Rosy Armen
Encyclopedia
Rosy Armen born on May 1, is a French singer of Armenian
descent. She is a multilingual singer, with most songs in French
and Armenian
, but also in English, German, Spanish and Italian.
, France
on May 1, the same day as the May Day
worker's holiday. She has been singing since the age of 4, when she would lead the youth orchestra of her school until she eventually started singing solo songs. Despite her parents disapproval of a career in singing, she continued on with her passion and eventually, found herself singing next to established French
music stars such as Gilbert Bécaud
, Charles Aznavour
, and Johnny Hallyday
.
This success made her a well-known figure not only in France
, but also all over Europe
, the Soviet Union
, United States
and the Middle East
where there were many Armenian communities and through her participation in Persia's Persepolis festivities.
In 1970, she took part in the selection rounds for representing Spain in the Eurovision Song Contest
. She sang the song "Gwendolyne
". Julio Iglesias
who was singing the same song during the competition went on to represent Spain with the song.
Her repertoire includes music from Aram Khachaturian
, Michel Legrand
, Boris Pasternak
and Yevgeny Yevtushenko
who gave her poems to sing. She also partnered with Julio Iglesias
.
At the height of her career, French television covered her concerts abroad through the efforts of Michel Lancelot et Roger Benamou. In France, she gave concerts in best music theaters including l’Olympia. She also sang at the Carnegie Hall
in New York, at the Music Center of Los Angeles, at Théâtre des Arts in Montréal, and Lujniki Palais des Sports in Moscow.
After the 1988 earthquake in Armenia, Charles Aznavour invited her to record alongside him and other singers the song "Pour Toi, Arménie", a song that remained in 1st place for 10 weeks in a row in the French Top 50. In 1990, she did a tour in Armenia
in order to help the people recovering from the earthquake and to show France's support to Armenians. Already popular in the Armenian diaspora
for many decades, she has become very popular in Armenia as well.
Armenians
Armenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian....
descent. She is a multilingual singer, with most songs in French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
and Armenian
Armenian language
The Armenian language is an Indo-European language spoken by the Armenian people. It is the official language of the Republic of Armenia as well as in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The language is also widely spoken by Armenian communities in the Armenian diaspora...
, but also in English, German, Spanish and Italian.
Biography
Rosy Armen was born in ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
on May 1, the same day as the May Day
May Day
May Day on May 1 is an ancient northern hemisphere spring festival and usually a public holiday; it is also a traditional spring holiday in many cultures....
worker's holiday. She has been singing since the age of 4, when she would lead the youth orchestra of her school until she eventually started singing solo songs. Despite her parents disapproval of a career in singing, she continued on with her passion and eventually, found herself singing next to established French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
music stars such as Gilbert Bécaud
Gilbert Bécaud
Gilbert Bécaud was a French singer, composer and actor, known as "Monsieur 100,000 Volts" for his energetic performances. His best-known hits are "Nathalie" and "Et Maintenant", a 1961 release that became an English language hit as "What Now My Love"...
, Charles Aznavour
Charles Aznavour
Charles Aznavour, OC is an Armenian-French singer, songwriter, actor, public activist and diplomat. Besides being one of France's most popular and enduring singers, he is also one of the best-known singers in the world...
, and Johnny Hallyday
Johnny Hallyday
Johnny Hallyday is a French singer and actor. An icon in the French-speaking world since the beginning of his career, he was considered by some to have been the French Elvis Presley. He was married for 15 years to one of the most popular French female singers: Sylvie Vartan...
.
This success made her a well-known figure not only in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, but also all over Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
where there were many Armenian communities and through her participation in Persia's Persepolis festivities.
In 1970, she took part in the selection rounds for representing Spain in the Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
. She sang the song "Gwendolyne
Gwendolyne
"Gwendolyne" was the Spanish entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1970, performed in Spanish by Julio Iglesias....
