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Andy Biography
Miles Copeland, the maverick impresario behind the careers of such artists as Sting, the Police and the GO GOs, now puts his energy behind opening America to an exciting new musical force - ANDY, Persia's legendary music exile. Even though Andy's music is banned in his home country of Iran, his albums sell into the millions, though all are underground and bootlegged.
'And My Heart...' Andy's magical new album on Copeland's Mondo Melodia label is a blend of east and west.
Somewhere between the mystery of an ancient civilization and music that dates back 5000 years and the youthful brashness of modern music Andy is making his own unique place in music history. He has created a new fusion of sounds that combine traditional Middle Eastern instruments with Western world's drums, bass, guitar and technology. His global sound embraces many exotic influences. Aside from his Persian-Armenian heritage, Andy combines lush Arabic melodies with African rhythms, which he spices with Indian and Spanish flamenco guitar licks, and European techno. Besides Farsi and Armenian, his two native languages, Andy sings in English and Spanish. On his new album, he sings in Urdu aided and abetted by the Indian star Najma. He also tries his hand with Arabic with the Lebanese superstar Ragheb Alane on the duet "Yallah Ya Shabab".
Andy has become an international trailblazer forging a new musical path that redefines traditional musical borders. Andy plays to sold-out venues all over the United States, Europe, Canada, Australia, Russia and the Middle East. His touring schedule regularly includes locales rarely if ever performed in by American-based artists such as Uzbekistan, and cities Tashkent, Samarghand, and in the Middle East Dubai, amongst others. In the United States, he has played for the last three years to critical acclaim at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles. In a gala ceremony at Universal Studios in 1994, he was named Persian Pop Male Singer of the Decade. For three years in a row, he has received the coveted Best Armenian International Singer, Best Armenian World Artist and Best Armenian World Album awards.
At first glance, it's the dance music side of Andy that stands out. The driving high energy takes his listeners on a magic carpet ride. But even while his husky Bryan Adamish voice seems more West than East, his musical roots are positively Persian.
As stated by US News and World Report: "One look at Andy Madadian and one's sure he must be on God's A-list. His body is pure Rodin, he has chiclet teeth and a jaw bone so sharp it could open a soup can." you simply can't take your eyes off him.
From his early childhood in Teheran, his life has been a study in contrasts. His father built roads, yet the family had no car. They were beyond poor - nine people living in a small one-room house - but his mother's careful management kept food on the table and enabled his parents to put six children through school. Their house was filled with love, laughter, and most importantly for Andy, music.
As Andy was beginning to explore his musical roots, his native land began to broil with turbulence. The Islamic Revolution under the new religious leadership brought civil war and Andy made the difficult decision to leave Iran. The revolution has made it impossible for Andy to perform in his native country because of the governmental ban on pop music. Anyone caught listening to his music there can be fined and jailed.
Besides the profound respect Andy has for Persian poetry and traditional music, he developed an abiding love for contemporary Western music. His musical icons include the Beatles, Deep Purple, Ray Charles and the masters of jazz, but mostly it is his love and respect for Santana's chugging Afro-Latin rhythms that influenced him the most. And like Santana, Andy invited some of the world's famous musical artist to collaborate on his latest album.
'And My Heart...' is the result of this unique blending of rich talents. Soraya, Columbia's young singing superstar dueted with Andy on a romantic ballad 'Cerca Del Corazon' in Spanish; Steve Stevens known for his lightening quick finger licks on the guitar on Michael Jackson's Dirty Diana song, co-wrote and performed with Andy and Ragheb Alame on the Persian-Arabic song 'Yalla'. Andy also co-wrote and performed a love ballad in English called 'You're the Reason' with upcoming American artist Shani Rigsbee.
Today, Andy is the living proof of the American dream. He credits Los Angeles, a city of contrasts that helped him forge his unique sound, and the musical mosaic that resulted has catapulted him to superstardom.
Audiences can't get enough of this exciting combination: the poetic beauty of Persian music set against the vibrant backdrop of dance music. Andy's songs break every tradition and some taboos, but young and old alike, from Persian to non-Persians now pack his concerts and rush to buy his albums.
Miles Copeland states: "I have always been interested in the exotic rhythms, melodies and instrumentation of middle Eastern music as I grew up in that region. But more exciting to me is how the traditional music has mutated by incorporating other influences, particularly Western, making something entirely new. Andy is at the forefront of this revolution."
'And My Heart...' is Andy's first US release on Miles Copeland's Mondo Melodia label/ARk21. And with it, the Prince of Persian of Persian music has arrived to conquer American Hearts.
