Aram Avetiki Sargsyan (Armenian: Արամ Ավետիքի Սարգսյան; born 5 April 1984), better known by his stage name Aram Mp3 (Armenian: Արամ Mp3; often stylized as Aram MP3), is an Armenian singer and comedian. He represented Armenia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 in Copenhagen with the song "Not Alone" and took the 4th place.[1]
Aram Mp3 | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Aram Mp3 at the Eurovision Song Contest 1st press conference in 2014 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Aram Sargsyan |
| Born | 5 April 1984 Yerevan, Armenian SSR, USSR |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 2006–present |
| Signature | |
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Early life
editAram Sargsyan was born on 5 April 1984 in Armenia's capital Yerevan. Ever since he was a child, he has been involved in a number of choirs and theatrical performances. He got a bachelor's degree in pharmacy at Yerevan State Medical University, from which he graduated in 2006. During his study at the YSMU, he played in the KVN comedy show, first among Armenian universities and later in the Armenian team Ararat in Moscow.[2]
Career
edit2006–2012: Early beginnings
editIn 2006, Aram joined several other comedians—largely unknown to the public—to form 32 Teeth (32 ատամ) comedy show. During his first years in 32 Atam he often performed humorous covers of popular songs earning the nickname "Aram Mp3", referring to the common audio format MP3. One of his colleagues, Vahagn Grigoryan, gave him that pseudonym.[3] In 2007, he became the winner of Armenia 1's 2 Stars (2 աստղ) TV show.
During this time Aram started to perform live in jazz and blues clubs, record songs and shoot music videos. Famous TV formats such as X-Factor, Hay Superstar, My Name Is..., Power Of 10 were hosted by him and brought him more fame. In 2010 Aram and his friends created the Vitamin Club (Վիտամին ակումբ) stand-up comedy TV show, which was broadcast by Shant TV every week. He has also hosted several shows in Armenia TV. In particular, he co-hosted the Nice Evening program on Armenia 1 with Garik Papoyan.[2]
2013–2014: Eurovision Song Contest
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In 2013 Aram began to work more on his musical career. He released his first solo music videos for his singles "Shine" and "If I Tried". Both songs were written by Aram himself and his friend, Garik Papoyan.[4][5]
On 31 December 2013, Aram Mp3 was selected by the Public Television Company of Armenia to represent Armenia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2014 in Denmark.[1] During the semi-final allocation draw on 20 January 2014 at the Copenhagen City Hall, Armenia was drawn to compete in the first half of the first semi-final on 6 May 2014.[6] On 14 March 2014 it was announced that Aram will sing his song "Not Alone" in Copenhagen.[7]
In the run-up to the competition, Aram criticised the Austrian performer, drag queen Conchita Wurst in remarks that were characterised as homophobic and transphobic, claiming that her lifestyle was "not natural" and that she should "eventually decide whether she is a woman or a man"; he later apologised and insisted his statements were "a joke" and had not intended to offend Wurst, though maintained that he considered homosexuality to be "unacceptable".[8][9] He later met in person with Conchita and was photographed exchanging words and hugging with the artist, and put out another apology where he stated that he 'rejects homophobia'.[10]
In the first semi-final, the producers of the show decided that Armenia would open the semi-final and perform 1st.[11] Armenia qualified from the first semi-final and competed in the final on 10 May 2014.[12] During the winner's press conference for the first semi-final qualifiers, Armenia was allocated to compete in the first half of the final.[12] In the final, the producers of the show decided that Armenia would perform seventh.[13] Aram finished the contest in 4th place with 174 points.[14]
2014–present: After Eurovision
editAfter Eurovision he appeared as a guest star on many Armenian TV shows such as The Voice and X Factor.[15][16] Aram's new single "Help" was released on 7 February 2015.[17]
In 2016, he voiced Adult Simba, both speaking and singing, and was also the lead singer of Circle of Life in the Armenian version of The Lion King.
Starting in 2016, he participated as a judge and mentor in the Armenian Eurovision National final where his team was made up of Saro Gevorgyan, LUCY, Lilit Harutyunyan, and Jujo. However, they all got eliminated with LUCY placing 6th in the contest. In February 2017, Iveta Mukuchyan and Aram Mp3 released a collaborative single together titled "Dashterov".[18] On 21 May, Iveta Mukuchyan announced a new traditional project with Aram MP3 called "Dashterov". The first song ("El Eghnim") of that project was released on 15 June and the second one ("Let the wind blow") was released on 22 June. In the same month, Sargsyan participated in a new project to help all the Armenian children who suffer from cancer. Many Armenian prominent singers were also participating, such as Mihran Tsarukyan, Erik Karapetyan, Iveta Mukuchyan.
