Shohreh Solati

Fatemeh Solati (, born January 4, 1959), better known as Shohreh , is an Iranian singer. With nearly 50 years in the pop music industry, she has released 32 albums and performed approximately 300 songs. She is the younger sister of Shahram Solati, another Iranian singer.

Shohreh was born in the neighborhood of Tehran. At the age of seven, she discovered her passion for music and, with her family’s support, attended the National Conservatory of Music, where she studied voice, piano, flute, and clarinet.

Career

Pre-Revolution At 15, Shohreh developed an interest in artistic pursuits. Her debut song, Dokhtar-e Mashreghi, with lyrics by Mansour Tehrani and music by Mohammad Shams, marked her entry into the music scene. She gained prominence with the song To Ke Nisti, composed by Arash Sezavar. Following her entry into pop music, she secured contracts with companies, and her image appeared on the covers of weekly magazines. Before the Iranian Revolution, she collaborated with composers such as Mohammad Shams, Parviz Maghsadi, Babak Bayat, Amir Aram, Siavash Ghomeyshi, Arash Sezavar, and Fereydoun Khoshnoud, as well as arrangers like Eric Arcont and Andranik. She also appeared multiple times on Fereydoun Farrokhzad’s television show Mikhak-e Nogreh.

Shohreh also pursued a cinematic career, acting alongside Dariush in the film Faryad Zire Ab. She recorded a song titled Shabgard with Dariush for the unfinished film Badam-haye Talkh, which was later released independently after the film’s cancellation. In 1977, she co-hosted a television show called Setareh-ye Baran with Saeed Kangarani.

In September 1978, before the Islamic Revolution, Shohreh traveled to the United States for a concert with Shahram Shabpareh and remained there due to the political changes in Iran. She initially stayed in New York before relocating to Los Angeles.

Post-Revolution

Marriage After the revolution, Shohreh remained in the United States and married Khosrow Naybi. They had a daughter named Tannaz, but the marriage ended in divorce, and Shohreh did not remarry.

Works in the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s Shohreh is recognized as one of the most prolific and highest-earning female Iranian singers, having performed around 300 songs and released 32 albums, both solo and collaborative. Over the past five decades, she has been one of the most influential figures in Iranian pop music and among the most popular female singers in the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s.

1980s Her first song recorded in Los Angeles, Sargashteh, featured lyrics by Rumi and music and arrangement by Babak Afshar. Albums such as Telesm, Salam, Sheytoonak, Yeki Yekdooneh, and Marmar were released during this decade. Memorable songs from this period include Tolo, Salam, Aroosi, Sheytoonak, Kalaagh-e Dom-Siah, Shab-e She’r, and Yeki Yekdooneh. During this time, she collaborated with prominent Iranian composers like Hassan Shamaizadeh, Siavash Ghomeyshi, Manouchehr Cheshmazar, and Sadegh Nojouki, as well as lyricists such as Masoud Amini, Bijan Samandar, and Leila Kasra, and arrangers including Manouchehr Cheshmazar, Sadegh Nojouki, and Abdi Yamini.

1990s The 1990s marked the peak of the “six-and-eight” (shish-o-hasht) music style, with Shohreh, alongside Shahram Shabpareh, Hassan Shamaizadeh, Moein, and Andy, being among the leading artists in this genre. Her popular song Aksasho Paareh Kardam was released during this period. Shohreh reached the height of her career with upbeat six-and-eight songs. Albums such as Seda-ye Pa, Hamnafas, Jomeh be Jomeh, Mehman, Panjereha, and Sayeh-ye Shoma featured her mega-hit songs. These albums were composed by Sadegh Nojouki, Mohammad Moghadam, Hassan Shamaizadeh, Farid Zoland, and Mehrdad Asemani, with lyrics by Masoud Fardmanesh, Homa Mirafshar, Homayoun Hoshiyarnejad, and Ardalan Sarfaraz, and arrangements by Sadegh Nojouki, Mohammad Moghadam, and Manouchehr Cheshmazar.

