalgic songs such as "Rouza-ye Roshan Khodahafez" ("Goodbye Daylight") and "Faryad" ("Cry") became very popular with the Persian exile community. Taraneh Records, Pars Video, MZM and Caltex Records - four California-based leading Persian music companies - released most of her songs.

According to Prof. Erik Nakhjavani in Encyclopedia Iranica: "Analogues to Delkash, before her, Hayedeh sang with technical authority and passionate energy. Her laryngeal control made it possible for her to produce a series of graceful vibrato and glissando vocalizations required by the Avaz [Persian voal music]. She could smoothly pass from the upper reaches of her alto voice to the lower, fuller, and darker range of the contralto. This mixture of strong laryngeal strength and learned vocal technique gave her alto-contralto voice a rare, powerful resonance and texture in the performance of the Avaz. Furthermore an acute sense for musical timing, the rhythmic flow of vocal music, affective musical phrasing, and poetic delivery enabled her to express and interpret effectively any songs she sang."

[edit] Hayedeh in exile

CD cover of Azadeh (Hayedeh's first hit); originally released as an LP by Apolon Records in 1968 in Tehran, and re-released years later by Caltex Records in California

In the 1980s Hayedeh regularly appeared in programs on the Los Angeles-based Jaam-e Jam TV founded by Manouchehr Bibiyan and a few other Persian artists in exile. In addition to criticizing Iran's fundamentalist régime on the programs, she also receorded at Jaam-e Jam Studio more than 40 music videos which were secretly distributed in Persia. Hayedeh also twice traveled to London and gave two concerts alongside a complete orchestra (conducted by Farnoush Behzad) at the Royal Albert Hall. She also once appeared at UCLA with a Persian instrumental ensemble led by Manouchehr Sadeghi. She also gave a concert in Israel, home to thousands of Persian Jewish immigrants.

[edit] Death

Hayedeh died at the age of 47 from a heart attack due to a drug overdose some hours after a concert at the Casablanca Club in San Francisco, California. Sadly, like many other prominent Persian singers, Hayedeh had involved herself with alcohol and drugs, which lead to poor health shortly before her death. Khosrow Motarjemi, a Persian IT expert in California, reportedly made a video of this concert, which was released privately and has reached the hands of many fans. Hayedeh told people that night, "The life is like an express train and we have to use our time... I am going to God's House; who knows what will be happened in future, perhaps I will not alive tomorrow...". Her last song of the performance was "Man Mikham Be Khoune-ye Khoda Beram" ("I want to go to God's House"). The lyricist of this song, Leila Kasra (Hedieh), died of cancer a few months before Hayedeh's death.

Hayedeh's funeral took place in Los Angeles' Westwood Cemetery: thousands of her fans attended.

Hayedeh's gravestone in Westwood Cemetry in Los Angeles (Photo by Arash Behtash)

Hayedeh married three times and left three children named Kamran, Keyvan and Noushin Nouri. They all live in the US and are not active in the music industry.