Personal life
editAram married Anna Margaryan in April 2008. Their son Arno was born in June 2011.[19]
Discography
editSingles
editAs lead artist
edit| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BEL (WA) [20] |
AUT [21] |
DEN [22] |
GER [23] |
HUN [24] |
IRE [25] |
NLD [26] |
SWE [27] |
SWI [28] |
UK [29] | |||
| "Positive" (with Shprot) |
2008 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album singles |
| "Shine" | 2013 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "If I Tried" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Just Go On" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Not Alone" | 2014 | 36 [A] |
31 | 21 | 44 | 11 | 60 | 94 | 45 | 53 | 88 | |
| "Help" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Magic" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "You're My Sunshine" (featuring The Sunside Band) |
2015 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Asa" | 2016 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Alabalanica" | 2019 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Heriq eghav" | 2020 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Heros tgherq" (with Arame, Arabo Ispiryan, Mihran Tsarukyan, Mkrtich Arzumanyan and Arsen Safaryan) |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Kochari" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Depi Bardzunq"[30] | 2023 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2023 European Weightlifting Championships |
| "—" denotes a single that did not chart or was not released. | ||||||||||||
"Dashterov" collaboration
edit| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Ալ Էղնիմ" (Al Eghnim) | 5:50 |
| 2. | "Քամին զանա" (Qamin Zana) | 3:59 |
| 3. | "Ղափամա" (Ghapama) | 2:39 |
| 4. | "Նինո" (Nino) | 3:05 |
| 5. | "Ծիրանի ծառ" (Tsirani tzar) | 2:59 |
| 6. | "Գորանի" (Gorani) | 3:17 |
Appearance
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 32 Atam (32 ատամ) | Himself | Comedy TV show |
| 2007–08 | 2 Stars (2 աստղ) | Singer | Featuring Shprot |
| 2010 | Our Yard (Մեր բակը) | Himself | Main cast |
| 2010–15 | Vitamin Club | Himself | Comedy TV show |
| 2010–13 | X-Factor | Host | |
| 2011–12 | Hay Superstar | Host | |
| 2011 | Gerdastane (Գերդաստանը) | Tigran | Main cast |
| 2016 | Full House (Ֆուլ Հաուս) | Himself | 1 episode |
| 2016 | The Lion King (Առյուծ արքան) | Adult Simba | Armenian dub |
| 2016–17 | Depi Evratesil (Դեպի Եվրատեսիլ) | Judge/Mentor | Armenian Eurovision National final |
| 2017-19 | Nice Evening (Լավ Երեկո) | Host | Featuring Garik Papoyan |
| 2017 | Benefis (Բենեֆիս) | Presenter, guest | Episode: Avet Barseghyan |
| 2017 | Hayastan Jan (Հայաստան Ջան) | Contestant | |
| 2020-21 | Velo MP3 (Վելո ՄՊ3) | Host |
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Organization | Award | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Luxury Magazine | Advertising Face of the Year[31] | Himself | Won |
| 2014 | Presenter of the Year[32] | Nominated | ||
| Comedian of the Year[32] | Won | |||
| 2017 | Armenian Europe Music Awards[33] | Collaboration of the Year | Dashterov | Won |
References
editNotes
editA ^ Did not appear on the official Belgian Ultratop 50 chart, but rather on Ultratip chart, which combines "Airplay and Sales".
Sources
edit- ^ a b Omelyanchuk, Olena (n.d.). "Aram Mp3 to represent Armenia in Copenhagen". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 1 January 2014. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
- ^ a b "Արամ MP3" (in Armenian). AV Production. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016.
- ^ "Արամ mp3-ն սկզբում չէր սիրում իր անունը". The Armenian Times (in Armenian). 9 December 2008. Archived from the original on 8 May 2014. Retrieved 2 January 2014.
- ^ "Արամ MP3-ի նոր՝ Shine տեսահոլովակը (վիդեո)". Style.news.am. Archived from the original on 12 August 2014. Retrieved 29 June 2014.
- ^ "Կայացել է Արամ MP3-ի նոր տեսահոլովակի պրեմիերան (ֆոտո, վիդեո)". Style.news.am. Archived from the original on 12 August 2014. Retrieved 29 June 2014.
- ^ Escudero, Victor M. (20 January 2014). "Allocation Draw results: Who's in which Semi-Final?". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 22 January 2014. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
- ^ Brey, Marco. "Aram MP3 to sing 'Not Alone' for Armenia". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 14 March 2014. Retrieved 14 March 2014.
- ^ Denham, Jess (28 April 2014). "Eurovision 2014: Conchita Wurst faces transphobic backlash for 'unnatural' lifestyle". The Independent. Archived from the original on 28 October 2014. Retrieved 25 November 2014.
- ^ Javier, Escartín (31 March 2014). "¿Homofobia en Eurovisión?". ABC (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 25 November 2014.
