Iranian pop star Googoosh on her new memoir and life in pre-revolution Iran

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Arts, Books

4.2 • 672 Ratings

🗓️ 22 January 2026

⏱️ 13 minutes

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Summary

The Iranian government has exerted forceful control over its citizens since the Islamic Republic seized power nearly 50 years ago. The pop star Googoosh has firsthand experience of opposition to the regime – and its consequences. In 1980, the singer was imprisoned and forced into a basement with other women after the government deemed her music sinful. Afterwards, she spent decades living in silence and exile. In today’s episode, she joins Here & Now’s Peter O’Dowd for a conversation about her new memoir, Googoosh: A Sinful Voice, and her relationship with Iran, then and now.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, it's Empire's Book of the Day. I'm Andrew Limbong. Gugush was a famous Iranian pop star.
0:07.8	The type of famous person people dressed up like, got their hair cut like. I say was because once
0:13.7	the revolution happened, she had to stop being a pop star. She was in prison for weeks and had to sign
0:19.1	a document saying she'd never sing or make music again.
0:23.4	She's got a memoir out telling her story titled Gagouche, A Sinful Voice.
0:28.0	And she talked to hearing us Peter O'Dowd about what Iran was like before the revolution
0:31.8	and what it means to her that people are still singing her songs today.
0:37.2	That's ahead.
0:38.5	Support for NPR comes from NPR member stations and Eric and Wendy Schmidt through the
0:44.2	Schmidt Family Foundation, working toward a healthy, resilient, secure world for all.
0:50.0	On the web at theshmit.org.
0:53.7	This year, on NPR's ThruLine,
0:56.6	life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness.
1:00.2	For centuries, America's pursuit has changed the world.
1:03.6	Now, 250 years later, who are we?
1:06.7	Where are we headed?
1:08.5	Join us every Tuesday for a brand new series, America in Pursuit.
1:12.9	On ThruLine, listen on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.
1:17.7	Protesters in Iran, furious over the state of the economy, continue to clash with police.
1:23.2	The currency is collapsing under Western sanctions.
1:26.3	Inflation is soaring.
1:28.1	Theocratic government has flexed tight control over its citizens
	...

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