Ali Pirzad-Amoli (; born 17 May 1988), better known by his stage name A-Lee (also sometimes stylized as A-LEE), is a Norwegian pop

recording artist A musician is someone who composes, conducts, or performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general term used to designate a person who follows music as a profession. Musicians include songwriters, ...

rapper Rapping (also rhyming, flowing, spitting, emceeing, or MCing) is an artistic form of vocal delivery and emotive expression that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and ommonlystreet vernacular". It is usually performed over a backing ...

, singer, songwriter and

executive producer Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the production of media. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights or royalties). In film ...

. A-Lee is the co-founder and CEO of his own record label EE Records and with BMG Chrysalis as a songwriter. A-Lee is a multi-gold and platinum selling artist who released his debut album ''Missing'' in 2010 and his second album '' Forever Lost'' in 2012 which contains numerous chart topping songs. His singles "The One" and "World So Cold" reached respectively ''#7'' and ''#12'' at Norwegian Official Charts VG-Lista.
A-Lee was also certified the most-played Norwegian

artist An artist is a person engaged in an activity related to creating art, practicing the arts, or demonstrating the work of art. The most common usage (in both everyday speech and academic discourse) refers to a practitioner in the visual arts o ...

on radio in Norway in 2011 and his single "The One" was the most-played song on all Norwegian radio in 2011. In 2012, A-Lee performed his summer smash hit "Feelgood" at huge annual show

VG-Lista VG-lista is the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from Norwegian and international artists. It is presented weekly in the newspaper ''Verdens Gang, VG''. The data is collected by Nielsen SoundScan, Nielsen Soundscan Inte ...

Rådhusplassen Rådhusplassen ("The City Hall Square") is a Town square, square located between Oslo City Hall and the Oslofjord in Vika, Oslo, Vika, Oslo, Norway. Previously used as a road and part of European route E18, it has since 1994 served as a recreation ...

in Oslo where he attended for the third consecutive year after 2010 and 2011. During his career, A-Lee made many appearances on Norwegian TV (

MTV Norway MTV Norway was a music and entertainment channel broadcasting to the Norwegian market. The channel replaced MTV Nordic on September 18, 2005, however on February 22, 2019 it was replaced by the return of MTV Nordic. History *MTV Norway launch ...

, national channels

NRK The Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (), commonly known by its initialism NRK, is a Norwegian state-run, government-influenced radio and television public broadcasting company. The NRK broadcasts three national TV channels and thirteen nat ...

& TV2,

The Voice TV The Voice TV is a network of music television channels owned by ProSiebenSat.1 Media (formally SBS Broadcasting Group). Previously broadcast in Finland (2004-2012), Denmark (2004-2012), Norway (2004-2012) and Sweden (2004-2008). In October 2006 th ...

), extensive Norwegian radio (

NRJ Radio Nouvelle Radio Jeune, (Acronym: NRJ, , ) is a private French radio station created by Jean-Paul Baudecroux and Max Guazzini in June 1981. Widely popularized by its "godmother", singer Dalida, who prevented it from closing in 1984, the radio st ...

, The Voice,

NRK P3 NRK P3 is a nationwide digital radio channel operated by the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK). It was established as NRK's third radio channel in 1993 and was the result of the NRK radio channel reform initiated in 1992 by radio director ...

, NRK mP3, P4, P5, JRG Group). A-Lee performed more than 300 concerts, including as support for

Tinie Tempah Patrick Chukwuemeka Okogwu (born 7 November 1988), better known by his stage name Tinie (formerly Tinie Tempah), is a British rapper and singer. He has been signed to Parlophone since 2009, now a subsidiary of Warner Music Group. He created his ...

50 Cent Curtis James Jackson III (born July 6, 1975), known professionally as 50 Cent, is an American rapper, actor, and television producer. Born in Queens, a borough of New York City, Jackson began pursuing a musical career in 1996. In 1999–2000, ...

Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. ( ; born October 20, 1971), better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg), is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Rooted in West Coast hip-hop, he is widely regarded as one of t ...

Nas Nas (born 1973) is the stage name of American rapper Nasir Jones. Nas, NaS, or NAS may also refer to: Aviation * Nasair, a low-cost airline carrier and subsidiary based in Eritrea * National Air Services, an airline in Saudi Arabia ** Nas Air (S ...

Busta Rhymes Trevor George Smith Jr. (born May 20, 1972), known professionally as Busta Rhymes, is an American rapper, singer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the moniker Busta Rhymes, after National Football League, NFL and Canadian Football Lea ...

, The Game and more...

Early life

A-Lee was born in

Gjøvik Gjøvik () is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the Gjøvik (town), town of Gjøvik. Some of the villages in Gjøvik include Biri, Norway, Biri, Bybrua, ...

