Armen Ra is an Iranian-Armenian

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 ...

, self-taught

theremin The theremin (; originally known as the ætherphone, etherphone, thereminophone or termenvox/thereminvox) is an electronic musical instrument controlled without physical contact by the performer (who is known as a thereminist). It is named aft ...

ist,

production designer In film and television, a production designer is the individual responsible for the overall aesthetic of the story. The production design gives the viewers a sense of the time period, the plot location, and character actions and feelings. Work ...

, director, and performer.

Musical career

Career (2010-2013)

Ra began studying the theremin 2001, debuting with the orchestral group

Antony & the Johnsons Anohni and the Johnsons (previously known as Antony and the Johnsons) is a music ensemble originally based in New York City that presents the work of English singer-songwriter Anohni and her collaborators. The band released its self-titled deb ...

in New York City. Ra has played at the United Nations, Wiener Konzerthaus Mozartsaal Vienna,

CBGB CBGB was a New York City music club opened in 1973 by Hilly Kristal in the East Village, Manhattan, East Village in Manhattan, New York City. The club was previously a biker bar and before that was a dive bar. The letters ''CBGB'' were for ''Cou ...

Knitting Factory The Knitting Factory is a nightclub in New York City that features eclectic music and entertainment and is co-owned and co-operated by Knitting Factory Entertainment. After opening in 1987, various other locations were opened in the United Stat ...

, La MaMa E.T.C., Joe's Pub, Boulder Museum of Modern Art,

Lincoln Center Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 ...

, The Gershwin Hotel, B.B. King Museum, and Dietch Projects. He has performed and recorded with various bands and on many projects (including a collaboration with British recording artist

Marc Almond Peter Mark Almond (born 9 July 1957) is an English singer-songwriter and musician. He is the lead vocalist of the synth-pop/ new wave duo Soft Cell. He has a distinctive soulful voice and androgynous image. He has had a diverse career as a ...

(of

Soft Cell Soft Cell are an English synth-pop duo who came to prominence in the early 1980s. The duo consists of vocalist Marc Almond and instrumentalist David Ball (electronic musician), David Ball. The band are primarily known for their 1981 hit versio ...

), on the song "My Madness & I" from his 2010 release ''

Varieté ''Variety'' ( , also known by the alternative titles ''Jealousy'' or ''Vaudeville'') is a 1925 German silent drama film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont based on the 1912 novel '' The Oath of Stephan Huller'' by Felix Hollaender. The trapeze ...

''). His debut solo CD ''Plays the Theremin'' (released on Bowl & Fork Records in 2010) showcases many classical Armenian laments and folk songs. Ra performed on the Sharon Needles album '' PG-13'' on band Ministry's cover track "Everyday Is Halloween".

Career (2014-present)

In recent years, Ra has appeared in the following works: * Armen plays on the

Current 93 Current 93 are an English experimental music group, founded in 1982 by David Tibet. Much of Current 93's early work was similar to late 1970s and early 1980s industrial music: abrasive tape loops, droning synthesizer noises and Tibet's distorte ...

album entitled ''HoneySuckle Æons''. He appears in multiple songs on this 2011 release. * Armen plays on the debut album of Sharon Needles. The songs “Everyday Is Halloween” and “This Club Is a Haunted House” were released in 2013. * In 2014, he played the theremin for

Voltaire François-Marie Arouet (; 21 November 169430 May 1778), known by his ''Pen name, nom de plume'' Voltaire (, ; ), was a French Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment writer, philosopher (''philosophe''), satirist, and historian. Famous for his wit ...

's album ''

Raised by Bats ''Raised by Bats'' is the tenth studio album by Cuban Americans, Cuban American dark cabaret singer Aurelio Voltaire, Voltaire, released in 2014. The album's production was Crowdfunding, crowdfunded by Voltaire's fans all over the world via a succ ...

''. * In 2015, he released ''Theremin Classique'', a collection of European arias. * Armen's recording of “Dle Yaman” was used for the video of designer Michael Schmidt’s 3-D gown in 2015. * He was featured on

Selena Gomez Selena Marie Gomez ( ; born July 22, 1992) is an American actress, singer, songwriter, producer, and businesswoman. Gomez began her career as a child actress, appearing on the children's television series ''Barney & Friends'' (2002–2004), a ...

’s '' Revival'' on the track “Me and My Girls” in 2016 * He was featured on

Gwen Stefani Gwen Renée Stefani Shelton ( ; born October 3, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter and fashion designer. Stefani rose to fame as a member and lead vocalist of the band No Doubt, whose hit singles include " Just a Girl", " Spiderwebs", an ...

’s album on the track “Naughty” in 2016. * He was featured on track 11 "Supernatural" of BØRNS' '' Blue Madonna''

Appearances in media

He has a cameo appearance in the film '' Party Monster''. Other appearances in media include: * Cameo as a desk clerk in '' Tomorrow Always Comes'' in 2006. * Music for the short film ''Connect'' in 2010. * Guest judge on the

Logo A logo (abbreviation of logotype; ) is a graphic mark, emblem, or symbol used to aid and promote public identification and recognition. It may be of an abstract or figurative design or include the text of the name that it represents, as in ...

Network show '' The Arrangement''. * Opener for Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds's

Grinderman Grinderman was an Australian-American rock band that formed in London, England, in 2006. The band included Nick Cave (vocals, guitar, organ, piano), Warren Ellis (tenor guitar, electric mandolin, violin, viola, guitar, backing vocals), Martyn P ...

on their 2010 tour. * Production designer for the 2012 horror movie '' Excision''. * Release of the documentary ''When My Sorrow Died: The Legend of Armen Ra & the Theremin''. * Music for the movie ''Hara Kiri'' in 2016. * Promotional videos for

electropop Electropop is a popular music fusion genre combining elements of the electronic and pop styles. It has been described as a variant of synth-pop with emphasis on a hard electronic sound. The genre was developed in the 1980s and saw a rev ...

artist BØRNS, entitled "The Search for the Lost Sounds" and "The Faded Heart Sessions".

Personal life

Armen Ra is

gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late ...

References

External links

Official WebsiteArmen Ra at a benefit concert on April 4
at the Angel Orensanz Center in New York {{DEFAULTSORT:Ra, Armen 1969 births Living people 21st-century Armenian LGBTQ people Iranian LGBTQ musicians American LGBTQ musicians American male musicians Theremin players American people of Armenian descent American drag queens Iranian people of Armenian descent Iranian emigrants to the United States Artists from Tehran