Sirusho
Encyclopedia
Siranush Harutyunyan known simply as Sirusho (Armenian
: Սիրուշո), is an Armenian
pop singer
. She began her music career singing live in Canada
, in the Armenian diaspora
music scene, when she was seven years old and, at the age of nine, she received an Armenian Music Award for her song "Lusabats". Her first studio album, Sirusho, was released in 2000, and its follow-up, Sheram, in 2005. In the same year, she was awarded The Future of Armenian Music, Best Album and Best Female Performer awards in the first Armenian National Music Awards. The BBC
describes her success as making her a "national treasure" in Armenia, and its news service
has gone on to report that she is popular in both Armenia and "throughout the Armenian diaspora throughout the world". She currently studies diplomacy
in Yerevan State University
, having majored in international relations
.
Sirusho also sings in the Greek language
and, in April 2009, released her first Greek single "Erotas
" in Armenia, Greece
and Cyprus
. The song is an up-tempo dance record with heavy Greek laiko
musical influences which is apparent from the dancing and dress in the music video
. Sirusho performed this, and her other Armenian singles, live at the 2009 Tashir Armenian Awards ceremony.
Sirusho reached international recognition after becoming the Armenian spokesperson for the 2007 Eurovision Song Contest
and the Armenian representative for the 2008 Eurovision Song Contest
held in Belgrade
, Serbia
. She co-wrote and performed the song "Qélé, Qélé", with the Armenian hook and music composed and produced by H.A. Der-Hovagimian
. The song finished in fourth place behind the Greek entry "Secret Combination
". It became very popular in Greek-speaking
areas, especially the 'Yerevan Remix' in Greek clubs, and was frequently played on London Greek Radio
in the United Kingdom
, and in an episode of the Greek and Cypriot
X Factor
television series.
Sirusho's first encounter with singing and music was when she was ten months old. At the age of two she began singing full songs. One of the songs that Sirusho performed as a child was "Lusabats", an Armenian folk song written at the start of the 20th century by Komitas
. At the age of 7 Sirusho began to write her own music, as well as lyrics in Armenian
and English. She was 8 years old when she greeted her first big crowd.
In one of her interviews she said, "I have never been one of those children who dreamed of becoming a singer. I was a little kid and people would ask me to sing at events. Every time after I sang, I would see the amazed looks on their faces and I couldn't figure out the reason. I mean, I thought I wasn't doing a hard thing, I was just singing the way I felt the music."
At the age of 9 one of the songs she composed brought her an award at the Contest of Young Talents. When Sirusho was ten, she successfully competed in a contest with older participants, finishing in the first place. She released her first studio album "Sirusho" when she was 13, gradually becoming one of the most favored performers in the Republic of Armenia. Some of the best Armenian composers have written the music for songs she has written lyrics for. She has toured in many countries, including Canada
, Belgium
, Egypt
, Finland
, France
, Georgia
, Germany
, Greece
, Lebanon
, Poland
, Russia
, Iran
, Jordan
, Serbia
, Syria
, Turkey
, United States
, and elsewhere.
. It was titled Sheram and was released to the public in the same year. The album also included the lead single "Shorora" which eventually became a national hit. In 2005, Sheram was awarded the Best Album of the Year award at the Armenian National Music Awards. Sirusho herself was given the Best Female Artist of the Year award, becoming one of the youngest performers to get this award. During her acceptance speech, she concluded, "I have worked and toured a lot this year, and even in a few hours after this event, I’ll be flying to the U.S. for concerts, and I want to thank you all for giving me wings for all the future "flights" of my life." In a few days, her single "Heranum em" ("I'm Leaving"), written by herself, was released to the radio, soon becoming a huge hit, possibly her biggest at the time.
In 2006, the Armenian music industry suffered the loss of Varduhi Vardanyan, one of the most renown artists in the country at the time. Varduhi has been a very close person to Sirusho ever since she was born. After this, Sirusho dedicated a song to her, titled "Mez Vochinch Chi Bazhani" ("Nothing Will Part Us"). It gained high popularity and peaked in most national chart rankings. Also in 2006, Sirusho received the award for Best Female Artist of the Year at the Annual Armenian-Russian Diaspora Music Awards held in Moscow
, Russia
.