, Norway, to

Iranian Iranian () may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Iran ** Iranian diaspora, Iranians living outside Iran ** Iranian architecture, architecture of Iran and parts of the rest of West Asia ** Iranian cuisine, cooking traditions and practic ...

-born parents. When he was three years old, his parents divorced. At age of ten, he and his mother moved to

Oslo Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022 ...

, Norway then when he was thirteen years old, they moved to Los Angeles, California where A-Lee lived for almost 1 year. He then decided to move back to Oslo to live with his father and grew up in the borough

Årvoll Årvoll is a residential community situated in the Bjerke (borough), Bjerke district of Oslo, Norway. It was here that Anti-fascism, anti-Nazi activists Viggo Hansteen and Rolf Wickstrøm – the first two Norwegians to be executed by the Nazis d ...

, Bjerke. A-Lee grew up listening to

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...

Eminem Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all time, he is credited with popula ...

Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American Rapping, rapper, businessman, and record executive. Rooted in East Coast hip-hop, he was named Billboard and Vibe's 50 Greatest Rappers of All Time, the ...

and

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer and record producer. One of the most prominent figures in hip-hop, he is known for his varying musical style and polarizing cultural and political commentary. After ...

and citing them as his biggest inspirations.

Music career

2005–2008: Early career

A-Lee started in the hip-hop/rap duo Cam'N A-Lee with rapper Cam'leon. In 2005, Cam'N A-Lee won the by:Larm's ''Audience Award'' and were nominated for ''Årets Urørt'' by

with the song "What Do You Mean" featuring Chicosepoy, a member of the Norwegian

rap group Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music Music genre, genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African Americans, African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide r ...

Karpe Diem Karpe (previously known as Karpe Diem between 2000 and 2018) is a Norwegian rap group from Oslo, consisting of Magdi Omar Ytreeide Abdelmaguid (b. 1984) and Chirag Rashmikant Patel (b. 1984). Biography Magdi Omar Ytreeide Abdelmaguid, of mi ...

. The duo Cam'N A-Lee disbanded in end 2006 after the release of their EP ''Schmokin' Skills''. In January 2007, A-Lee was signed by Norwegian

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

producer

Tommy Tee Tommy Flåten (born 18 December 1971), best known by his stage name Tommy Tee, is a Norwegian record producer, rapper, broadcaster, record executive, concert promoter and magazine publisher. He is known as the godfather of Norwegian hip hop. Tee ...

on his label

Tee Productions Tee Productions is considered to be one of Scandinavia's largest Record label production it is hip hop record label owned by Tommy Tee, located in Oslo, Norway. Its signed artists include Diaz, Opaque, Warlocks, Son of light (earlier known as N-Li ...

. A-Lee appeared on few

's releases but during 2008, A-Lee and Tommy Tee decided to go separate ways on good terms.

2008–2009: From demo to EE Records

In Summer 2008, after recording a first demo, A-Lee went to New York City to meet people from

music industry The music industry are individuals and organizations that earn money by Songwriter, writing songs and musical compositions, creating and selling Sound recording and reproduction, recorded music and sheet music, presenting live music, concerts, ...

working in labels such as

Roc Nation Roc Nation is an American entertainment company founded by Jay-Z in 2008. Headquartered in New York City, the company is a successor to his previous Roc-A-Fella Records label, with additional offices in Los Angeles and London. It serves as a re ...

Shady Records Shady Records is an American record label founded by rapper Eminem and his manager Paul Rosenberg in 1999, following the commercially successful release of '' The Slim Shady LP'' that same year. The label's name comes from the last name of Eminem ...

and

Ryan Leslie Anthony Ryan Leslie (born September 25, 1978) is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer, and entrepreneur. Working predominantly in contemporary R&B and hip hop, he has released six studio albums and written songs for artists ...

's NextSelection Lifestyle Group. From this experience, A-Lee received positive feedbacks which motivated him to continue on his way. Back from New York City, A-Lee started working on new songs which he recorded between Norway and

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

. In fall 2009, A-Lee founded his own record label EE Records with his

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...

Shahrouz Ghafourian and released his first official single "Bump Off". He also collaborates with famous

multi-platinum Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...

duo

Madcon Madcon is a Norwegian musical duo formed in 1992 by Yosef Wolde-Mariam and Tshawe Baqwa. They have released eight albums as of 2018, and became known for their 2007 cover of the 1967 song "Beggin'" by The Four Seasons. They took their name from ...

on the single "Keep Talking". In December 2009, A-Lee signed a distribution deal with Scandinavian biggest

independent label An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels and artists are often represente ...

Bonnier Amigo Music Group Cosmos Music, formerly Bonnier Amigo Music Group (BAMG), is an independent record company based in Stockholm, Sweden. It was formed in 2001, when record company and distributor Amigo Musik merged with the record company Bonnier Music. BAMG claim ...

