ARMEN NAMED JULY "BEST VOCALIST OF THE MONTH" WITH HIS SONG "FIND A WAY"
Dale Kawashima
SingerUniverse
July 7 2008
CA
Armen, a talented R&B/hip-hop/reggae singer & writer based in Los
Angeles, CA, has won the July SingerUniverse "Best Vocalist Of
The Month" Competition, for his performance of his song, "Find A
Way." This song is featured on his new 14-song album New Style,
New Sound, which he will release independently later this month
(July). "Find A Way" will also be included on a new compilation CD
for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
"Find A Way" is a contemporary, R&B/pop midtempo cut, which is worthy
of radio airplay on several formats. This song provides a terrific
showcase for Armen’s soulful, expressive vocal performance, and his
vocals display added power as the song builds to a climax. "Find A
Way" was recorded at Rusk Sound Studios in Los Angeles, and it was
skillfully produced by newcomer Psyrex.
Armen (whose last name is Balyan) was born in Armenia, where he lived
until he moved to the U.S. at the age of 10. "My whole family was
full of musicians – my father was in a rock group which was popular
throughout Armenia and Russia," Armen recalled. Armen himself started
singing when he was just three, and when he was four he sang in front
of an audience of 500 people. He has also learned to play piano.
Armen and his family then moved first to Brooklyn, NY, before settling
in Los Angeles when he was 11. He began singing in school and church
choirs, and he entered and won a local talent competition. Then in
high school, he joined a R&B band called First Class, which performed
original and cover songs.
Following high school, Armen recorded a 4-song EP (in 2001) and a
full album called Drop It (in 2002), both which were produced by
Fred Mirza. He then released another EP in 2006, which contained
the uptempo party song "Throw Your Hands Up," which received radio
airplay and club play in several European countries.
Now in mid-2008, Armen has written & recorded his next album, New
Style, New Sound, which will be released later this month (July). Armen
collaborated with several, top urban producers for this project,
including Beat Merch (who has worked with Mary J. Blige and Akon),
Illmind (Black Eyed Peas, G Unit), OP Beats (Method Man, Young Jeezy),
and DJ Altay (a top producer in Turkey).
In addition, Armen has a couple of other recent
accomplishments. Earlier this year, he was asked to be the featured
vocalist of the new DJ Khaled mixtape with Lil’Wayne and Young Jeezy,
and since then, he has been a part of other mixtapes with such artists
as Kanye West, Jay-Z and 50 Cent. Armen has also been performing
live shows regularly in L.A., at such venues as the Kodak Theatre
and Wilshire Ebell Theatre.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