In 2007, Sirusho released her third album, titled "Hima". It included the song dedicated to Varduhi, the title track, a collaboration with pop singer Sofi Mkheyan, as well as many other tracks written and produced by Sirusho herself. The album proved to be a breakthrough in Armenian music, unleashing a fresh wave of mixing soul
and R&B with folk instruments such as duduk
, dhol
, zourna, and others. She was also announced as the Best Female Artist of the Year at the Armenian Music Awards
, held by the Armenian-American Diaspora at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood, CA, USA.
Sirusho was chosen to represent Armenia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008
with Canadian-Armenian
music composer and producer H.A. Der-Hovagimian
's song Qele Qele
. The song entered the first semi-final on May 20 and advanced to the final which took place on May 24, 2008 in Helsinki
.
Even though she finished 4th in the final with 199 points, she was awarded the maximum amount of 12 points the most times of all the contestants (8), with the winner, Russia's Dima Bilan
receiving 12 points six times.
During the official after-party following the final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2008
, the four winners of the Marcel Bezençon Award 2008 were announced and prizes were given out. A newly introduced award was presented this year, the Fan Award by Swedish website Gylleneskor.se. Readers of the site had the opportunity to vote online for their favorite 2008 artist under the age of 25. Thousands of votes were cast and the winner was Sirusho with Qele Qele.
On April 1, 2009, Sirusho released the song "Erotas
", also known as "Erotas Ksafnikos" (Sudden Love), sung entirely in the Greek
. The song is an up-tempo dance song with heavy traditional Greek laiko
influence. It was composed by singer Hayko
and written by Natalia Germanou
. Sirusho performed the song live at the 2009 Tashir Armenian Awards ceremony in April that year. Erotas went on to become a number one hit on the Armenian Singles Chart.
Sirusho stirred up some controversy when she was the spokesperson for Armenia
during the voting at the Eurovision Song Contest 2009
final. When she revealed the votes from the country she showed a photo off We Are Our Mountains
a number of times causing heated reactions from Azerbaijan
.
On June 6, 2009 Sirusho married former Armenian president Robert Kocharyan's son Levon Kocharyan.
In 2009 Sirusho also recorded a song dedicated to peace along with the participants of Eurovision 2008, Boaz Mauda and Jelena Tomasevic
, representing Israel
and Serbia
, respectively. Time To Pray was released in May. Its lyricist is the president of Israel, Shimon Peres
. The song was performed in multiple countries, including Russia and Serbia.
, singing her new song Havatum em (English: I Believe). Havatum em was written by Sirusho. At the end of February she was invited to Malta as a special guest to perform at the Maltese Eurovision selection. During the visit she was also a guest on most popular local TV shows and took part in the Maltese annual charity, performing Havatum em.
Sirusho's fourth official studio album, Havatum em, was released in summer 2010 along with new singles from it. The record includes previously released songs Erotas, the title track, Time to Pray, other new songs, as well as the songs that she had written for the Armenian national final for Eurovision 2008. During an interview in Malta with esctoday.com, Sirusho was asked whether she would return to the Eurovision Song Contest, and she said that if people and her fanbase want her to go, she will return to represent Armenia again. On 11 June 2011 Sirusho will had a live concert in Lyon, France.
On September 9, the first single from Sirusho's upcoming studio album, "I Like It", was released to iTunes. The official music video made its debut on November 11. The album is scheduled for a 2012 release.