(now known as

Cosmos Music Group Cosmos Music, formerly Bonnier Amigo Music Group (BAMG), is an independent record company based in Stockholm, Sweden. It was formed in 2001, when record company and distributor Amigo Musik merged with the record company Bonnier Music. BAMG cla ...

) to release his debut album ''Missing''.

2010–2011: Success and ''The One''

In May 2010, A-Lee released his breakthrough single "World So Cold" which sold ''

Platinum Platinum is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a density, dense, malleable, ductility, ductile, highly unreactive, precious metal, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name origina ...

'' in Norway and reached ''#12'' at Norwegian Official Charts VG-Lista. The single was the most played song on radio ''NRK mP3'' in 2010 and was also the 6th most played song on all Norwegian radio in 2010. In January 2011 A-Lee released the single "The One" which sold '' 2× Platinum'' in Norway and reached ''#7'' at Norwegian Official Charts VG-Lista. A-Lee was also certified the most-played Norwegian

on radio in Norway in 2011 and his single "The One" was the most-played song on all Norwegian radio in 2011 and ranked ''#2'' at the ''

Norway best song of 2011''. The song "The One" was also nominated for ''Best Norwegian Hit'' at

NRJ Music Award An NRJ Music Award (commonly abbreviated as an NMA) is an award presented by the French radio station NRJ to honor the best in the French and worldwide music industry. The awards ceremony, created in 2000 by NRJ in partnership with the televisio ...

s 2012.
Again in 2011, A-Lee released the singles "Hear The Crowd" (''

Gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

'' in Norway, 7th most played song on all Norwegian radio in 2011) and " Before My Eyes" (''Gold'' in Norway). From all this success, British

music manager A talent manager (also known as an artist manager, band manager, or music manager) is an individual who guides the professional career of Entertainer, artists within the entertainment industry. The responsibility of a talent manager is to ove ...

and former CEO of RCA Label Group (UK)

Craig Logan Craig Logan (born 22 April 1969) is a Scottish musician, songwriter, and manager. He began his career as bassist in the pop band Bros. Career In early 1989, Logan left Bros after developing ME/CFS to focus on songwriting and producing. Kim A ...

became interested by A-Lee and brought his music to

RCA RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded in 1919 as the Radio Corporation of America. It was initially a patent pool, patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Westinghou ...

Sony Music UK Sony Music Entertainment (SME), commonly known as Sony Music, is an American multinational music company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony Group Corporation. It is the recording division of Sony Music Group, with the other half being the ...

which proposed A-Lee a worldwide

record contract A recording contract (commonly called a record contract or record deal) is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording act (artist or group), where the act makes an audio recording (or series of recordings) for the label to sell and ...

in August 2011. Unfortunately, due to the restructuring of

Sony Music Sony Music Entertainment (SME), commonly known as Sony Music, is an American multinational music company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony Group Corporation. It is the recording division of Sony Music Group, with the other half being the ...

in September and October 2011, the contract could not be finalized.

2012: album ''Forever Lost''

In January 2012, A-Lee and his label EE Records signed a licensing deal with

and started working on his second album '' Forever Lost''. A-Lee also had two nominations at the

s 2012: ''Best Norwegian Act'' and ''Best Norwegian Hit''. In May 2012, A-Lee released his summer smash hit "Feelgood" which went '' 4× Platinum'' in Norway. In June 2012, he was part of the ''VG-Lista Tour 2012'' where he performed his summer smash hit "Feelgood" in particular at the huge annual show

in Oslo where he attended for the third consecutive year after 2010 and 2011. "Feelgood" reached also ''#1'' for most played music video of

The Voice TV Norway The Voice TV was a Norwegian-language music television channel operated by ProSiebenSat.1 Media AG. It launched in 2004, alongside its sister channels in Sweden, Finland and Denmark. In 2005, the channel expanded its reach after becoming part of t ...

in 2012 and ''#3'' for most played song of The Voice radio Norway in 2012. In September 2012, A-Lee released his single "Over You" (''

'' in Norway) produced by Martin K (signed on

StarRoc StarRoc was an American entertainment company. The company operated a full service record label and music publishing house. It was founded in 2008 by American rapper Jay-Z and Norwegian record production team Mikkel S. Eriksen and Tor Erik Hermans ...

, the label owned by

and

Stargate ''Stargate'' is a military science fiction media franchise owned by Amazon MGM Studios. It is based on Stargate (film), the film directed by Roland Emmerich, which he co-wrote with producer Dean Devlin; production company StudioCanal owns the ...

). Famous Dutch model Sylvia Geersen who was the

runner-up {{Short pages monitor