Hassan Shamaizadeh (Iranian Singer)

Hassan Shamaizadeh (Persian: حسن شماعیزاده, also Romanized as Hasan-é Šamâ'izâde; born January 15, 1943, in Isfahan) is an Iranian pop music composer, singer, and instrumentalist. Initially, Shamaizadeh played the clarinet and other wind instruments before transitioning to composition, during which he also engaged with the piano and other instruments. Some of the most significant Iranian pop songs, performed by artists such as Googoosh, Shohreh Solati, Dariush, Moein, Homeyra, Hayedeh, Mahasti, Leila Forouhar, and Aref, among others, were composed by Shamaizadeh. Following the 1979 Iranian Revolution, he immigrated to the United States with his family, where he continued his career in composition and singing. Most of his works have been arranged by other Iranian musicians. Hassan Shamaizadeh was born on 22 November 1942 in Isfahan, Iran. He began his artistic career at the age of 13 as an instrumentalist in the orchestra of a theater in Isfahan. A graduate of Adab High School in Isfahan in 1962, he moved to Tehran to further his musical career. After working in theater for some time, he joined Radio Iran in 1966. Simultaneously, he performed in jazz and pop orchestras for younger audiences and collaborated with several Spanish orchestras, while also playing in Tehran’s radio and cultural centers. He briefly played the saxophone for the Black Cats band. Shamaizadeh started composing in 1972. He attributes his shift to composition to a neck disc condition caused by the physical strain of playing heavy brass instruments for extended periods (15–16 hours daily), which made it difficult to continue as an instrumentalist. His earliest compositions included Geryeh (performed by Amir Rasaei), Hala Kheili Direh (performed by Aref), and Nemiad (with lyrics by Arash Sezavar, performed by Googoosh), all released concurrently. During the 1970s, Shamaizadeh established himself as a prominent composer among his contemporaries, creating successful works for well-known artists such as Googoosh, Dariush, Shohreh, Ebi, Sattar, Farhad, Aref, Martik, Ramesh, Nooshafarin, and Moein. Notable among these is some of Googoosh’s most iconic songs. Another significant work from this period is Shekar, performed by Ebi, which won first place among 209 participants at the 1975 Istanbul Music Festival in Turkey. Shamaizadeh began singing in 1973 during a live performance on the Cheshmak television show on the last Friday of Mordad 1352 (August 1973). According to him, this debut was at the audience’s request. During the show, attended by Googoosh, Ardalan Sarfaraz, and Varoujan, he performed Mordab, with lyrics by Ardalan Sarfaraz and arrangement by Varoujan. The song became one of the most popular of its time, selling approximately 198,000 vinyl records, a remarkable achievement. His singing garnered significant attention, leading to the creation and performance of other popular songs, including Aghaghi (with lyrics by Shahyar Ghanbari), released in 1975. In 1975, a poll by Zan-e Rooz magazine named Shamaizadeh the best male singer and best composer of the year, with approximately 50,000 votes. One of the notable collaborations in Iranian pop music was the creative triangle formed by Ardalan Sarfaraz (lyricist), Hassan Shamaizadeh (composer), and Googoosh (singer). Some of their works were arranged by Varoujan. Together, they produced 17 songs, including well-known pieces such as Koli, Jaddeh, Kieh Kieh, Doorahi, Kooh, Bemoon ta Bemoonam, Gharib-e Ashna, Mordab, Kavir, Do Panjereh, and Man o Gonjeshk-haye Khooneh. Shamaizadeh and Sarfaraz also collaborated successfully with other singers, producing hits such as Cheshm-e Man o Dastay-e To (performed by Dariush) and Panjereh (performed by Moein). The 1979 Iranian Revolution ended this collaboration. Googoosh remained in Iran until 2000, while Sarfaraz and Shamaizadeh each immigrated to different countries. Shamaizadeh claims that, despite being released over five years (1973–1978), their