Music flows… Or a story about Armenian musicians and performers

Armenians are a singing people, and Armenia is a country with its own centuries-old and recognizable musical style. National motives, the sound of traditional instruments have influenced and continue to influence creative people. Armenia has given the world great musicians in various genres. We will talk about both modern performers and those whose music has been heard for more than a dozen years. Some of them are popular in their own country, and some are known even abroad.

Contents

1. Performers
   1. Rock
   2. Pop
   3. Rap and hip hop
   4. Electonic music
   5. Jazz
   6. Chanson
   7. Author's song
   8. Classic
   9. Opera
   10. folk
   11. reggae
   12. Other projects
2. Composers

Performers

In this section, we have grouped performers by musical genre. This division is conditional, because the artists combine different sounds, experiment. It is rare to find musicians whose compositions can be attributed to one genre. Nevertheless, for the convenience of readers who prefer specific directions in music, we have singled out the dominant genres for artists.

Rock

The first rock performers appeared in Armenia during the Soviet era. Artur Meschyan created a group "Arakyalner" ("Apostles") in 1967. Its peculiarity was the combination of sacred music with rock. This is the first rock band in the country that sang in Armenian and even created the first Armenian rock opera The Insane Asylum (“Crazy House”).

The Bambir since 1978 he has been performing folk-rock. Musicians appreciate Armenian traditional and classical music and interpret it in their own style. They are known both in Armenia and abroad.

National motives are also heard in the songs of the group Vostan Hayots, preferring harder rock. Vostan Hayots are known as the founders of the first Yerevan rock club.

Speaking of Soviet rock, one cannot fail to mention a few more Armenians who influenced the development of the genre in the USSR. This Stas Namin - group leader "Flowers", producer, organizer of the first in the USSR international rock festival Moscow Music Peace Festival. He is also the ex-guitarist of the Kino group. Yuri Kasparyan and creator of the Crematorium group Armen Grigoryan.

Perhaps not a single list of world-famous Armenians is complete without a group System of a Down. These are, indeed, rock legends that Armenia is proud of, and its members do not forget their origin. The group's repertoire includes songs in support of Artsakh: "Protect the Land" and "Genocidal Humanoids".

Melancholy alternative rock performs The Beautified Project - a group popular in the UK and collaborating with an American label. She boasts that her videos have been shown on MTV.

Well known in the CIS countries Louna. Her soloist Lusine Gevorkyan is from Kapan. The Louna group "catches" with lyrics in which they are not afraid to express their opinions loudly, sing of freedom and peace.

And now let's move on to Armenian performers, who are more popular within the country.

When you ask Armenians whose rock performance they listen to, the vast majority name the bands Nemra and Lav Eli. Both bands found their sound in alternative rock. Nemra is also experimenting with indie music, while Lav Eli is experimenting with folk. Also passionate about progressive folk rock Vahan Artsruni. In 2000, he created the Artsruni group. In her compositions, one can hear traditional motifs, and sometimes jazz notes.

Pop

Pop is one of the most popular music genres in the world, and Cher - one of the most famous singers. The performer, who is sometimes called the goddess, sometimes the queen of pop music, has Armenian roots and is dearly loved in Armenia.

Not many people know, but the Soviet and Russian pop singer Irina Allegrova was born in Rostov-on-Don to an Armenian family. Her songs are popular in the CIS countries, a rare trip to karaoke will do without "Hijackers" or "Junior Lieutenant".

Performers are popular among the Armenian diaspora Harout Pamboukjian and Armenchik. Harout's repertoire includes many patriotic songs with folk motifs. Their common composition with Armenchik Antsir Ay Getak listeners call it nothing more than sincere. Let's also share an interesting fact: Armenchik recorded a song Hents Hima with American rapper Snoop Dogg.

For many Armenian performers, Eurovision opened the way to foreign music charts. For the first time Armenia performed at the competition in 2006. The country was represented by a singer Andre with a song Without Your Love.

The singer became the favorite of Armenian and foreign listeners Sirusho, who performed the song in 2008 Qele Qele. Like Andre, the girl skillfully intertwines Armenian folk music with modern pop. At the age of only 30, Sirusho received the title of Honored Artist of the Republic of Armenia. 