Miles Copeland, the maverick impresario behind the careers of such artists as Sting, the Police and the GO GOs, now puts his energy behind opening America to an exciting new musical force - ANDY, Persia's legendary music exile. Even though Andy's music is banned in his home country of Iran, his albums sell into the millions, though all are underground and bootlegged.
'And My Heart...' Andy's magical new album on Copeland's Mondo Melodia label is a blend of east and west.
Somewhere between the mystery of an ancient civilization and music that dates back 5000 years and the youthful brashness of modern music Andy is making his own unique place in music history. He has created a new fusion of sounds that combine traditional Middle Eastern instruments with Western world's drums, bass, guitar and technology. His global sound embraces many exotic influences. Aside from his Persian-Armenian heritage, Andy combines lush Arabic melodies with African rhythms, which he spices with Indian and Spanish flamenco guitar licks, and European techno. Besides Farsi and Armenian, his two native languages, Andy sings in English and Spanish. On his new album, he sings in Urdu aided and abetted by the Indian star Najma. He also tries his hand with Arabic with the Lebanese superstar Ragheb Alane on the duet "Yallah Ya Shabab".
Andy has become an international trailblazer forging a new musical path that redefines traditional musical borders. Andy plays to sold-out venues all over the United States, Europe, Canada, Australia, Russia and the Middle East. His touring schedule regularly includes locales rarely if ever performed in by American-based artists such as Uzbekistan, and cities Tashkent, Samarghand, and in the Middle East Dubai, amongst others. In the United States, he has played for the last three years to critical acclaim at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles. In a gala ceremony at Universal Studios in 1994, he was named Persian Pop Male Singer of the Decade. For three years in a row, he has received the coveted Best Armenian International Singer, Best Armenian World Artist and Best Armenian World Album awards.
At first glance, it's the dance music side of Andy that stands out. The driving high energy takes his listeners on a magic carpet ride. But even while his husky Bryan Adamish voice seems more West than East, his musical roots are positively Persian.
As stated by US News and World Report: "One look at Andy Madadian and one's sure he must be on God's A-list. His body is pure Rodin, he has chiclet teeth and a jaw bone so sharp it could open a soup can." you simply can't take your eyes off him.
From his early childhood in Teheran, his life has been a study in contrasts. His father built roads, yet the family had no car. They were beyond poor - nine people living in a small one-room house - but his mother's careful management kept food on the table and enabled his parents to put six children through school. Their house was filled with love, laughter, and most importantly for Andy, music.
As Andy was beginning to explore his musical roots, his native land began to broil with turbulence. The Islamic Revolution under the new religious leadership brought civil war and Andy made the difficult decision to leave Iran. The revolution has made it impossible for Andy to perform in his native country because of the governmental ban on pop music. Anyone caught listening to his music there can be fined and jailed.
Besides the profound respect Andy has for Persian poetry and traditional music, he developed an abiding love for contemporary Western music. His musical icons include the Beatles, Deep Purple, Ray Charles and the masters of jazz, but mostly it is his love and respect for Santana's chugging Afro-Latin rhythms that influenced him the most. And like Santana, Andy invited some of the world's famous musical artist to collaborate on his latest album.
'And My Heart...' is the result of this unique blending of rich talents. Soraya, Columbia's young singing superstar dueted with Andy on a romantic ballad 'Cerca Del Corazon' in Spanish; Steve Stevens known for his lightening quick finger licks on the guitar on Michael Jackson's Dirty Diana song, co-wrote and performed with Andy and Ragheb Alame on the Persian-Arabic song 'Yalla'. Andy also co-wrote and performed a love ballad in English called 'You're the Reason' with upcoming American artist Shani Rigsbee.
Today, Andy is the living proof of the American dream. He credits Los Angeles, a city of contrasts that helped him forge his unique sound, and the musical mosaic that resulted has catapulted him to superstardom.
Audiences can't get enough of this exciting combination: the poetic beauty of Persian music set against the vibrant backdrop of dance music. Andy's songs break every tradition and some taboos, but young and old alike, from Persian to non-Persians now pack his concerts and rush to buy his albums.
Miles Copeland states: "I have always been interested in the exotic rhythms, melodies and instrumentation of middle Eastern music as I grew up in that region. But more exciting to me is how the traditional music has mutated by incorporating other influences, particularly Western, making something entirely new. Andy is at the forefront of this revolution."
'And My Heart...' is Andy's first US release on Miles Copeland's Mondo Melodia label/ARk21. And with it, the Prince of Persian of Persian music has arrived to conquer American Hearts.
harfayee mizaniaa
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