Morteza Barjesteh

Iranian pop singer, songwriter & composer who gained fame in Iran during the 1980s

Lila with a Framework of Love & Sorrow

It is very difficult for me to completely express my true feelings for this great poet. What I know and write about Lila Kasra only reflects a small portion of her greatness and because of my impression of her, I am sure that the “mind” of my “pen” will fall short of my being able to truly put on paper who she truly was. 

I became familiar with the name of Lila Kasra in Iran when Fereydoun Khoshnoud suggested that I perform the song “Sultan.” At the start, this song was supposed to be accompanied by the piano, and Sourje was responsible for writing the notes. However, after performing the song with the piano, it was decided that an orchestra, which included percussion & string instruments, should be added, and as a result the song was broadcasted spectacularly. Up to this point I still had not met Lila Kasra in person. 

Destiny brought me to Los Angeles and Mrs. Lila Kasra to San Francisco. We kept in touch by phone when I requested a song from her. With the song “Solheh Sefit va Abi, which was a collaborative effort with Farrokh Rouhi, who composed the music, I gravitated more towards Lila’s song, and because of this collaboration there are 11 songs that shine brilliantly in my professional resume. At my request, she wrote the song “Baghe Asal” for my daughters Ghazal and Nassim, and brilliantly she incorporated their names in the song. The first product of my career as a composer for one of Lila’s songs was the song “Yad and Yad.”

The first time I met Mrs. Lila Kasra, and her husband was during their trip from San Francisco to Los Angeles. They were staying in a hotel. I went to meet her there with lots of enthusiasm and we conversed for hours. The result of this meeting was the birth of the song “Dobareh Eshgh.” 

When it came to the song “Dobareh Eshgh”, and its formation, we consulted each other for a while. I liked to perform a song where audience would sing along me, and Lila masterfully wrote “Dobareh Eshgh”, which came out at the same time as “Vavayla”, with music by Mohammad Heydari and the arrangements by Andranic, which is one of the masterpieces of this artistic trio, and I had the honor of performing it. 

When Lila gave me the relics to the song “Aziz”, I composed the music for it. this work touched Lila’s heart, she always said, “while it is rhythmic, it is also sad”. She liked these types of melodies. It was as if she bonded with “sorrows.”  After “Aziz” she gave me an opportunity to have her newly written lyrics for up to two weeks to determine whether I could compose music for them. Unfortunately, our collaboration did not last due to the passing of Lila. I had a few of her songs in my possession, and I chose “Siah Gisou” among them. After composing the music and performing it, I returned the remaining songs to her husband. 

I am confident that if this lady did not have to struggle with her illness, her strong output in songwriting would have left her no rivals in the field. The beautiful songs that she wrote during a very short few years qualify her to stand in the first line of the Iranian Lyricists. 

Hassan Shamaizadeh

Iranian pop singer, songwriter & saxophonist

Her memory will always be dear in our hearts!

Sadly, for me, I got to know Lila Kasra, who is professionally known as Hedyee, very late in her life.  Lila passed away from the horrific disease of cancer. 

Lila Kasra was among the few lyricists who understood the differences between poems and songs and was also familiar with the techniques and styles that are used to write songs. In the 1970’s, there were celebrated poets who attempted to write songs, but they failed to succeed. Every lyricist can be a poet too, but this does not mean that a poet is also able to write songs. There is a significant difference between a poem and a song. 

Lila was so familiar with the art of songwriting that when she would give me a song, composing music for it would be very easy and quick. This was because she was not only familiar with the art of songwriting, but more importantly, she had a very firm and good grip on the use of the technique of rhythms for writing songs. 

Her songs had a lot of substance when it came to the use of poetry. She used new topics and subjects in her songs, but she was also careful when it came to the use of rhythms in songwriting. 

Unfortunately, I only worked with her on less than 10 songs. But most of them were a big successl She fought cancer for years. Unfortunately, I only got to know her during her struggle with her illness. I regret that cancer did not allow her more time to collaborate with me more.

In those difficult days while lying in her hospital bed undergoing chemotherapy, she was still writing masterpieces 

Her memory will always be dear in our hearts!

Elton Farrokh Ahi

Iranian music producer. He has been credited with music production, editing & sound engineering for over 100 Hollywood major motion pictures.

lady of songs

We could describe Lila Kasra as more than just a lyricist. She was a psychological artist who analyzed each singer’s standards when it came to taste, image, and artistic potential. 

One must view her from different perspectives for understanding the truth about the mind of a human being who was very well informed when it came to the problems of her society.  A lyricist has the capability to reflect with an open mind the pains, the joys, and the agonies of her society. 

Depending on the work of a singer, she displayed so much knowledge when it came to writing songs for that singer that it made a person think she had been familiar with the characteristics of the mind of that person for years. 

