Eurovision 2017 - South Caucasus in Kyiv

UPDATE Friday 12 May 2017: Armenia's Artsvik did quite a good job during the first semi-final. She definitely pulled it off live on stage, and the song has grown on me. Watching her live, I've changed my opinion about the choice of song as she made it fit her vocals quite nicely.
Azerbaijan was not as good during the first semi, as I expected, and Georgia predictably did not reach the final.

There was another Armenian performing during the first semi-final: Hovig from Cyprus. He was pretty good too and passed through to the final. Quite an 'Armenian Eurovision' the show turned into.

And finally, the identity of those hot guys on the picture below revealed. They are the dancers on stage during Greece performance. You are welcome :))

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First of all, this picture. Because I like it. The message. The visuals.

*posted by official Eurovision Twitter account: "It's all about celebrating love and diversity at #Eurovision". Quite a package, one might say :))

Now back to the main topic of this post.

All three South Caucasus countries represented by female leads.

The most interesting is Dihaj from Azerbaijan. They represent alternative music/art scene of the country. I have to say I like their image more than the song which is mainstream-ed to appeal to broader Eurovision audience. Still, the theme of Skeletons is not boring and they have a potential of interesting stage presentation, as was evidenced by videos from the rehearsals.

And Nigar, Copenhagen based Azeri artist, who participates in their videos is pretty hot. For more pics & info re the band see here.

Artsvik will represent Armenia. During Eurovision national preselection I was supportive of her because she had a potential with her vocal range (out of choices on offer, that is) but she needed a suitable song. And here comes the problem. The song they’ve chosen doesn't fit well with Artsvik’s vocals. The music video is very weird and as such memorable, visually could do better on stage. But the song is not a 'sing-able' song. It is not something I would listen to without seeing it or sing-a-long to. It’s instantly forgettable, song-wise.

Georgia's entry is seemingly the safest choice, ticking the most Eurovision ‘tick boxes’, beautiful singer, pleasant voice, a ballad. But overall it is not very memorable and a little bit boring.

I haven't seen most of other Eurovision entries yet, so can't say how strong or weak South Caucasus entries are compared to others. Suffice to note, I hardly see a winner of the Eurovision 2017 among South Caucasus countries. Still, exciting week ahead, with potentially some memorable presentations on stage.

In the meantime, enjoy this non-Eurovision video by Dihaj.

X Factor Armenia judges: homophobes, closets and… drag

Egor Glumov

X Factor Armenia judge. Works as a presenter at homophobic radio station - radio Van. Self-proclaimed “militant homophobe”. To be more precise: “Christian and militant homophobe”, as he describes himself on a bio page for X Factor Armenia judges.

And here is Egor Glumov in drag, celebrating his workplace birthday. Or shall we say ‘celebrating’ himself?

*source of pictures: Tert.am

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Garik, aka Ekaterin

X Factor Armenia judge. He is the author of lyrics for Armenia Eurovision entry Aram MP3 song Not Alone. But he is more known in Armenia as Ekaterin for his comedy sketches in drag.

When this blog exposed homophobic statements by Aram MP3, followed by Aram’s apology, Garik was all silent in Copenhagen where the song contest took place. As soon as he arrived back in Yerevan’s Zvartnots airport, he suddenly became all vocal, you know the fake macho-style type vocal, with a series of homophobic outbursts. [There is a saying in Armenian re this type of people: Հայաստանից դուրս կուռկուռի ձագ են դառնում]

And in his capacity of X Factor judge, Garik, aka Ekaterin, on the very day when the world marks IDAHOT, shouted that he is fighting too but on the side of homophobes. (watch this video from 1:17)
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Andre

X Factor Armenia judge. Andre was the first representative of Armenia in Eurovision in 2006.