". Julio Iglesias
Julio Iglesias
Julio José Iglesias de la Cueva , better known simply as Julio Iglesias, is a Spanish singer who has sold over 300 million records worldwide in 14 languages and released 77 albums. According to Sony Music Entertainment, he is one of the top 15 best selling music artists in history,...
who was singing the same song during the competition went on to represent Spain with the song.
Her repertoire includes music from Aram Khachaturian
Aram Khachaturian
Aram Ilyich Khachaturian was a prominent Soviet composer. Khachaturian's works were often influenced by classical Russian music and Armenian folk music...
, Michel Legrand
Michel Legrand
Michel Jean Legrand is a French musical composer, arranger, conductor, and pianist...
, Boris Pasternak
Boris Pasternak
Boris Leonidovich Pasternak was a Russian language poet, novelist, and literary translator. In his native Russia, Pasternak's anthology My Sister Life, is one of the most influential collections ever published in the Russian language...
and Yevgeny Yevtushenko
Yevgeny Yevtushenko
Yevgeny Aleksandrovich Yevtushenko is a Soviet and Russian poet. He is also a novelist, essayist, dramatist, screenwriter, actor, editor, and a director of several films.-Early life:...
who gave her poems to sing. She also partnered with Julio Iglesias
Julio Iglesias
Julio José Iglesias de la Cueva , better known simply as Julio Iglesias, is a Spanish singer who has sold over 300 million records worldwide in 14 languages and released 77 albums. According to Sony Music Entertainment, he is one of the top 15 best selling music artists in history,...
.
At the height of her career, French television covered her concerts abroad through the efforts of Michel Lancelot et Roger Benamou. In France, she gave concerts in best music theaters including l’Olympia. She also sang at the Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
in New York, at the Music Center of Los Angeles, at Théâtre des Arts in Montréal, and Lujniki Palais des Sports in Moscow.
After the 1988 earthquake in Armenia, Charles Aznavour invited her to record alongside him and other singers the song "Pour Toi, Arménie", a song that remained in 1st place for 10 weeks in a row in the French Top 50. In 1990, she did a tour in Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
in order to help the people recovering from the earthquake and to show France's support to Armenians. Already popular in the Armenian diaspora
Armenian diaspora
The Armenian diaspora refers to the Armenian communities outside the Republic of Armenia and self proclaimed de facto independent Nagorno-Karabakh Republic...
for many decades, she has become very popular in Armenia as well.
Maxi singles
- Moi qui t'aimais (Vogue, 1961)
- Né pour moi (Vogue, 1961)
- Cuando calienta el sol (Vogue, 1962)
- Tu croiras (Vogue, 1962)
- La dernière étoile (Vogue, 1963)
- Prenez garde (Vogue, 1963)
- Yes mi siroun (Vogue, 1964)
- Si j'étais sûre (Polydor, 1964)
- La grande Russie (CBS, 1965)
- Bons baisers de Russie (CBS, 1965)
- Le jeu des amoureux (CBS, 1966)
- Dele divané (Top 4, 1966)
- L'âme slave (Top 4, 1966)
- Le ciel, la Terre et l'amour (Top 4, 1966)
- Le première fois (CBS, 1966)
- Ailleurs qu'à Paris (Melodia, 1967)
Songs in Armenian
- Bulbul
- Noubar Noubar
- Yes Mi Siroun
- Oror Oror
- Mardiguy Yerker
- Yerevan
- Bantertoutyan Anabadoum
- Vayri Dzaghig
- Yes Pelpoul Em
- Tampe Tserine
- Hingala
- Kisher Tsereg
Albums
- Rosy Armen (Vogue, 1963)
- Rosy Armen (Melodia, 1967)
- Si on se ressemble (Columbia, 1968)
- Gwendolyne (Columbia, 1971)
- Yerevan (Iberia, 1972)
- Rosy Armen (Ambar, 1972)
- Blboul (Arka, 1981)
- Aranjuez (Arka, 1982)
- Hier et demain (PSI International, 1986)
- Armenia (1992)
- Le top de l'Arménie (PSI International, 1996)
- Mi sirde ounem (Atlantis Records, 2001)