When she provided me with songs, I imagined that I had already composed the music for them. The atmosphere of her songs was so intimate that it connected with the feelings of the composer. There was an innovation for each taste. 

The products of our joint efforts were always pleasant to the ear of the listener when they first heard it.

The language that Lila used in her songs invited the composer to enthusiastically coordinate the song to the music. 

The song called “Tanin Solh” portrayed the events of that that time so beautifully that the first time I performed it I felt as If I had whispered that song to myself for years. 

When we were about to start working on the on the album called “Dokhtare Irooni”, she asked about the mentality of Siavash, who was a teenager, just like a proficient physician, and she wrote the prescription well! 

When it came to teenagers, such as Hobab and Andy & Kouros, she wrote songs tailored towards hard to please teenagers by making a connection with the new generation and by making them understand the meaning of the lyrics! 

The song called “Jalad” clearly shows the power of her imagination when it comes to writing a patriotic song. She wrote this song for Moreteza, and as she said herself, this song was the scream of an imprisoned generation, and she wrote “Bagheh Asal” so tenderly that it made it seem as though two different souls and sensations were inhabiting the same body. 

“Goleh Sharb” was not just a song, it was beautiful use of worlds in depicting the intoxication caused by pure wine, and the listener was invited with sincerity to the beautiful world of love. 

My collaborations with Lila, this lady of songs, are all part of my professional resume. Her name will live forever amongst the great female Iranian songwriters. 

Sadegh Nojouki 

Iranian musician, composer, arranger & pianist of Persian classical & pop music.

Poem: A Remedy for Her Pain

Lila Kasra, professionally known as Hedyee, was without a doubt one the best-known songwriters after 1971. This was especially true after 1978 when most poets and songwriters remained in Iran, and Lila Kasra was able to fill that vacuum abroad. Her love and affection for her profession was such that sometimes she would forget her illness. 

And perhaps writing poetry was a remedy for her pain.

Manouchehr Cheshmazar

Iranian Composer & Musician

There is always a place for you in our hearts!

Dear Lila, It is sad that you left us so early and took with you all your beautiful poetry and serenades. There is always a place for you in our hearts, and we will never forget you. May you rest in peace. 

I got to know Lila Kasra in the United States. I had heard her name from my colleagues, and I was also familiar with her work, and knew all about them. I cannot remember which one of my dear colleagues gave me her contact information. If I remember correctly, I got in touch with her in 1985 after introducing myself I said that I would like to talk to her about her lyrics. Dear Lila began to talk to me with such kindness and intimacy that it made me feel as we had known each other for years. I asked “Mrs. Kasra, where do you live?” She said there is a city near San Francisco named Petaluma, we live there. During the same first conversation, she invited me and my wife and children to their home in Petaluma. I do not remember exactly when, but I believe three weeks later we went to Dear Lila’s house near San Francisco. This was the first time I met her, during the visit I got to know her husband Mr. Afshar and her dear children. We stayed in San Francisco for a about a week, and I will never forget their hospitality towards us. As we were coming back, she gave me 12 of her songs which I worked when I returned to Los Angeles. I composed music for them and provided them for our famous singers of our country. All those songs became famous when the beautiful lyrics of Mrs. Lila Kasra were performed by these well-known singers. What I mean is that they became #1 hits. Later, they moved from Petaluma to Los Angeles and bought a house near our home. After her move, we saw each other more often. If I would ask Lila for two songs, she would provide me with 10. She worked very hard!  I think she wrote 10 songs per day. Not only was she a successful lyricist, but she was also a capable professional poet. After the passing of Dear Lila, we were in short supply of songs, and we could not find anything compared to hers.

Dear Lila 

We still miss you! 

May you rest in peace. 

May God bless You!

Fereydoun Khoshnoud

Iranian musician, composer & arranger of Persian classical & pop music.

"My heart has stopped, my dear,
I can’t breathe anymore
Ah, this land and this Earth
Is not but a cage for me"

Each person’s story has a different beginning, a different journey, and a different end.  From the moment they are born, the famous and the glorious of this earth have always been different. This was true in the case of Lila Kasra who was a heavenly blessing who came to being in the most beautiful possible way from the depth of existence. The journey of Lila was like the story of a queen who did not know her country. A long time ago, in the profession and the formal title of a musician, which meant being Fereydoun Khoshnoud, I had the honor of presenting the undisputed queen with a jeweled throne, and that is how Lila discovered her land. 

We should consider the realm of songs, her contribution to the world of existence since her murmurs created winds and storms and her cries created seas and oceans. Her smile made the spring green. Her heartache was a sign that the fall was here, and the coldness in her heart indicated the arrival of the months of January & February. Her lovely eyes were like the pyramids of abundant summers. The tale of Lila Kasra was the tale of the queen of Sheba under whose orders the prophets of sounds and syllables came to the square and chanted her words in the most beautiful way possible. 

My first encounter with the beautiful Lila Kasra, which was the most beautiful encounter of my life, was in the presence of the editor of Banouan Magazine Mrs. Pari Abasaleti, which took place at my own request. The reason for this obvious request was very evident: beautiful words that were printed in a book, and I, in the mood for lamination, had discovered an ability to create a different style of poetry that had the potential for growth and discovery. In this introductory meeting she bought along her husband Mr. Eksandar Afshar who was at the time a deputy of ministry of oil. Her beauty and softness, her dignity and serenity, her attention when it came to the way she spoke and her choice of words, and even her unique, luxurious sense of style were part of her unforgettable qualities, and I am sure everybody agrees with that. 

Her meeting with me, along with her warm welcome, opened the doors for her to enter into the midst of the crowded scene of Iranian songwriters, and ultimately leading to her creating some of the most exceptional and heartwarming songs existing today that contain her soft and feminine touch and profound poetic outlook. 

After that exuberating day, the struggle to combine the lyrics written by Lila to the composition of different songs for these soft and imaginative writings, begun. There were too many songs, and the sheets of paper were completely blackened with Lila’s words. Correct alignments of her words with my writing of the titles to be tailored appropriately to our singers consumed my mind, and once again, precious Lila worked effortlessly in shortening or in some cases lengthening the sentences in order to make the content more adequate and meaningful. 

The song “Goleh, Goleh Aftabgardoon,” which is an artistic and memorable success with the magical voice of Noushafarin, was one of the first eloquent lyrics of Lila Kasra that was enthusiastically received by the public for the song, the performance, and composition. My special focus on Ebi, whose star was rising fast at the time, led to him getting the chance, and I, along with Lila Kasra, witnessed the birth of the beautiful song entitled “Shabeh Mard Tanha,” which I could say is not only one of the strongest, and unforgettable, performances of Ebi, but it also one of my best compositions based on the works of Lila Kasra. 

When it comes to my other work that I have always been proud of, the songs of the dear late, and heavenly, Haydee come to mind that have become eternal because of the words of Lila Kasra and the incomparable voice Haydee herself. I could say that Haydee’s “Doaye Sahr”, for which I composed the music, is one the monumental works of these two incomparable ladies, alongside my name, when it comes to the history of the music of our nation. The other songs “Kharabati” & “Souzeh Del” are other songs performed by Hyadee based on the works of Lila Kasra selected by me. I also had the honor of composing the music for these songs. 

When it comes to creating incomparable and beautiful eternal songs with dear Hydyee, together with my professional collaborations with Sattar are part of my other memories which cannot be mentioned without including the illustrious name of Lila Kasra. The songs “Haraas” and “Sedaye Zangoul” are a joint gift from myself, Lila Kasra, and Sattar to the world of our country’s music. 

At the same time, we cannot mention the name of Nooshafaarin without referring to the name of Lila Kasra. That is because we came together to give the songs “Sedaye Mehraboon,” “Hava,” and “Jerse” as gifts to generations of Iranians from yesterday and today. Akbar Golpa is also one of the singers whose songs have been touched by the beautiful words of Lila Kasra. 

In reality, when I think of those long-gone days, the vast flood of Lila Kasra’s words take me back to those poor ventilated old studios that were filled with love.  I also remember the watchful eye of this honorable lady who would forgo luxurious evening parties and large gatherings to stand in a corner, with dignity and peacefulness, and quietly listen to the performers take her words to the heavens from the depth of their throat. Those are the voices that we are not able to find today and the words that in the absence of Lila Kasra leave us with only our memories. 

This is only a very succinct and brief recollection of a beautiful and unique story, an unfinished symphony about the highs and lows of the queen of songs Mrs. Lila Kasra on the either side of the ocean who accompanied by my music, became well known through her commitment, and her good name not only  made this world full of light, but it also  captured the heart of its people, the sound of its singers, and the art of its musicians. 

Today, her work has spread to every corner of the world. It has passed through the boundaries of Iran and along with the spread of women and men of this ancient land the songs of Lila Kasra have spread to the far corners of our times. 

We are not able to shut any door that deals with different aspects of Lila Kasra unless we open another door that opens to another vast field full of intoxicating and spellbound words. It is best if we use Lila’s own words and poems for interpreting, paraphrasing, and commentating on her life. 

I bid farewell to you with the words of Lila Kasra and her beautiful songs, and I pray that this virtuous and angelic lady’s name lives on for an eternity, and her soul, everlasting and immortal dances and spins, like a breeze in a field, in every Iranian household.