On this video (from 26:40) from one of past seasons of X Factor Armenia he burst into homophobic rant when a participant dedicated his performance to IDAHOT. It’s hardly a secret who Andre really likes being with and which clubs he attends when in US or Europe.
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To sum up:

You do not have to expose details of your private life. You do not have to be gay rights activist. But you don’t need to be a f*cking homophobic bully on TV or elsewhere. And if you do, there will be people out there to expose your hypocrisy.
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P.S. I wonder if X Factor license that Shant TV - I assume - holds allows such displays of homophobic hatred.

Personal: growing up with George Michael

I woke up this morning hoping that the immense sadness and tears on my face last night were some kind of a bad-bad dream. If only…

During my teenage years and beyond George Michael and his music helped me feel connected. Among few other global LGBT personalities, he helped me feel part of the bigger community while I was growing-up in Armenia. Even at a time when he was not publicly out yet. My gaydar worked instantly since the very first time I saw him on TV.

I remember seeing his face on pics and posters and hearing his music in so many places in Yerevan, from shops to hairdressing salons, to restaurants and TV. His music was an essential part of any house party in Yerevan. I remember how pleased I was that after he was outed as a gay man, people’s attitude did not change towards him, his music and image were still as prevalent in Yerevan as before. This was THE hopeful sign for me.

And I had a crush on him, although years later when I moved to London, it was not me but an Armenian friend of mine who for a short while was his occasional lover. How pleased and intrigued we were that a friend of ours scored with this great guy we all admired…

His music, the lyrics, and the music videos… So many faves that I am unable to choose one for this post.

You will be immensely missed, George Michael. THANK YOU for being there and for being a light at the end of the tunnel for me and millions others.

RIP…

*picture via George Michael FB page

Quote of the Day: Armenia’s Iveta Mukuchyan is “hot as f*uck”. Love Wave? More like a “love tsunami”

This is the best I have ever read about any other Eurovision entry from Armenia in the UK, let alone in a gay magazine:

“Mine [Eurovision 2016 favourite] is Armenia and my glamorous sis Iveta Mukuchyan with her “LoveWave” entry which is so powerful that is actually a love tsunami. She is hot as fuck, has the voice and the staging is just on point - gurl, she will slay.” 

Truly, quote of the day. Via QX gay magazine, widely distributed for free in London gay venues.

Eurovision: the right to wave a flag and being political

I am not against flags or being political at Eurovision. While first and foremost a music contest, the Eurovision was, is and always will be political. And I don't necessarily think it's a bad thing IF it means raising or drawing attention to important issues people feel passionate about.

We frequently wish or expect our fave singers, actors, sports personalities to voice their opinion and contribute to good social causes, human rights causes, and we criticise them when - whether unwittingly or not - they appear next to dictators or keep silence. Entertainment industry, besides its entertainment value, has a huge potential to contribute to social changes.

From LGBT rights to the plight of Crimean Tatars and more. It's in this aspect Karabakh issue (or more specifically, waving Karabakh flag) should be viewed too. What is a different matter, however, is how or why this or that issue is being raised, and whether a platform or target audience is suitable for the cause.

*Metro

Every single year, there is an annual Eurovision battle between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Karabakh. I am pretty sure, for most outside viewers it looks more like a childish game between the countries who cannot look beyond their local boundaries; while inside Armenia and Azerbaijan (and their Diaspora), it's a big thing, likely to be planned ahead on the highest governmental level. And add to this a real life tragedy of war which Armenia, Azerbaijan and Karabakh witness on a daily basis, emotions understandably run high.

However, I do not believe the Eurovision is necessarily a suitable platform, in terms of its target audience, for raising Karabakh issue, other than for a concept of peace.

But as someone passionate about human rights, I cannot be against anyone waving any flag or raising any issue, other than terrorists' flags or hate speech. And this is regardless of whether I would agree or disagree with that action. The point here is that formally the Armenian delegation broke the rules and could be put up for penalty. But I find the EBU statement way too harsh and disproportionate, especially considering that their 'flag rules' had been poorly executed, are pretty stupid and unacceptable when listing together, on a same level (!), the flags of unrecognised states or states/regions within a country along with that of... ISIS.

