GOOGOOSH FACES UN-RETIREMENT: IRANIAN ICON WHO REFUSED TO PERFORM UNTIL REGIME FELL SPEAKS OUT AMIDST PROTESTS

Iranian legend Googoosh joined Chris Collins on “Books That Changed My Life” and announced her intention to retire until her home country was “rescued.”

LOS ANGELES, CA, UNITED STATES, January 6, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Protests Erupt as Ayatollah Eyes “Plan B” Flight to Moscow

A series of demonstrations that began in response to Iran’s collapsing currency has exploded into a tidal wave of anti-regime sentiment. Protests have spread to 220 locations; the confirmed death toll stands at 20, with more than 990 arrests. The theocratic regime has ordered security forces to crack down on the protests, but they are weighing their options. According to recent intelligence reports, Khamenei plans to flee the country if protests are not contained. Should that come to pass, the future of a brutally repressed nation becomes wide open.

Past Becomes Future: Iran as a Global Center of Culture

Before 1979, Iran was a global hub of creativity, with Googoosh at its center. With her recent press appearances, she hoped to leverage her superstardom to affect change in her country; so far, it appears to be working. In an Instagram post on January 4th, she offered her support to the protestors, writing, “the young men and women of our country will return Iran to its past glory days.”

“I knew my people. I knew that, deep down, they loved me as I loved them… Everything I did, every song I sang, it was for them.” - Googoosh on Books That Changed My Life.

Googoosh has always represented the road not travelled for Iran; her memory evokes a period of modernization, cosmopolitanism, and unrestrained artistry. Should the regime be toppled in these protests, Iran may make a much-awaited return to the world stage as a cultural locus. If that future should come to pass, there is no doubt that Googoosh would be leading the vanguard.

Siddhartha and Googoosh: Icon’s Favorite Book Mirrors Her Life

In her appearance on “Books That Changed My Life,” Googoosh reflected on how Herman Hesse’s masterpiece saw her through the horrors of the Revolution, the imposition of Sharia law, and her 21 years of forced silence. In many ways, her life has mirrored that of the titular Siddhartha. One passage in particular, the metaphor of the river, stuck out:

“This water ran and ran, incessantly it ran, and was nevertheless always there, was always and at all times the same, and yet new in every moment!” - Siddhartha, page 153.

Googoosh stands as a living representative of the free, artistic, modern current in Iran; that river has been suppressed for decades, but “incessantly it ran, and was nevertheless always there.” The icon herself “was always and at all times the same,” but in the wake of her 2000 return to the stage and recent pronouncements, “new in every moment.” Should the regime in Iran fall, there’s little doubt we will see Googoosh undergo another transformation, this time as an elder stateswoman in a newly unburdened cultural sphere.

About Books That Changed My Life
“Books That Changed My Life,” hosted by bestselling author Chris Collins, is a YouTube show exploring how great books transform us in profound and unexpected ways. Each episode features a special guest who shares a book that shaped or inspired them, sparking deep conversations that unearth profound personal stories.

Recent guests include R&B icon Eric Benét, former covert CIA officer Andrew Bustamante, Country music star Jordan Davis, legendary singer Melissa Manchester, Dancing With the Stars pro Jenna Johnson, and television superstar Kelsey Grammer.

Googoosh’s memoir, Googoosh: A Sinful Voice, is now available for purchase.

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Googoosh on Books That Changeed My Life

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