Roqe Ep. 457 - Soleyman (Soley) Vaseghi - Redux

A special end-of-summer Redux edition of Roqe featuring one of our most memorable conversations with a true legend of Iranian music. Jian revisits his 2022 interview with Soleyman "Soley" Vaseghi - the Iranian singer, composer and songwriter whose remarkable life has taken him from pop stardom in pre-revolutionary Iran to exile, immigration, and a musical reinvention rooted in Persian poetry, spirituality and Sufi traditions. Soley reflects on the excitement of Iran's thriving pop music scene in the 1970s, the devastating impact of the 1979 Islamic Revolution on his life and career, leaving Iran, becoming an immigrant in Canada, and the extraordinary transition from pop star to driving a taxi for 10-12 hours a day in Toronto. He also discusses his later musical evolution and his deep connection to Rumi, Hafez, spirituality and Sufi-inspired music. Now 80 years old, Soley remains one of the precious treasures of the Iranian community. Featured Guest: Soleyman "Soley" Vaseghi - legendary Iranian-Canadian singer, composer and songwriter This interview was originally recorded in July 2022. Roqe returns with its new season on Thursday, September 10th. This episode is brought to you with the support of: Avoca Chocolates - avocachocolates.com Stellar Law - stellarlaw.ca Follow Jian on Instagram: @JianGhomeshi