Aram MP3 performed at the European competition in 2014, performing the song Not Alone. He has a catchy, strong voice with a slight rasp.

At the moment, the most successful of all the artists representing Armenia at Eurovision is Rosa Lynn. Her song Snap went viral on TikTok and also girl performed in the US on the James Corden Tonight Show and opened concerts for Ed Sheeran.

In 2023, the singer went to the competition in the UK brunette. Her song Future Lover touching and tender. In the text, English smoothly and organically passes into Armenian.

Rap and hip hop

A high bar for rap and hip-hop artists is set by the group Mi Qani Hogi. Despite the fact that the songs are in Armenian, the group managed to collect a large fan base in the United States. They have strong lyrics in which listeners recognize themselves and their thoughts. It seems that Mi Qani Hogi figured out the secret of creating a hit, because even those who do not know Armenian want to shake their heads to the beat of the songs.

A singer with Armenian roots is well known in the CIS countries Christina C. Her music is catchy, the songs repeatedly hit the top of the music charts and became hits. Christina mixes rap, hip-hop and R&B, prefers fast, rhythmic compositions, but there are also lyrical, melodic songs in her repertoire.

Another Russian singer of Armenian origin - Jeembo. He is inspired by rapper Noize MC, as well as dark and even occult aesthetics, the romance of the streets. Jeembo meticulously works on songs, develops a rhythmic pattern for a long time, and perfects a rhyme.

Xcho releases one hit after another. In 2022, he became the winner in the Breakthrough of the Year nomination according to VK Music. The rapper explores different topics: from love to existential and even gangster.

On the wave of popularity now are Jakone and AVG thanks to the track "Platinum" and the overall album "Force Majeure". Some publications call it "boy" or "male" rap. With Xcho, the performers are united by the attraction to criminal romance.

Electonic music

Hayk Karoyi likes to mix cultures, especially Eastern Mediterranean and Armenian. He experiments a lot with Armenian national music, while playing traditional instruments himself. Hayk knows how to surprise both those who hear it for the first time and their fans.

Another musician who loves to add notes of Armenian folk to electronic instrumental music is Hogh. It is important for an artist to tell a story in each of his works, and therefore his albums logically follow each other.

Duet node (Ani Yeghoyan and Vardan Sargsyan) plays darkwave, synthwave and synthpop. Their music is dark, but at the same time it makes you want to dance and dissolve in the sound.

Dreamy0psis will appeal to those who listen to hardcore techno, gabber and trance. His performance combines these genres with hip-hop and deconstructed club music.

"Big parties", as you know, take place "in our club." Therefore, we offer get to know Yerevan clubs, where parties are organized and where bright performers are invited.

Jazz

Armenia and jazz are old friends. There are even State Jazz Orchestra of Armeniawhat can we say about local bands and performers - there are many of them. Let's name some outstanding artists.

Tatevik Hovhannisyan conquered listeners not only throughout the USSR, but also in the homeland of jazz in the USA, as well as in Australia and Europe. Listeners from different countries liked how Armenian motives are combined with jazz, and Tatevik was invited to perform at huge venues such as Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center.

pop-jazz singer Zara Tonikyan was a great success in the USSR. She worked in a jazz orchestra under the direction of the People's Artist of the USSR Konstantin Orbelyan. After moving to Belgium, she began performing for European audiences.

Now one of the most popular and talented jazzmen from Armenia is a pianist and composer Tigran Hamasyan. It has received rave reviews from The Guardian and The Telegraph. Tigran pays tribute to tradition and performs American jazz, but his compositions are also influenced by national Armenian music and even rock and heavy metal.

For jazz fans we have an article where the main jazz venues in Yerevan are collected.

Chanson

Here it must be said that the chanson genre has several definitions. This is a French romantic, lyrical song, and the so-called songs of criminals. Armenian performers are famous in both directions.

Maestro, the great chansonnier, known all over the world, the best pop performer of the 20th century, the National Hero of the Republic of Armenia - all this and even more - Charles Aznavour. Perhaps there is no person in Armenia who does not know about chansonnier. The performer over 85 years of his career has created many compositions, among which there are those dedicated to his homeland, for example, Autobiography ("Autobiography"), Pour toi Armenia (“Gentle Armenia”) and Ils Sont Tombes ("They fell"). Some of his most popular songs are La Boheme ("Bohemia"), Une vie d'amour ("Eternal love") with Mireille Mathieu and Les deux guitars ("Two guitars"). Charles Aznavour sang both in French and in Russian and Armenian.