2004 - "Best Female Artist" at the "Krunk Awards", Yerevan
2005 - "Best Song" - "Sery mer" at the "Voske Qnar Awards", Yerevan
2005 - "Best Album of the Year" - "Shorora" at the Armenian National Music Awards, Yerevan
2005 - "Best Female Artist of the Year" at the Armenian National Music Award, Yerevan
2005 - "Best Female Artist" at the Annual Armenian-Russian Diaspora Music Awards (Tashir 2005), Moscow
2006 - "Best Female Artist of the Year" at the Annual Armenian-Russian Diaspora Music Award (Tashir 2006), Moscow
2006 - "Best Music Video" - "Mayrik" at the Annual MCLUB AMVA Awards, USA
2007 - "Best Female Artist of the Year" at the Armenian Music Awards (Anush), USA
2007 - "Best Video" - "Hima" at the "Top 10 Awards", Yerevan
2007 - "Princess of Armenian Music", Yes Magazine Awards, Yerevan
2007 - "Best Song" - "Heranum em" at the "Voske Qnar Awards", Yerevan
2008 - "Best Video" - "Qele Qele" at the "Top 10 Awards", Yerevan
2008 - "Eurovision Fan Award" at the Eurovision Song Contest, Belgrade
2008 - "Best Female Artist of the Year" at the Armenian National Music Awards, Yerevan
2009 - "Best International Armenian Singer" at the Annual Armenian-Russian Diaspora Music Award (Tashir 2009), Moscow
2010 - "Best Song" - "Havatum Em" at the Armenian National Music Awards, Yerevan
2010 - "Best-Selling Album " - "Havatum Em" at the Armenian National Music Awards, Yerevan
2010 - "Best Singer" & "Best Media Star" at Luxury Awards
2010 - "Special award for spreading the Armenian music in Europe" at the Annual Armenian-Russian Diaspora Music Award (Tashir 2010), Moscow
Armenian alphabet
The Armenian alphabet is an alphabet that has been used to write the Armenian language since the year 405 or 406. It was devised by Saint Mesrop Mashtots, an Armenian linguist and ecclesiastical leader, and contained originally 36 letters. Two more letters, օ and ֆ, were added in the Middle Ages...
: Սիրուշո), is an Armenian
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....
pop singer
Pop Singer
"Pop Singer" is the début single from London-based glam rockers Rachel Stamp. It was released in February, 1996 through WEA. The single was released as a 2 track CD Single and limited edition pink 7" vinyl of 1000 copies...
. She began her music career singing live in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, 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...
music scene, when she was seven years old and, at the age of nine, she received an Armenian Music Award for her song "Lusabats". Her first studio album, Sirusho, was released in 2000, and its follow-up, Sheram, in 2005. In the same year, she was awarded The Future of Armenian Music, Best Album and Best Female Performer awards in the first Armenian National Music Awards. The BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
describes her success as making her a "national treasure" in Armenia, and its news service
BBC News
BBC News is the department of the British Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs. The department is the world's largest broadcast news organisation and generates about 120 hours of radio and television output each day, as well as online...
has gone on to report that she is popular in both Armenia and "throughout the Armenian diaspora throughout the world". She currently studies diplomacy
Diplomacy
Diplomacy is the art and practice of conducting negotiations between representatives of groups or states...
in Yerevan State University
Yerevan State University
Yerevan State University is a university in Yerevan, Armenia. Founded on May 16 1919, it is the largest university in the country with 110 departments. Of its 3,150 employees, 1,190 comprise the teaching staff which includes 25 academicians, 130 professors, 700 docents , and 360 assistant lecturers...
, having majored in international relations
International relations
International relations is the study of relationships between countries, including the roles of states, inter-governmental organizations , international nongovernmental organizations , non-governmental organizations and multinational corporations...
.
Sirusho also sings in the Greek language
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
and, in April 2009, released her first Greek single "Erotas
Erotas (song)
"Erotas" , also known as "Erotas Ksafnikos" , is a song by Armenian singer Sirusho. It is performed in Greek and is the artist's first song in the language....
" in Armenia, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
and Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
. The song is an up-tempo dance record with heavy Greek laiko
Laïkó
Laïkó ), is a Greek music genre. Also called folk song or urban folk music , in its plural form is a Greek music genre which has taken many forms over the years...
musical influences which is apparent from the dancing and dress in the music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
. Sirusho performed this, and her other Armenian singles, live at the 2009 Tashir Armenian Awards ceremony.