2000s In the 2000s, Shohreh moved away from the six-and-eight style, focusing on slower, trance, techno, and house music genres. Sadegh Nojouki’s name no longer appeared in her works, with Jacqueline becoming her primary composer. During this decade, she released five albums: Atr, Safar, Pishooni, Havas, and Ashegham, with contributions from composers Jacqueline, Mohammad Moghadam, Farid Zoland, and Mehrdad Asemani, lyricists Jacqueline, Masoud Fardmanesh, and Ardalan Sarfaraz, and arrangers Farid Zoland, Mohammad Moghadam, Schubert Avakian, and Shahyad. Manouchehr Cheshmazar, prominent in her 1980s and 1990s works, contributed to only five arrangements in this decade.

2010s to Present During this period, Shohreh did not release any albums, as the focus in the 2010s shifted to singles rather than full albums. Los Angeles-based composers, lyricists, and arrangers were no longer prominent in her work. Instead, she collaborated with young, enthusiastic Iranian composers based in Iran. From 2009 to the present, she has recorded 40 singles.

Controversies

Performance of Kalaagh-e Dom-Siah In 2019, a video surfaced of a woman named Negar Moazzam performing Shohreh's song Kalaagh-e Dom-Siah during a tourism tour in the village of Abyaneh. The video went viral on social media, with users describing it as one of the "beauties of Iran".

However, it provoked negative reactions from judicial authorities and traditional clerics. Moazzam was summoned by the Natanz Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor's Office and sentenced to one year in prison for "unauthorized singing". Later, after the prosecutor declared her a fugitive, Moazzam appeared on stage with Shohreh in Turkey, performing Kalaagh-e Dom-Siah and several other songs together.

Discography Source: 1976: Dokhtar-e-Mashreghi 1984: Telesm (with Shahram Shabpareh) 1987: Salam 1987: Sheytoonak 1989: Yeki Yekdooneh (with Shahram Solati) 1990: Mix 1990: Marmar (with Dariush Eghbali, Ebi, and Farzin) 1991: Gereftar 1991: Sedaye Paa 1992: Khatereh 7 (with Moein) 1992: Ham Nafas 1993: Jaan Jaan 1993: Sekeh Tala (with Shahram Solati and Hassan) 1993: Mehmoon''' (with Martik) 1994: Panjereha (with Shahram Solati) 1994: Zan 1996: Joomeh Be Joomeh 1996: Nemizaram Beri (with Shahram Solati and Hassan Sattar) 1996: Ghesseh Goo 1996: Love Songs 1 1999: Aksaasho Paareh Kardam 1999: Sayeh 2000: Hekayat 5 (with Masoud Fardmanesh) 2001: Atr 2002: Safar 2003: Pishooni 2004: Yaram Koo? (with Faramarz Aslani and Siavash Ghomeishi)

+Shohreh's Top Songs (Zirishk Poll 2006) RANK SONG ALBUM YEAR1 Dokhtar-e-Mashreghi Dokhtar-e-Mashreghi 19762 Tab Ghessehgoo 19963 Ghessehgoo I & II Ghessehgoo 1996 4 Ayeneh Panjereha 1994 5 Aksasho Pare Kardam Sedaye Pa 1991 6 Peyghaam Sayeh 1999 7 Safar Safar 2002 8 Sar Beh Hava Havas 2005 9 Gharibeh Aashegh Mehmoon 1993 10 Nasoozi Sayeh 1999 11 Atish Pishooni 2003 12 Ayeneh Zan 1994 13 Salam Salam 1985 14 Bemiram Ham Nafas 1992 15 Boghz Safar 2002

ReferencesHavas DVD. Nava Media Co. June 2005. Shohreh's Exclusive InterviewTehran'' Magazine. Forouhar, Shohreh, or Helen: Whom Would You Pick as Best? Issue 479. Page 72–73.