And I am glad that Azeri singer Samra responded to their local journalist's Karabakh related propaganda speech with 'Eurovision is about music', and Armenia's Iveta reiterated that her action (waving Karabakh flag) was about peace, even if I am sceptical about such statements. In fact, this action hardly contributed to 'peace' even within the Eurovision. Yes, perhaps more people now heard of Karabakh than before, but did it lead to more people caring more about it? Did it raise among Eurovision audience the impression of Armenia promoting peace? I highly doubt it. My advice to both Armenia and Azerbaijan delegations: know your audience, and at least make some efforts to "come together", as the Eurovision slogan proclaims.

Back to the Eurovison as a song contest, I am happy that my faves from the 1st semi - Armenia and Malta - are through to the finals. Yes, Iveta Mukuchyan nailed it. There was also a powerful performance by Ukraine entry Jamala and a cool one by Georgia’s Nika Kocharov and Young Georgian Lolitaz during the 2nd semi. And all of them, that is 3 very different and pretty damn good singers of Armenian origin, became a highlight of this year’s Eurovision. All through to the final. Big congrats !!

If only our countries are as successful and as determined at peace and human rights (for real!), as they are on Eurovision stage.

Eurovision 2016: Armenia’s Iveta Mukuchyan, South Caucasus and more

When I first saw Iveta Mukuchyan’s music video of the song "Love Wave", I have to be honest, my first impression was like: oh well, ok-ish song, beautiful singer, problems with enunciation, but nothing special, apart from featuring hot enigmatic Swedish model Ben Dahlhaus.

I was hoping that presence of Ben on the stage in Sweden will do the trick to add an element of excitement and anticipation.

 *picture - via Ben Dahlhaus FB page 

*Ben Dahlhaus Instagram

But…

Only when I saw Iveta performing live during the Eurovision rehearsals, she really did make an impact on me. Her vocals are quite strong, and she owns the stage during the performance. Good job, Iveta.



It’s amusing to read comments dubbing her Armenian Beyonce :))

There is no doubts for me that she will easily qualify from the semifinal. The question is how far up top she will manage to reach during the finals. Wiwibloggs reviewers seem totally impressed.

Here is a music video of "Ari Yar" by Iveta Mukuchyan, full of diversity, and I like it. I want to see more such works from Iveta.



Btw, as part of Eurovision promotional tour, Iveta hosted Malta’s Ira Losco in Yerevan.

*picture via oikotimes

Here is the fact that was not highlighted by Public TV in Armenia: Ira Losco is a vocal advocate for LGBT rights.

I wish the day will come when I can say the same about Armenia representative at Eurovision. And I wish one day ‘Eurovision Armenia’ will proudly present such messages on their FB page.

Considering the high level of homophobia in Armenia and in line with the tunes of her song, I want to hear from Iveta a powerful all-inclusive message of love. Yes, with specific mention of LGBT people too.

Re other South Caucasus entries:

Azerbaijan: Samra is a beautiful singer with catchy song, but vocally she is the weakest among the South Caucasus entries.

Georgia: Nika Kocharov and Young Georgian Lolitaz are the least conventional among South Caucasus entries.

Great band, including musicians of mixed Georgian and Armenian roots.

*picture via esckaz

Here is a performance of "Gay Swimmer" (yes, you read it right! pay attention to the background of the picture above too) by the band.



However, I am not sure about the choice of their song “Midnight Gold” for Eurovision. Still, best of luck to Nika and Young Georgian Lolitaz.

Another singer to keep an eye on is Ukraine’e entry Jamala, of mixed Crimean Tatar (father) and Armenia (mother) origin. She will present with the song “1944” aimed at Russia, a tragic tale about deportation of the Crimean Tatars.

And finally, I really like France entry this year, and Russia’s Sergey Lazarev will certainly do well.