Sirusho reached international recognition after becoming the Armenian spokesperson for the 2007 Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest 2007
The Eurovision Song Contest 2007 was the 52nd edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It was won by first-time appearance as an independent country Serbia and was held at the Hartwall Areena in Helsinki, Finland from 10 May to 12 May. The host broadcaster was YLE.Finland earned the right to host...
and the Armenian representative for the 2008 Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest 2008
The Eurovision Song Contest 2008 was the 53rd edition of the Contest. It was hosted in Belgrade, Serbia after Marija Šerifović won the 2007 Contest in Helsinki, Finland. This year was the first contest to have two semi-finals which were held on 20 and 22 May, and the final held on 24 May 2008...
held in Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
, Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
. She co-wrote and performed the song "Qélé, Qélé", with the Armenian hook and music composed and produced by H.A. Der-Hovagimian
H.A. Der-Hovagimian
H.A. Der-Hovagimian born in Toronto, Canada, is a Canadian-Armenian music composer, songwriter and producer.He signed his first recording contract with the newly found Hi-Bias Records imprint at the age of 17...
. The song finished in fourth place behind the Greek entry "Secret Combination
Secret Combination (song)
"Secret Combination" is a song and CD single by Greek singer Kalomira. It was Greece's entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008 and the first single released from Kalomira's fourth studio album titled Secret Combination the Album. It earned third place in the Eurovision final, finishing behind...
". It became very popular in Greek-speaking
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
areas, especially the 'Yerevan Remix' in Greek clubs, and was frequently played on London Greek Radio
London Greek Radio
London Greek Radio is an Independent Local Radio station established by London's sizeable Greek community, most of which forms part of the ethnically diverse Cypriot community...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, and in an episode of the Greek and Cypriot
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
X Factor
The X Factor (Greece)
The X Factor is the Greek version of The X Factor, a show originating in the United Kingdom. It is a television music talent show contested by aspiring pop singers drawn from public auditions....
television series.
1987-2004: Early life and career beginnings
Sirusho was born on January 7, 1987, in Yerevan, Armenia, in a family of artists. Her father, Hrachya Harutyunyan is a renowned actor and director while her mother, Syuzan Margaryan, is a reputable singer widely popular in the country. They both are Honored Artists of Armenia.Sirusho's first encounter with singing and music was when she was ten months old. At the age of two she began singing full songs. One of the songs that Sirusho performed as a child was "Lusabats", an Armenian folk song written at the start of the 20th century by Komitas
Komitas Vardapet
In 1950s his manuscripts were also transferred from Paris to Yerevan.Badarak was first printed in 1933 in Paris and first recorded onto a digital media in 1988 in Yerevan. In collecting and publishing so many folk songs, he saved the cultural heritage of Western Armenia that otherwise would have...
. At the age of 7 Sirusho began to write her own music, as well as lyrics in 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...
and English. She was 8 years old when she greeted her first big crowd.
In one of her interviews she said, "I have never been one of those children who dreamed of becoming a singer. I was a little kid and people would ask me to sing at events. Every time after I sang, I would see the amazed looks on their faces and I couldn't figure out the reason. I mean, I thought I wasn't doing a hard thing, I was just singing the way I felt the music."
At the age of 9 one of the songs she composed brought her an award at the Contest of Young Talents. When Sirusho was ten, she successfully competed in a contest with older participants, finishing in the first place. She released her first studio album "Sirusho" when she was 13, gradually becoming one of the most favored performers in the Republic of Armenia. Some of the best Armenian composers have written the music for songs she has written lyrics for. She has toured in many countries, including Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
, 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...
, Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
, Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
, Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and elsewhere.
2005-07: Sheram and Hima
After performing soul and pop music for most of her music career, Sirusho decided to work on an album presenting Armenian folk gusan songs by Gusan SheramSheram
Sheram was an Armenian gusan , poet and composer.He is known as the founder of the modern gusan art...
