Dariush

Dariush Eghbali ranks among Iran’s most celebrated singers and songwriters, boasting a vast audience of devoted listeners. His signature warm, plaintive bass voice has defined both intimate ballads and pointed political anthems, while his parallel role as a social activist centers on directing the Ayeneh Foundation, a recovery center devoted to substance-abuse treatment. Born in Tehran on February 4, 1951, he passed his childhood alongside his family in Karaj and Kurdistan. Public introduction came in 1971 through Hassan Khayatbashi; the chart-topping single “Don’t Tell Me You Love Me” quickly earned him widespread acclaim within Iranian popular music. More than two hundred songs have followed, most exploring closely related themes.

Recordings issued before the 1979 Islamic Revolution consist chiefly of ballads, although a handful of political pieces appeared even then; the balance shifted decisively toward political material afterward. To date he has released as many as twenty-five albums, each enjoying at least modest success. Pre-Revolution singles have been gathered onto multiple compilation albums. Like nearly every Iranian musician who departed after the Revolution, his work conveys a profound longing to return home.

Throughout his career, Dariush has collaborated with lyricists Iraj Jannati Ataee, Ardalan Sarafraz, and Shahriar Ghanbari, as well as composers Ahmad Pejman, Farid Zoland, and Varoujan. He also maintains deep admiration for classical Persian poets Rumi and Hafez. Before the Revolution he appeared as an actor in two films, Yaran and Frayad Zir e Ab. In the late 1970s an apparently deranged admirer sprayed him with a caustic substance, resulting in hospitalization; morphine administered for pain led to addiction that persisted until specialists helped him break free in recent years. He and two physicians subsequently established the Ayeneh Foundation, which has achieved notable success treating addiction. Dariush has further created and taken part in radio and television programs designed to help individuals confront and overcome substance abuse.

He belongs to Amnesty International and has accepted multiple awards from the organization. Before the Revolution he was imprisoned for what he has described as his deep beliefs. In 1981, following the Revolution, he departed Iran for England. At a recent international music-video festival in Bahrain he received recognition for his portrayal of contemporary Iranian music.