US country musician Steve Grand with Armenian flag during EuroPride in Riga

It was a pretty historic event - the EuroPride that took place in Riga on 20 June. Latvia is currently hosting the EU presidency, and this was the first EuroPride in the ex-Soviet state.

However, Latvia has yet lots to do in order to embrace fully human rights for all. According to ILGA-Europe press release:

…the country is on a cross road between embracing the fundamental principles of the European Union and advancing the human rights of LGBTI people or slipping back into the past and mirroring by its eastern neighbours and introducing discriminatory and oppressive laws.

Just yesterday, the Latvian Parliament adopted a change in education law which prescribes ‘constitutional morality education’ to schoolchildren to ensure children are educated in line with the constitutional definition of marriage as union between a man and a woman. In effect such legislative change mirrors the infamous Russian law banning ’gay propaganda’ to minors. On the other hand, Latvia is in the midst of a very lively and positive debate of a gender neutral cohabitation law which is being championed by some mainstream politicians and gaining wider public support.

Moreover, as per ILGA-Europe Rainbow Europe Index, “Latvia has the lowest score among the EU Member States in terms of laws and policies affecting LGBTI people – only 18% equality achieved”.

One of the biggest flags one could spot during the EuroPride held in Riga was our Armenian tricolour.

And it’s great to see popular and pretty hot openly gay US country musician Steve Grand in Riga’s Euro Pride with Armenian flag

Re Steve Grand: “He became an overnight internet celebrity and was acclaimed by some to be the first openly gay male country musician to attract mainstream attention in the United States. The music video of his first hit "All-American Boy" went viral on YouTube in less than a week in July 2013.” (more on Wiki)

And below is a pic with rainbow flag that Steve Grand posted on his Instagram with the following comment: “#EuroPride in #Riga, #Latvia #USEmbassy It is an important time to be here for #pride. Grateful to be a part of the effort to further #equality in this part of the world”

Charles Aznavour's “Comme Ils Disent" feature in Divas show, Las Vegas

The fame of Charles Aznavour's groundbreaking "Comme Ils Disent" ("What Makes a Man a Man”) - "the first song about homosexuality" - extended to Las Vegas, featuring in popular Divas show. In fact, it was one of the strongest performances in Divas, emotionally charged, very nicely executed.

If you are in Las Vegas, do not miss your chance to check it out. I highly recommend.

P.S. Today is Charles Aznavour's birthday. Happy bday, Aznavour !! Thank you for your music. And more. Much more !!

How incorrect use of Armenian translit turned this rap song ‘gay’

Few days ago, I received a Google alert update that there is this ‘gay Armenian’ rap song on YouTube. The title of this song looked weird in English: “ETE HET GAY / ARMENIAN RAP / 2015”

It was obvious to me that at least the first two words were written in Armenian translit. But I was still not sure what it actually meant combined with the word “gay”. So I started watching (well, listening to), and everything became instantly clear. I burst into laughing.

Apparently, this guy, who uploaded his own music video, indicated his song’s title - which should read in English “If I were to come back” - in a weird Armenian (incorrect) translit, directly mirroring the way he speaks [a certain way that people in certain Armenian circles speak :))] and inadvertently turned his song into a ‘gay Armenian’ rap song.

Here we are, as of today, 7 days after uploading his music video, this guy still did not realise what his song’s title (the way he indicated it) really means in English :)) Or may be he did it intentionally?! I doubt it, but I am all smile writing this post.

Armenia: System Of A Down remembers all victims of the Genocides, including gays, in a live concert in Yerevan

By making the parallels between the Armenian Genocide and the Holocaust, the animated on-screen introduction to the part 2 of the SOAD’s concert declared [see from 49:25 - captions below in Armenian, in the video - with English voice-over]:

[“Inspired by the example of openly committing mass murder with impunity [the Armenian Genocide], he [Hitler] became an architect of the new Genocide - the Holocaust, Nazi Germany’s evil campaign to rid Europe off Jews, Poles, gypsies, gays, the disabled and all those who did not fit in Hitler’s twisted vision of “pure race”.]