. It was titled Sheram and was released to the public in the same year. The album also included the lead single "Shorora" which eventually became a national hit. In 2005, Sheram was awarded the Best Album of the Year award at the Armenian National Music Awards. Sirusho herself was given the Best Female Artist of the Year award, becoming one of the youngest performers to get this award. During her acceptance speech, she concluded, "I have worked and toured a lot this year, and even in a few hours after this event, I’ll be flying to the U.S. for concerts, and I want to thank you all for giving me wings for all the future "flights" of my life." In a few days, her single "Heranum em" ("I'm Leaving"), written by herself, was released to the radio, soon becoming a huge hit, possibly her biggest at the time.
In 2006, the Armenian music industry suffered the loss of Varduhi Vardanyan, one of the most renown artists in the country at the time. Varduhi has been a very close person to Sirusho ever since she was born. After this, Sirusho dedicated a song to her, titled "Mez Vochinch Chi Bazhani" ("Nothing Will Part Us"). It gained high popularity and peaked in most national chart rankings. Also in 2006, Sirusho received the award for Best Female Artist of the Year at the Annual Armenian-Russian Diaspora Music Awards held in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
.
In 2007, Sirusho released her third album, titled "Hima". It included the song dedicated to Varduhi, the title track, a collaboration with pop singer Sofi Mkheyan, as well as many other tracks written and produced by Sirusho herself. The album proved to be a breakthrough in Armenian music, unleashing a fresh wave of mixing soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
and R&B with folk instruments such as duduk
Duduk
The duduk , traditionally known since antiquity as a Ծիրանափող is a traditional woodwind instrument indigenous to Armenia. Variations of it are popular in the Middle East and Central Asia...
, dhol
Dhol
Dhol can refer to any one of a number of similar types of double-headed drum widely used, with regional variations, throughout the Indian subcontinent and nearby regions. Its range of distribution in India and Pakistan primarily includes northern areas such as the Assam Valley, Bengal, Gujarat,...
, zourna, and others. She was also announced as the Best Female Artist of the Year at the Armenian Music Awards
Armenian Music Awards
Armenian Music Awards is an annual music awards ceremony first held at the Alex Theatre in Glendale, California on October 7, 1998. It was created and produced for the first eight years by Peter Bahlawanian who wanted to support Armenian artists and make Armenian culture more mainstream.Pipeline...
, held by the Armenian-American Diaspora at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood, CA, USA.
2008-09: Eurovision Song Contest, aftermath and continued fame
Sirusho received her fourth Best Female Artist award at the 2008 Armenian National Music Awards, where she had obtained her first award in 2005, and had promised to continue her "rise". She has received several other awards for her songs and music videos during this year.Sirusho was chosen to represent Armenia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008
Eurovision Song Contest 2008
The Eurovision Song Contest 2008 was the 53rd edition of the Contest. It was hosted in Belgrade, Serbia after Marija Šerifović won the 2007 Contest in Helsinki, Finland. This year was the first contest to have two semi-finals which were held on 20 and 22 May, and the final held on 24 May 2008...
with Canadian-Armenian
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....
music composer and producer H.A. Der-Hovagimian
H.A. Der-Hovagimian
H.A. Der-Hovagimian born in Toronto, Canada, is a Canadian-Armenian music composer, songwriter and producer.He signed his first recording contract with the newly found Hi-Bias Records imprint at the age of 17...
's song Qele Qele
Qele Qele
"Qélé, Qélé" is a song by Armenian singer Sirusho and composed by H.A. Der-Hovagimian...
. The song entered the first semi-final on May 20 and advanced to the final which took place on May 24, 2008 in Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
.
Even though she finished 4th in the final with 199 points, she was awarded the maximum amount of 12 points the most times of all the contestants (8), with the winner, Russia's Dima Bilan
Dima Bilan
' is a Russian actor and pop singer . Bilan represented Russia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 with "Never Let You Go", finishing second, and he won the contest in 2008 in Belgrade, with the song "Believe". He has had several Russian no. 1 hits....
receiving 12 points six times.