Tras las críticas por sus comentarios, Aram MP3 quiso explicarse argumentando que sólo quería hacer reír a los periodistas y que nunca tuvo intención de ofrender a Conchita. Sin embargo, mantuvo su postura con respecto a la homosexualidad: «No vivo esa vida, e independientemente de cómo progrese o evolucione el mundo, éste es un asunto inaceptable para mí» [After criticism for his comments, Aram MP3 wanted to explain himself, arguing that he only wanted to make journalists laugh and that he never intended to offend Conchita. However, he maintained his position in respect of homosexuality: "I do not live that life, and regardless of how the world progresses or evolves, this is an unacceptable matter for me."]
- ^ Adams, William Lee (5 April 2014). "Aram Mp3 and Conchita Wurst reconcile at Eurovision Concert". wiwibloggs. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
- ^ Siim, Jarmo (24 March 2014). "Running order for Eurovision Semi-finals decided". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 26 June 2014. Retrieved 29 June 2014.
- ^ a b Brey, Marco. "First Semi-final: Meet the winners at the press conference!". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 9 May 2014. Retrieved 29 June 2014.
- ^ Storvik-Green, Simon (9 May 2014). "Running order for the Grand Final revealed!". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 22 July 2014. Retrieved 29 June 2014.
- ^ "Eurovision Song Contest 2014 Grand Final". European Broadcasting Union. Archived from the original on 23 May 2014. Retrieved 29 June 2014.
- ^ X-Factor Armenia – Shant TV (19 October 2014). "X Factor 3-Dadu-Դադու-Արամ MP3-Aram mp3-Not alone-Gala 07". Archived from the original on 29 May 2016. Retrieved 2 September 2017 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Eurovision Armenia: Aram Mp3 on the Voice of Armenia". 13 October 2014. Archived from the original on 2 September 2017. Retrieved 2 September 2017.
- ^ "Aram MP3 set to release new his new single "Help" on February 7th – escYOUnited". Archived from the original on 2 September 2017. Retrieved 2 September 2017.
- ^ "Dashterov (feat. Iveta) – Single by Aram MP3". iTunes Store. 2017. Archived from the original on 27 November 2017.
- ^ "Aram MP3". Bravo.am (in Armenian). June 2011. Archived from the original on 27 June 2011.
- ^ Hung, Steffen. "Discografie Aram MP3". Belgium (Flanders) Charts Portal. Hung Medien (Steffen Hung). Archived from the original on 23 June 2014.
- ^ Hung, Steffen. "Austriancharts.at: Discography Aram MP3" (in German). Austriancharts.at. Hung Medien (Steffen Hung). Archived from the original on 22 June 2014. Retrieved 21 May 2014.
- ^ Hung, Steffen. "Discography Aram MP3". Danish Charts Portal. Hung Medien (Steffen Hung).
- ^ "Charts.de: Discographie Aram MP3". GfK Entertainment (in German). Charts.de. Archived from the original on 30 June 2015. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
- ^ "Mahasz: Archivum" (in Hungarian). Mahasz. Archived from the original on 24 September 2012. Retrieved 16 May 2014.
- ^ Peak positions in Ireland:
- For "Not Alone": "Chart Archive > 15 May 2014". Irish Recorded Music Association. Archived from the original on 5 October 2016. Retrieved 16 May 2014.
- ^ Hung, Steffen. "Discografie Aram MP3". Dutch Charts Portal. Hung Medien (Steffen Hung). Archived from the original on 16 June 2014.
- ^ Hung, Steffen. "Discography Aram MP3". Swedish Charts Portal. Hung Medien (Steffen Hung). Archived from the original on 18 May 2014.
- ^ Hung, Steffen. "Discographie Aram MP3". Swiss Charts Portal. Hung Medien (Steffen Hung). Archived from the original on 18 May 2014.
- ^ Peak positions in the United Kingdom:
- For "Not Alone": "CHART: CLUK Update 24.05.2014 (wk20)". Zobbel.de. Archived from the original on 27 May 2014.
- ^ "New music this week (part 1): Songs from Chanel, Manizha, Cláudia Pascoal and more". Wiwibloggs. 21 May 2023. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
- ^ "Luxury – Տարվա Մարդիկ 2010". Hayfanat.am (in Armenian). 27 March 2011. Archived from the original on 8 February 2018.
- ^ a b Tovmasyan, Kamo. "Luxury. ՏԱՐՎԱ ՄԱՐԴԻԿ մրցանակաբաշխությունը, հաղթողները, հյուրերը". Kamoblog.tv. Archived from the original on 30 June 2014. Retrieved 29 June 2014.
- ^ "Փարիզում հայկական մրցանակաբաշխության 25 մրցանակակիրների ամբողջական ցանկը" [List of prizewinners at Armenian Europe Music Awards in Paris] (in Armenian). life.tert.am. 29 March 2017. Archived from the original on 10 December 2017. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
External links
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