Iveta Mukuchyan and Aram Mp3 are now working on a series of songs about their native land – “Hayastan Jan” – or lovely Armenia. Both of them are former Eurovision representatives. Iveta took part last year, and Aram back in 2014.

Two of Armenia’s Eurovision contestants Iveta Mukuchyan and Aram Mp3 who shook Europe with their songs LoveWave and Not Alone respectively, have now joined forces in a music project that aims at coming back to the origins of the Armenian culture.

The project is called Dashterov – it is a 40 minute long music project, featuring revamped traditional Armenian songs from Al Eghnim to Nazan Im Yary. Iveta and Aram Mp3 are mixing traditional with modern and hopefully creating something truly special.

First came Al Eghnim, followed by the second Qamin Zana  and the third is Ghapama. The project is full of club bangers with it’s unique fusion of folk music and techno/house beats.

At the first song Al Eghnim, Iveta and Aram Mp3 use a snippet from Daft Punk’s famous ’00s anthem Around the World as well as Earth, Wind & Fire’s ’80s disco classic Let’s Groove.  Dashterov takes the Armenian cultural themes to a new level of modernity and internationality, which sounds like something Eurovision fans will enjoy.

The new project is not the only work that Iveta Mukuchyan has dedicated to Armenia.  Hayastan Jan (Lovely Armenia), composed and performed by Iveta, is a song that tells a story of coming back to the origins of the singer.

She should be able to relate to that as she lived away from her native land in Hamburg, Germany, and travelled all over the world as a Eurovision contestant. She returned  to Armenia and rediscovered her native land.

The video for Hayastan Jan is even composed around Iveta’s Eurovision experience.

The mountains’ wind is kissing the poppy field, My heart is calling you, oh my lovely Armenia!

Gonna say ‘bye’ to far-far-away shores, Gonna say ‘hello’ to my native land, my lovely Armenia!

Oh, my mountains’ world, you’re the best for me, For me, you’re the fairest and the most native.

There’s a part of me in your mountains, There’s a part of me in your apricots,

There’s a part of me in your name, Oh, my lovely Armenia!

(Go to the full lyrics and translation of Hayastan Jan)

For the upcoming songs of Dashterov as well as other Armenian cultural music projects, keep an eye on the Facebook pages of Iveta Mukuchyan and Aram Mp3.

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