GUY MANOUKIAN: THE CROSS-GENRE COMPOSER TALKS NEW ALBUMS, CRAZY CONCERTS AND EARLY EXPERIENCES

TimeOutDubai.com
94-guy-manoukian
July 27 2009

You play basketball, went to law school and compose music. What’s
wrong with just one career?

I started playing music at the age of four and by 12 I was studying in
a conservatory. But there were 14 children in my class and the other 13
were girls, which I found embarrassing. So I started moving towards
basketball. I entered law school after finishing regular school,
but I went back to music. I think the three of them complemented
each other and, in a way, helped create my music. Playing basketball
taught me how to work with a team, which is useful because I have a
huge team of musicians working with me all the time, and law taught
me to be a more practical person rather than a dreamy artist.

What influenced your music?

Growing up in Lebanon bombarded me with all kinds of music and
cultures. And I’ve continued to pick things up since then. I’m working
on a big musical for 2010 that has lots of Indian influences. You
can find a lot of house and dance music influences too, because my
music mainly is dance.

Fair enough. Tell us about your latest album, Assouman.

It’s been number one for four weeks in a row in Lebanon and now it’s
releasing all over the region. It’s definitely my best work ever. Half
of the album is my typical style – east meets west with a modern
twist; I’ve done a lot of Reggaeton with oriental influences, which
is a new style. The other half of the album is more international.

You did your first concet at 16. How did you feel as you stepped up?

I swear I can never forget that moment. All my musicians were older
than me; I was the youngest and the boss. They were very cool and
told me not to worry. Now I enjoy the stage so much. At the end of
this year I’ll be performing in Dubai so I’m looking forward to seeing
the audiences there.

I was going to ask if you were going to be performing here soon.

I have shows in Dubai in October and November and I’ve been asked to
come for the Dubai Jazz Festival next year.

Have you had any weird incidents with fans?

Last year I had two shows in Armenia. A girl was trying to get into
backstage and my bodyguard hit her. I saw it and I went crazy. I went
into the crowd and we started searching for her. Then we brought her
backstage and she stayed with me all through the concert. That was
the weirdest thing that happened to me – I’d never seen a bodyguard
hit a girl and it really disturbed me a lot.

What are your ambitions now?

When I was young I wanted to be like my brothers. Later I wanted to
please my parents, then I wanted to get the girls and then I wanted
to make money. Now it’s all about my legacy.

Assouman is available in stores on August 9.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress