Sussan Deyhim (born December 14, 1958) is an Iranian American composer, vocalist, performance artist and activist.

She is internationally known for her invention of a unique sonic/vocal language. LA Times quotes her as "One of Iran's most potent voices in exile".

Sussan Deyhim was born into a liberal Iranian family on December 14, 1958, in Tehran, Iran. She was the youngest of eleven children and her house was filled with every conceivable style of music, old and new.

Growing up, Deyhim spent her summers at a special dance and arts camp at the Caspian Sea and at the Shiraz Festival.

“In the times we live in, with everything so packaged, it’s easy to feel like artists have to reduce musical energy into songs or referential sonic expression that people are familiar with. But artists have the possibility of taking listeners even deeper into a much more sophisticated version of the same zone.”

At the age of 13, she joined the Iranian National Ballet Company and was offered a scholarship to attend School of Performing Arts in Brussels. Deyhim won coveted admission into the Bejart Ballet in 1976 and moved to New York (1980) to pursue music.

Her music remains true to the spirit of her ancient heritage while pointing to the future with a very personal and poetic dramatic sensibility. In her own words, Deyhim said "I had been trained to do unusual vocals and I started doing choreography and composing music myself, using my voice as my instrument. Gradually I started getting very excited about music. My apartment was in the Village and I got into the downtown music and arts scene. I wanted to do something cool and an interesting hybrid relevant to our times."

Deyhim's music combines extended vocal techniques, digital processing, and the ancient mysticism of Middle Eastern music to create a deeply moving fusion of East and West.

Her artistic career began in 1971, at age thirteen dancing with Iran's Pars National Ballet company (performing weekly on Iranian national television). During that time Deyhim traveled all across Iran to study with master folk musicians and dancers.

In 1976, she joined Maurice Béjart's prestigious Béjart Ballet in Europe, after receiving a scholarship to attend the famed choreographer's performance-art school, Mudra. There she was trained in many of the great world, dance, music, theater traditions as well as in classical ballet.

Leaving Tehran in 1980, Deyhim moved to New York embarking on a multifaceted  career encompassing music, theatre, dance, media and wide-ranging collaborations with leading artists from across the spectrum of contemporary art like, Ornette Coleman, Bobby McFerrin, Peter Gabriel, and Rufus Wainwright, Richard Horowitz and with prominent female visual artists Shirin Neshat, Sophie Calle and Lita Albuquerque.

Moving to Los Angeles in 2006, Deyhim, has, over the course of her career, been signed to Sony Classical and continues to record for her own label, Venus Rising, where she has released five new albums of her works on film, multi media and recent collaborations.

Often singing in Farsi, the musician's unique sounds can be heard on the Oscar-winning film, Argo, while U2 made use of her composition, "Windfall/Beshno Az Ney," as part of its 360 tour. She has also performed with international orchestras such as the Polish Radio Orchestra and the Krakow Philharmonic and has received commissions as a composer from international ensembles such as Bang On A Can. She has performed her music at Lincoln Center Summer Festival, Carnegie Recital Hall, Albert Hall, The Old Vic, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Royce Hall and many other major labels.

Activism

Deyhim has been a frequent participant at humanitarian events and benefits, including a performance at the gathering of the spiritual leaders of the world at the United Nations General Assembly in 2001; the first Gathering of Female Spiritual Leaders in Geneva at the United Nations and the Royal Hope Gala in the Royal Albert Hall, London, England with Plácido Domingo, The Royal Ballet and many others, for medical aid to Iraqi children.

In 2009, she performed in a sold-out concert at the UN General Assembly organized by Pakistan's biggest rock musician and activist, Salman Ahmad to raise funds for misplaced children in Pakistan with other participants such as Jeffrey Skoll, Bobby Sager and Gavin Rossdale.

In her work such as Deyhim's mixed media performative installation project "Dawn of the Cold Season". She was inspired by poet Forough Farrokhzad. The project presents an uncensored poetic feminist dialogue. By introducing the Iranian female icon to the international world. Deyhim inspired many. Deyhim's outspoken feminist voice has had her exiled from Iran for 30 years now.
Recordings

Composer

 2021 Dreams of Daraa (Documentary)
 2008 Tobruk (original music by)
 2007 A Jihad for Love (Documentary)
 2004 Mahdokht (Short)
 2004 Female Infanticide (Short)
 2002 Les amants de Mogador
 2002 Logic of the Birds
 2001 Trial, 2001 (Video short) (original music by)
 2000 Eunuchs (Short)
 2000 A Kiss Is Not a Kiss (Short)
 2000 Soliloquy (Short)
 1999 Choke (Documentary)

Actress

 2022 Dear Albert (Short)
 2002 Logic of the Birds
 1998 Turbulent (Short)

Director

 2002 Logic of the Birds

Awards

Sussan Deyhim was the recipient of the Czech Lion Award for Best Music for Nejlepsí hudba from the movie Tobruk (2008).