They then went on with more current examples of the “terror that persists”. “We can no longer seat back and watch those dreadful acts committed around the globe. Time to wake up the souls.”

Hear this, Armenian and worldwide fans of the System of the Down. Embrace the diversity. Hear this, Armenian politicians and other world leaders. Your oppressive politics will be eventually rocked apart.

Says Serj Tankian live in Yerevan: “There is still fucking work to do [in Armenia]. It’s a responsibility of the government to bring in the principles of the egalitarian civic society, getting rid of institutional injustice and stopping depopulation that is occurring.”

This was in line with Serj Tankian’s previously expressed support for environmental issues and LGBT human rights in Armenia: Prominent Armenians (including Serj Tankian) issue statement in support of LGBT human rights

As victims of the Genocide, Armenia and Armenians should lead by example, by embracing diversity.

I want to hope that particularly younger generation who got inspired over the last few weeks with Kanye West’s awesomely crazy impromptu gig in Yerevan, Kim Kardashian’s ability to shake off the routine and bring world media’s attention to the country, SOAD’s epic concert, and the presence of so many diverse awesome people both in Armenia and in Diaspora, will challenge the status quo by making Armenia a country of our dreams, where everyone, regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability will be welcomed and treated equally, with respect. By setting ourselves free of prejudices, we will provide the best evidence of failure of the perpetrators of the Armenian Genocide.

And as yet another evidence of such failure is the joint commemorations by Turks and Armenians in Istanbul of the centenary of the Genocide, despite Turkish government’s continuous denial and oppressions. Also, this joint statement by Armenian and Turkish LGBT groups marking the anniversary and pledging to fight together for human rights. And this very awesome personal story by gay Armenian Haig Chahinian, published on The Washington Post on the April 24th:

The #ArmenianGenocide gives way to gay pride. The story of my life http://t.co/efEj2IzX0k
— Haig Chahinian (@chahinian) April 24, 2015

"I didn’t have to procreate to carry on my Armenian-American family legacy. As a gay man, I couldn't marry the Armenian woman my father hoped I would. But I can still honor our traditions."

It’s very telling that The Guardian’s great coverage of the Armenian Genocide topic this year included the interactive format for the descendants’ family stories, a format used for the similar accounts of racial profiling in the US and experiences of LGBT communities around the word, as stated by The Guardian’s Maeve Shearlaw, in an interview with Armenian Mediamax agency.

"This isn't a rock’n’roll concert. To our murderers, this is revenge" - said System of a Down's Daron Malakian, during live concert in Yerevan.

Here is for the next 100 years.

The Irrepressibles gig in London: full of emotions, strength and vulnerability

I am a big fan of The Irrepressibles, and was super excited to finally see them performing live in London. It was their first London gig (Islington, Assembly Hall, Fri 20 March 2015) of the NUDE.

I had pretty high expectations, and this was one of the instances when my high expectations were fully met.

The vocals, emotions, combination of strength and vulnerability, their performance was emotionally draining and very honest.

And yes, Jamie, the lead singer, was pretty sexy with the beard. I loved his new image. There were frequent shouts "You are so sexy", "I love you" from the  audience.

If you ever have a chance to see The Irrepressibles live, do it, it's a must.

And below is a pic of the opening support act by Ebe Oke, and of the stage before the show.

Opera Australia drops Georgian singer Tamar Iveri following virulent homophobia exposé

I devote this post to Armenian pop stars or other personalities, especially the ones in or around showbiz. I did hope that after Eurovision homophobia fiasco, they would learn the lesson. Well, some probably did. But definitely not all. I will come back to the latest example from Armenia in an upcoming post.