Rosie Armen, like Charles Aznavour, is the pride of Armenia and France. At the beginning of her career, the singer chose the pseudonym Armen so that everyone knew about her Armenian origin. She performed on the same stage with Johnny Hallyday and the already mentioned Charles Aznavour, gave concerts in the USA, Canada, Russia and many other countries.

And in a chanson of a different type - thieves, criminal - the singer succeeded Boca. There are also songs about love, nostalgic in his repertoire. Boka was inspired by the work of Vladimir Vysotsky and Arkady Severny, whose songs he also performed.

Author's song

Ruben Hakhverdyan is a famous Armenian bard, guitarist and musician. He is one of those who stood at the origins of the author's song in Armenia. His music is melodic, touching and tender. Ruben's songs are also listened to outside of Armenia: he is known in France, the USA and Italy.

David Amalyan also tours Europe and performs songs of his own composition. Being a romantic, he sings a lot about love, and in recent years patriotic songs have become an important part of his work.

Group Project LA performs the music of Levon Arevshatyan, hence the LA in the title. Levon skillfully combines various genres: folk, reggae, and romance. The songs are based on well-known poems by foreign and Armenian poets, for example, Yeghishe Charents, Vahan Teryan, Edgar Alan Poe and Byron.

Classic

Violinist Ara Malikyan - storm man His performances are always emotional, energetic, he puts on real shows. Surely, the whole thing is a mixture of Armenian and Spanish colors. Ara founded the Paganini Quartet, with which he plays the music of the famous classics Chopin, Vivaldi, Mozart, of course, Paganini himself. But also musicians perform rock, pop and jazz.

Let's talk about another violinist - Sergei Khachatryan. For the first time he got into the orchestra at only 9 years old. And at 15 he already took first place at the International Jean Sibelius Violin Competition, becoming the youngest winner. Sergei is invited by the best symphony orchestras around the world, he is one of the most outstanding violinists of our time.

Hover State Chamber Choir has been representing Armenia at numerous international competitions for 31 years. Hover is proud to have performed on the same stage with Andrea Bocelli, Gidon Kremer, Bronius Kutavičius and other outstanding musicians.

Opera

Armenia knows many talented opera performers. Honored Artist of the Armenian SSR Lusine Zakaryan forever remain in the memory of his people. A street in Yerevan was named in her honor, a memorial plaque was opened, and a postage stamp was issued for her 75th birthday. Lusine loved Armenian folk and sacred music, as well as classical music.

It seems that girls named Lusina are simply destined to be opera divas, because an Armenian from the USA Lusine Amara became the prima donna of the New York Metropolitan Opera. With her magnificent soprano, she performs songs, including those in Armenian, glorifying her native country and introducing Armenian culture to foreign listeners.

Another star of the Metropolitan Opera from Armenia - Hasmik Papyan. For her role as Norma from Bellini's opera of the same name, The Washington Post called Hasmik the best Norma of our time. The opera diva also performs at the Vienna Opera, Bastille Opera and La Scala.

On the same stage with Hasmik Papyan shone Barsegh Tumanyan - a singer who, at the age of 29, became an Honored Artist of the Armenian SSR. It is possible to lose count by listing all the opera houses in which he performed, because we can only say that Barsegue's bass was applauded in the USA, Australia and Europe.

Anush Hovhannisyan sparkles on UK stages. Critics note how skillfully she owns her soprano, and call it either radiant or refined. Being abroad, Anush does not forget about his native Armenia and acquaints the public with the music of the composer Komitas.

folk

More than once in this article we have said that this or that artist turns to Armenian folk music and is inspired by it. And now let's talk about those who built all their work on folk music.

And the first to be called Hayrik Muradyan. It is believed that it was he who influenced the revival of Armenian folklore. Airik communicated with the peasants, learned about their traditions, including songs, and gave new life to oral art. He recorded ancient Armenian songs for the radio, the compositions performed by him were filmed, Hayrik became the founder of several ensembles.

