Eftekhar Dadehbala (November 16, 1946 – June 25, 2007), known by her stage name Mahasti (مهستی), was an Iranian singer of Persian classical, folk, and pop music with a mezzo-soprano vocal range. She was active for more than four decades.

Early life and career

Khadijeh Eftekhar Dadehbala was born on November 16, 1946, in Tehran, Iran. She was the younger sister of Iranian singer Hayedeh. Their parents later divorced and married other people. Mahasti started her career on the Persian traditional music radio program "Gol hâ ye Rangârang" ( "Colorful Flowers") in 1963, with the song "Ân ke Delam Râ Borde Khodâyâ" composed and arranged by maestro Parviz Yahaghi with lyrics by Bijan Taraghi. In the beginning, Mahasti's family was reluctant to allow her to pursue a career in entertainment because it was not an appreciated career for women in Iran at that time. However, Mahasti overcame this stigma providing Iran with a new image for women within the entertainment industry. Mahasti created an image of a "gentle-woman" singer, a lady with great manners. Her enormous success in music opened the pathway for many other women, including her elder sister, Hayedeh, who started her work 5 years after Mahasti. The two sisters had tremendous contributions to improving the image of female singers in Iran and in transitioning the Iranian music from where it was to where it is now. In 1979, before the Iranian Revolution. she emigrated to the United Kingdom, and then to the United States in 1981, where she lived thereafter.

Death and burial

In March 2007, Mahasti publicly announced that she had been battling colon cancer for four years. She hoped that her experience would raise awareness within the Iranian community regarding cancer and the importance of regular physical examinations. She was then living in Santa Rosa, California with her daughter, Sahar, her husband, Naser, and their two children, Natasha and Natalie, her only grandchildren. She died on June 25, 2007, aged 60, in Santa Rosa. Mahasti was interred at the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Westwood, California on June 29, 2007, the same cemetery where her sister Hayedeh was also buried. Her funeral was broadcast live on Persian Broadcasting Company Tapesh and was attended by many Persian celebrities and stars and other artists including the mayor of Beverly Hills Jimmy Delshad and designer Bijan Pakzad. Every year, her fans honor her memory on her birthday or the anniversary of her death in the virtual space or at her grave.

Discography

Albums

Also appeared on:

Singles