During the official after-party following the final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2008
Eurovision Song Contest 2008
The Eurovision Song Contest 2008 was the 53rd edition of the Contest. It was hosted in Belgrade, Serbia after Marija Šerifović won the 2007 Contest in Helsinki, Finland. This year was the first contest to have two semi-finals which were held on 20 and 22 May, and the final held on 24 May 2008...
, the four winners of the Marcel Bezençon Award 2008 were announced and prizes were given out. A newly introduced award was presented this year, the Fan Award by Swedish website Gylleneskor.se. Readers of the site had the opportunity to vote online for their favorite 2008 artist under the age of 25. Thousands of votes were cast and the winner was Sirusho with Qele Qele.
On April 1, 2009, Sirusho released the song "Erotas
Erotas (song)
"Erotas" , also known as "Erotas Ksafnikos" , is a song by Armenian singer Sirusho. It is performed in Greek and is the artist's first song in the language....
", also known as "Erotas Ksafnikos" (Sudden Love), sung entirely in the Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
. The song is an up-tempo dance song with heavy traditional Greek laiko
Laïkó
Laïkó ), is a Greek music genre. Also called folk song or urban folk music , in its plural form is a Greek music genre which has taken many forms over the years...
influence. It was composed by singer Hayko
Hayko
Hayk Hakobyan , better known as Hayko , is an Armenian singer who won Armenia's national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest 2007 in Helsinki. He represented Armenia in the Eurovision Song Contest in the final with the song "Anytime You Need"...
and written by Natalia Germanou
Natalia Germanou
Natalia Germanou is a Greek lyricist, television hostess, radio producer, DJ and journalist.Germanou has written lyrics for many popular Greek singers such as Anna Vissi, Christos Dantis, Elena Paparizou, Sakis Rouvas, Despina Vandi, Mihalis Hatzigiannis, Notis Sfakianakis, Natasa Theodoridou,...
. Sirusho performed the song live at the 2009 Tashir Armenian Awards ceremony in April that year. Erotas went on to become a number one hit on the Armenian Singles Chart.
Sirusho stirred up some controversy when she was the spokesperson for Armenia
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
during the voting at the Eurovision Song Contest 2009
Eurovision Song Contest 2009
The Eurovision Song Contest 2009 was the 54th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest and was hosted by Russia after their win in 2008. It took place between 12 and 16 May 2009 at the Olympic Indoor Arena in Moscow, Russia....
final. When she revealed the votes from the country she showed a photo off We Are Our Mountains
We Are Our Mountains
"We Are Our Mountains" is a large Armenian monument north of Stepanakert, the capital city of the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.The sculpture, completed in 1967 by Sargis Baghdasaryan, is widely regarded as a symbol of Nagorno-Karabakh...
a number of times causing heated reactions from Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
.
On June 6, 2009 Sirusho married former Armenian president Robert Kocharyan's son Levon Kocharyan.
In 2009 Sirusho also recorded a song dedicated to peace along with the participants of Eurovision 2008, Boaz Mauda and Jelena Tomasevic
Jelena Tomaševic
Jelena Tomašević is a Serbian pop singer famed for her strong vocal performances. She has won numerous awards for her songs and represented Serbia at 2008 Eurovision Song Contest, coming sixth with the song "Oro".- Music career :Jelena started her way to stardom at the young age of 8 when she won...
, representing Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
and Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
, respectively. Time To Pray was released in May. Its lyricist is the president of Israel, Shimon Peres
Shimon Peres
GCMG is the ninth President of the State of Israel. Peres served twice as the eighth Prime Minister of Israel and once as Interim Prime Minister, and has been a member of 12 cabinets in a political career spanning over 66 years...
. The song was performed in multiple countries, including Russia and Serbia.
2010-present: Havatum em and fifth studio album
In February 2010, Sirusho performed at the Armenian national selection for Eurovision Song Contest 2010Eurovision Song Contest 2010
The Eurovision Song Contest 2010 was the 55th annual Eurovision Song Contest, broadcast from the Telenor Arena in Bærum, Greater Oslo, Norway. It was the third time Norway had hosted the contest, having previously done so in 1986 and 1996. The 2010 winner was Germany with Lena singing "Satellite",...