In an era of online communications, words have no expiry date and may hunt you down at any time. Of course, anyone can make mistakes, do or say something totally unacceptable, hurtful, and then genuinely apologise for the wrongs and try making amends. I am all for giving a second chance but only if I believe you are genuine in your actions and intentions, or at least I see some real efforts. If this is the case, people will forgive you. But at times the ‘apology’ is so fake that makes things even worse.

Just weeks ahead of her Opera Australia performance, Georgian opera singer Tamar Iveri was exposed as a homophobe. And it was particularly virulent type of homophobia, disgusting beyond words.

Georgian soprano causes outrage for describing LGBT people as "faecal matter”Georgian soprano Tamar Iveri, scheduled to sing Desdemona in Otello for Opera Australia in July and Tosca later this year in Melbourne, has been roundly condemned for an open letter she wrote to the Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili in May last year. In the lengthy diatribe, originally posted on her Facebook page, she describes LGBT people as “deviants” and suggests that homosexuality is part of the “faecal mass” being foisted on Georgia by the West. 

Iveri’s outburst came on the back of a rally organised by LGBT activists and other Georgian citzens to mark International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHO) in the city of Tbilisi. According to reports, tens of thousands of Orthodox Christian activists attacked the participants some of whom, it is claimed, narrowly escaped death. Iveri, however, lambasted the Georgian President for condemning the violence writing that she was “proud of the fact how Georgian society spat at the parade”.

The letter, which contains frequent references to bodily waste, sexual practices and Western moral corruption makes for difficult reading. Backing those who attacked the parade, Iveri says that “often, in certain cases, it is necessary to break jaws in order to be appreciated as a nation” and maintaining that the perpetrators of the violence were “Georgian youth of pure blood, still unspoiled by you [President Mikheil Saakashvili]”.

After outrage that the letter had caused, Tamar deleted it from her FB page, but it had already been translated by LGBT activists in Tbilisi and distributed online. Back then, this incident did not reach world headlines, with only Paris Opera cancelling her performance, formally due to “health condition” but many believe the real reason was the letter that was passed to the Director of the Paris Opera.

A year on, this exposé caused online storm in social networks and media headlines in The Guardian and The Independent with an instant demand to Opera Australia to fire her.

To make things worse, Tamar Iveri released a statement where she alleged that the letter was in fact written by her husband.

“My husband was using my Facebook account at that time and he is a very religious man with a tough attitude towards gay people. He copied my text, changed it considerably and posted it under my name.”

This was the most ridiculous and unbelievable attempt at damage control I have seen. And when she claimed: "He copied my text, changed it considerably and posted it under my name." - what was in her original text, I wonder? I do not expect anything positive.

Opera Australia has since been under mounting pressure and demands from LGBT rights activists, Twitter and FB users, opera lovers and financial sponsors to drop Tamar Iveri. After initial hesitation, Opera Australia released a statement announcing termination of the contract with Georgian opera singer describing views attributed to the singer towards gay people as “unconscionable”. Earlier Brussels Opera dropped her from upcoming production too.

The only right decision. And lesson to others.

The Legend of Armen Ra and the Theremin: “I do feel I carry the cross of all gay Armenians on my back”

I posted about Armen Ra, US-based Iranian Armenian Theremin virtuoso, drag artist and performer, famous for uniquely brilliant interpretation of the music by prominent Armenian composer Komitas.

Great to know that a feature documentary about his life - When My Sorrow Died: The Legend of Armen Ra and the Theremin won Director’s Choice Award of the Illuminate Film Festival 2014 and it will be screened at 13th Annual San Francisco Documentary Festival in June.

