"When Sadegh Nojouki fled Tehran for California in the wake of the 1979 Iranian Revolution, he assumed he'd be back home before long. At 29, he'd already established himself as an innovative force in Persian pop music, known for composing songs with sumptuous string arrangements for Iran's most famous vocalists. It took several years before the realization set in that the regime had slammed shut the door to his musical calling for the foreseeable future."
"As the exiled Iranian music scene came to reside in Los Angeles, where Nojouki settled in the early 1980s, he gradually found his voice again. Or make that voices, as he became the collaborator of choice for a brilliant constellation of Persian pop stars (who are mostly known by a single moniker), including Googoosh, Hayedeh, Sattar, Homeyra, Mahasti, Ebi, Moein, Dariush, Omid, Martik and Vigen."
Sadegh Nojouki fled Tehran for California after the 1979 Iranian Revolution and initially expected to return home soon. He had been a prominent composer in Iran, known for sumptuous string arrangements for major vocalists. Early exile brought intense homesickness and a sense of anonymity in San Diego where Iranian communities were dispersed. The Iranian regime's restrictions closed off public musical life, banning music, dancing and mixed-gender assemblies. Nojouki later resettled in Los Angeles, reestablishing his career by blending classical Persian melodies with Western orchestration. He tailored arrangements to each singer's voice, collaborating with leading Persian pop stars and serving diasporic audiences longing for home.
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