, singing her new song Havatum em (English: I Believe). Havatum em was written by Sirusho. At the end of February she was invited to Malta as a special guest to perform at the Maltese Eurovision selection. During the visit she was also a guest on most popular local TV shows and took part in the Maltese annual charity, performing Havatum em.
Sirusho's fourth official studio album, Havatum em, was released in summer 2010 along with new singles from it. The record includes previously released songs Erotas, the title track, Time to Pray, other new songs, as well as the songs that she had written for the Armenian national final for Eurovision 2008. During an interview in Malta with esctoday.com, Sirusho was asked whether she would return to the Eurovision Song Contest, and she said that if people and her fanbase want her to go, she will return to represent Armenia again. On 11 June 2011 Sirusho will had a live concert in Lyon, France.
On September 9, the first single from Sirusho's upcoming studio album, "I Like It", was released to iTunes. The official music video made its debut on November 11. The album is scheduled for a 2012 release.
Albums
- Sirusho (2000)
- Sheram (2005)
- Hima (2007)
- Havatum EmHavatum EmHavatum em is the fourth studio album by Armenian recording artist Sirusho, released on May 22, 2010. The album offers a variety of styles of music genres and styles such as Pop and R&B. The lead single is a ballad called "Havatum em" that she performed live both at the Armenian national...
(2010) - TBA (2012)
Singles
- 2005 - "Shorora"
- 2005 - "Sery mer"
- 2006 - "Mayrik"
- 2006 - "Heranum em"
- 2007 - "Hima"
- 2007 - "Arjani e" (featuring Sofi Mkheyan)
- 2007 - "Mez Vochinch Chi Bajani"
- 2008 - "Qélé, Qélé"
- 2009 - "ErotasErotas (song)"Erotas" , also known as "Erotas Ksafnikos" , is a song by Armenian singer Sirusho. It is performed in Greek and is the artist's first song in the language....
" - 2009 - "Time to Pray" (featuring Boaz Mauda and Jelena Tomasevic)
- 2010 - "Havatum Em"
- 2011 - "I Like It"
List of Awards
2003 - "The Future of Armenian Music" at the Armenian National Music Awards, Yerevan2004 - "Best Female Artist" at the "Krunk Awards", Yerevan
2005 - "Best Song" - "Sery mer" at the "Voske Qnar Awards", Yerevan
2005 - "Best Album of the Year" - "Shorora" at the Armenian National Music Awards, Yerevan
2005 - "Best Female Artist of the Year" at the Armenian National Music Award, Yerevan
2005 - "Best Female Artist" at the Annual Armenian-Russian Diaspora Music Awards (Tashir 2005), Moscow
2006 - "Best Female Artist of the Year" at the Annual Armenian-Russian Diaspora Music Award (Tashir 2006), Moscow
2006 - "Best Music Video" - "Mayrik" at the Annual MCLUB AMVA Awards, USA
2007 - "Best Female Artist of the Year" at the Armenian Music Awards (Anush), USA
2007 - "Best Video" - "Hima" at the "Top 10 Awards", Yerevan
2007 - "Princess of Armenian Music", Yes Magazine Awards, Yerevan
2007 - "Best Song" - "Heranum em" at the "Voske Qnar Awards", Yerevan
2008 - "Best Video" - "Qele Qele" at the "Top 10 Awards", Yerevan
2008 - "Eurovision Fan Award" at the Eurovision Song Contest, Belgrade
2008 - "Best Female Artist of the Year" at the Armenian National Music Awards, Yerevan
2009 - "Best International Armenian Singer" at the Annual Armenian-Russian Diaspora Music Award (Tashir 2009), Moscow
2010 - "Best Song" - "Havatum Em" at the Armenian National Music Awards, Yerevan
2010 - "Best-Selling Album " - "Havatum Em" at the Armenian National Music Awards, Yerevan
2010 - "Best Singer" & "Best Media Star" at Luxury Awards
2010 - "Special award for spreading the Armenian music in Europe" at the Annual Armenian-Russian Diaspora Music Award (Tashir 2010), Moscow