Speaking of ensembles. Contribution to the development and popularization of folk music is made by Akunq, Masunq, Karin, Maratuk, Veradardz. The groups perform in folk costumes, play Armenian instruments, and often perform traditional dances. Ensemble Kayt offers listeners Armenian music in new arrangements. Speaking of arrangements, it is impossible not to mention Element Band. The group takes Armenian folk as a basis and combines it with Latin and Mediterranean fusion. Vanguard folk performed by the band Katil. 

team Saghsara doing ethnography. The participants arrange expeditions to cities and villages, trying to save as many Armenian songs as possible. Saghsara's travels can be followed at YouTube channel.

Lilit Pipoyan also revives forgotten works in Armenian, but gives preference to composers of the early 20th century.

Apo Sahagian collects and studies various dialects, including those that are disappearing, in order to later sing songs in them. Thus, the singer gives these dialects a second life and says that they must not be forgotten.

Folk songs performed Garik & Sona acquire a light, cheerful character. The audience can't help but dance and smile. The band proves that traditional music goes well with electronic and pop rock.

Hasmik Baghdasaryan-Dolukhanyan performs chamber, spiritual music. Most of her repertoire consists of the works of the singer and composer Komitas.

The music of Komitas is also performed by the choir Khazer. In addition, members of the choir travel to remote Armenian villages and conduct educational activities, introducing children to the work of the great composer.

We offer to listen to the sound of folk instruments performed by Norayr Kartashyan. He plays wind instruments: duduk, zurn, bluel, shvi, pku, and parkapzuk.

If you are interested not only in folk music, but also in dancing, then we offer an article "Armenian national dances: what do they symbolize?".

reggae

It is difficult to say where it is better to attribute the group Reincarnation Orchestra. At the beginning of her career, she performed rock, then moved on to reggae, and now she has found herself in folk. And yet we put this band in the reggae section, because the Reincarnation Orchestra became the first reggae band in Armenia. The compositions give listeners a positive mood and fill them with energy due to the combination of Armenian and African sounds.

Other projects

A musical project introduces listeners to modern Armenian performers Kami Friends. The authors of the YouTube channel invite musicians to their studio and create unique arrangements of famous songs with them. This can be called the Armenian analogue of the Russian LAB project and the Argentinean Bizarrap project.

Composers

As you can already understand, composer and singer Komitas had a huge impact on Armenian music. He unraveled the secret of Khaz - the signs of medieval Armenian musical notation and worked on the first Armenian opera, which, unfortunately, never saw the light of day. His works are still performed, and in the Yerevan State Russian Drama Theater named after. K. Stanislavsky play the production of "My name is Komitas."

The National Academic Opera and Ballet Theater in Yerevan bears the name of the composer and conductor Alexandra Spendiaryan (Spendiaryan). A student of N. Rimsky-Korsakov, he was one of those who laid the foundations of national symphonic music, created the Armenian symphony orchestra.

The building of the National Theater also houses a concert hall named after Aram Khachaturian (Khachatryan). One of the greatest works created by the composer and conductor is "Waltz" for the ballet "Masquerade"; "Saber Dance" for the ballet "Gayane", which has become the national pride of Armenia; "Adagio" for the ballet "Spartacus".

Compositions Arno Babajanyan filled with light, kindness and joy. And the source of inspiration for him was his native land, Armenia. Babadzhanyan composed music based on poems by Robert Rozhdestvensky, Andrey Voznesensky and Yevgeny Yevtushenko.

Mikael Tariverdiev is an exceptionally prolific composer. He composed music for films and performances, ballets, concerts, operas. And it is still not known exactly how many works he wrote in his entire life.

The famous French composer has Armenian roots Michel Legrand. He has three Oscars, a Golden Globe, a BAFTA and five Grammys. Michel Legrand traveled the world and worked in Hollywood.

The creativity of Armenian musicians is multifaceted, versatile, but traditional notes and pride in their origin are certainly felt in it. Get to know Armenian music, listen to Armenian music, discover new artists and new sounds.

If you moved to Armenia and want to learn more about the country, follow the announcements of free events from Move2Armenia Culture. Together we organize history lectures, trips to museums, dance, cooking and Armenian language lessons.