*Armen Ra with producer Matt Huffman, director Robert Nazar Arjoyan, and mother Ruzanna Makarian-Hovanesian, Illuminate Film Festival 2014 (picture via festival's FB page)

*via The Bay Area Reporter 

When My Sorrow Died: The Legend of Armen Ra and the Theremin This hidden gem spotlights the savage wit and rags-to-rags story of the fabulously talented and uncomfortably honest Iranian-born performance artist/former drag diva and now stellar artist/composer Armen Ra. Looking a bit like champion skater Johnny Weir's twin separated at birth, the articulate girly-boy grew up in a prosperous Tehran family of Armenian Christian descent. A well-behaved little boy whom adults grew used to taking to adult functions, the seven-year-old shocked his grownup chaperones one night at the opera when he demanded to be allowed to sit in the royal box.

The 1979 revolution destroyed the boy's cloistered life of high culture and forced his mom to resettle in a shabby Boston apartment. Queer-baited and bullied at school, Ra finally beat up one of his tormentors, getting him kicked out of school and ultimately promoted to the 80s Lower Manhattan club-kids scene. There followed a furious stab at drag-diva stardom, interrupted by bouts of depression and binge-drinking on the verge of suicide.

A miracle at a New York rock club led him to discover the joys of the Theremin. While instant riches did not follow, Ra did get himself a spotlight on a CNN feature in which he was quoted as calling the Theremin his "Maria Callas machine." Eventually he recorded his first album, consisting mostly of music from his Armenian culture, whereupon he made a rude discovery. "And it was received well all over the world with the exception of Armenia. To think I brought the music of the patron saint of Armenia to millions of persons who never have heard it, and to get hate mail and death threats from my own people is disgusting. It makes me ashamed. I'm ashamed for them. Look, I didn't choose to be gay, I didn't choose to be Armenian, it is the way it is. If I could choose, it would be from Spain or Norway. Everyone's happy there! I do feel I carry the cross of all gay Armenians on my back, and that cross is getting heavy. So let's get out of the closet, kids, be visible, fight, that's how you stop prejudice."

He's pretty, witty, sassy, and in-your-face, and if your taste runs to girly-boy provocateurs, then this doc is your cup of tea. (Northern California premiere, Roxie, 6/14, 18)
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And a treat from Armen Ra’s Twitter page:

*Armenian divas - Armen Ra with Cher

Groundbreaking Lebanese band Mashrou’ Leila rocks London's Scala with their 100th gig

Last night I finally saw this groundbreaking Lebanese band Mashrou’ Leila live in London. It was their 100th ever gig, and it was awesome.

I was first introduced to the band a year or so ago by a friend of mine who is a big-big fan of theirs. Since then I keep an eye on Mashrou’ Leila. More I read about them, more I listen to their music, more I like them. But it was not until last night that I saw them live. The gig was in London’s Scala club, popular with students and indie crowd. What a great time I had.

They sing about love, life, important social and human rights issues, including LGBT related. I didn’t feel that I don’t know the language of their songs, because I could feel the music, the rhythms, emotions, sincerity, bravery. It’s as if they played in Armenian or English. Everything was so familiar, so close to my heart, so understandable. I was totally taken away by their music and performance, and left the gig recharged.

Btw, there is Armenian violinist in the band - Haig Papazian. He is currently studying in London at Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL. Haig was on stage in transparent black top. What a talented cute guy he is. In fact, all of his bandmates are. Brave, intelligent, talented and cute.

They appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine’s Middle East edition.

Below are just few media headlines about the band:

The Guardian: Mashrou' Leila: the Lebanese band changing the tune of Arab politics
BBC: The band out to occupy Arab pop
Reuters: Gay Lebanese singer with 'Freddie Mercury' edge fronts band

Hamed Sinno, openly gay vocalist of the band, was on a cover of Tetu, prominent gay magazine in France.







Hamed made into The Independent’s PINK LIST 2013 as one of the most influential international LGBT names:

The lead singer in the Lebanese band Mashrou’ Leila appeared on the cover of the French gay lifestyle magazine Têtu, and encourages his LGBT fans “to forge for themselves a sense of belonging to the region, in spite of the incredible repressing they have to live through.” 

*FYI: band's FB page; Twitter