collaborative songs were created during a brief one-year-and-eight-month period. Post-revolution, although a few works with Shamaizadeh’s music and Sarfaraz’s lyrics were released, their collaboration soon ceased. According to Sarfaraz, their professional paths had already diverged before the revolution. Shamaizadeh has expressed regret and surprise over Sarfaraz’s lack of communication in an interview with Behnood Mokri on the Shabahang program, without elaborating on any specific disputes. Following the 1979 Iranian Revolution, members of the People’s Fedayeen Guerrillas wrote slogans on Shamaizadeh’s house, stating, “Shamaizadeh, the capitalist, must be executed.” On 14 February 1979, a group attacked his home. Informed by a neighbor, Shamaizadeh hid in the residence of a military officer connected to the royal court and fled Iran the next day via an SOS flight, first to Copenhagen and then to the United States. He returned to Iran four months later, stayed for five months, and then left permanently, settling in Los Angeles. During the 1980s and 1990s, he was one of the most prolific Iranian pop artists, releasing 17 albums as a singer and composing extensively for other Iranian artists abroad. He played a key role in introducing second-generation Iranian pop singers such as Mansour, Omid, Susan Roshan, and Sheila. Shamaizadeh’s most extensive collaboration after Googoosh was with Shohreh Solati, producing 14 songs. Some of Shohreh’s most significant works, including Tolo, Kaghaz-e Sefid, Aroosi, Kelid, Ehsas-e Zan, Devooneh, Bemiram Ay Bemiram, Shenidam, Rah, and Be Ghorboonet Begardam, were composed by Shamaizadeh.They also performed Be Ghorboonet Begardam as a duet. Shohreh’s performance of Tolo made her one of the most prominent and popular female pop singers of the 1980s. Shamaizadeh’s compositions for Shohreh, such as Tolo, Kaghaz-e Sefid, and Kelid, are characterized by emotional and soaring melodies. These works were enhanced by collaborations with lyricists such as Bijan Samandar, Masoud Fardmanesh, Homayoun Hoshiyarnejad, Hoda Kordbagh, and Iraj Razmjoo. During this period, Shamaizadeh explored diverse and sometimes contrasting musical styles compared to his pre-revolution works, focusing increasingly on upbeat, rhythmic songs suitable for dance, such as Bishtar Bishtar, Damad, Yek Dokhtar Daram Shah Nadareh, Tavalod, and Aroosi. The popular song Pariya, performed by Shahram Shabpareh, was also composed during this time. In the 2000s, Shamaizadeh collaborated extensively with Babak Sahraei. Their most notable joint work was Hayahoo, released in the winter of 2011 with Shamaizadeh’s vocals. Other collaborative works include Sakhreh, Mamnoonam, Mahtab-e Naz-e Man, Az Koja Miay, To Cheshay-e Man Nega Kon, and Avazekhan Na Avaz (performed by Shamaizadeh); Jashn-e Ayeneh (performed by Pouya); To Ro Mikham (performed by Sheila); Eshgh-e Toofani and Atishbazi (performed by Susan Roshan); and Delhoreh (performed by Soroush). In an interview on the Greatest Hits program on Manoto TV, Shamaizadeh stated that many of his compositions were never performed due to the inability of lyricists to provide suitable lyrics. However, he noted that this issue was resolved through his collaboration with Babak Sahraei, who wrote lyrics that perfectly complemented his compositions. In 2006, Shamaizadeh announced that he would no longer compose for other artists and would only perform his own songs, citing feelings of being exploited and having his rights disregarded in his compositional work. However, in a 2012 interview with Behnood Mokri on Shabahang (Voice of America), he stated, “But Googoosh is different.” A year later, he revealed he was working with a young singer named Parisa, whose songs with his compositions were soon to be released. In an interview with Javanan magazine in the United States, Googoosh shared that she was deeply moved by Shamaizadeh’s Hayahoo and requested to perform it herself. Shamaizadeh agreed, and Googoosh recorded the song in