Nune Martiki Yesayan (, born August 5, 1969), commonly known as Nune or Nouné, is an Armenian singer who began singing with an Armenian

jazz band A jazz band (jazz ensemble or jazz combo) is a musical ensemble that plays jazz music. Jazz bands vary in the quantity of its members and the style of jazz that they play but it is common to find a jazz band made up of a rhythm section and a ho ...

in the early 1990s before becoming a

lounge singer Lounge music is a type of easy listening music popular in the 1950s and 1960s. It may be meant to evoke in the listeners the feeling of being in a place, usually with a tranquil theme, such as a jungle, an island paradise or outer space. The ran ...

at resorts in the

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Biography

Education

Even before studying music in college, Yesayan made a name for herself at her

high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

for being a

gifted Intellectual giftedness is an intellectual ability significantly higher than average and is also known as high potential. It is a characteristic of children, variously defined, that motivates differences in school programming. It is thought to pe ...

vocalist and talented performer. She graduated from high school in 1986 and was accepted to the Polytechnic University of Yerevan to study

engineering Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...

. During her first year in college, Nune excelled in her engineering studies and received high marks in both mathematics and physics. She spent her time away from school performing Armenian

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes #Traditional folk music, traditional folk music and the Contemporary folk music, contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be ca ...

with an

amateur An amateur () is generally considered a person who pursues an avocation independent from their source of income. Amateurs and their pursuits are also described as popular, informal, autodidacticism, self-taught, user-generated, do it yourself, DI ...

band. The group, which included long-time friend and collaborator Arthur Hagopian, appeared at small venues and a few

concert A concert, often known informally as a gig or show, is a live performance of music in front of an audience. The performance may be carried by a single musician, in which case it is sometimes called a recital, or by a musical ensemble such as an ...

s. After successfully completing her first year of

course Course may refer to: Directions or navigation * Course (navigation), the path of travel * Course (orienteering), a series of control points visited by orienteers during a competition, marked with red/white flags in the terrain, and corresponding ...

work at the Polytechnic University in 1987, Nune decided to change her major and focus on her passion for music. She applied for admission and was accepted to the Jazz and Pop College of Yerevan, where she began her studies in the fall of 1988. Nune's

teacher A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. w ...

s and vocal coaches at the Jazz and Pop College included famed Armenian

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

performer Datevig Hovanissian and

Yerevan Yerevan ( , , ; ; sometimes spelled Erevan) is the capital and largest city of Armenia, as well as one of the world's List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerev ...

's most prolific pop producer, composer Arthur Grigorian. In addition to her intense

rehearsal A rehearsal is an activity in the performing arts that occurs as preparation for a performance in music, theatre, dance and related arts, such as opera, musical theatre and film production. It is undertaken as a form of Practice (learning metho ...

and study schedule at the college, Nune performed regularly at Grigorian's Yerevan jazz club, ''"Azad Jamantz"''. Following graduation from the Jazz and Pop College in 1990, Nune

audition An audition is a sample performance by an actor, singer, musician, dancer or other performer. It typically involves the performer displaying their talent through a previously memorized and rehearsed solo piece or by performing a work or piece gi ...

ed and was accepted into the Armenian National Jazz Orchestra. Under the direction of famed composer and conductor Constantine Orbelian, Nune performed with the Orchestra in Armenia and throughout the former

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

, singing Armenian folk songs and

jazz standard Jazz standards are musical compositions that are an important part of the musical repertoire of jazz musicians, in that they are widely known, performed, and recorded by jazz musicians, and widely known by listeners. There is no definitive List ...

Career

Nune's first television appearance as a solo act was on the ''"Ayo"'' television program, a show similar to ''"

Pop Idol ''Pop Idol'' is a British music competition television series created by Simon Fuller which ran on ITV from 2001 to 2003. The aim of the show was to decide the best new young pop singer (or "pop idol") in the UK based on viewer voting and pa ...

"''. Nune won the highest possible scores from a panel of judges, retained the title of "top female vocalist" for the entire length of the television season and quickly became a household name in

Armenia Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...

. Similar successes followed in 1990 and 1991, when Nune participated in two more nationally televised talent competition shows. Nune was named ''"Miss Soul"'' in 1990 and "Best Female Vocalist" at the Asoop (Comet) Award Show in 1991. Accolades and honors from domestic and international awards shows including the "Armenian Music Awards" in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

have continued and included honors for best album, the best music video, best concert and best female vocalist. Nune recorded her first album of

traditional A tradition is a system of beliefs or behaviors (folk custom) passed down within a group of people or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examp ...

Armenian songs in 1991. It was produced by Garbis Titizian and Prime Entertainment. Arthur Hagopian, who was part of Nune's first amateur band, arranged the album using modern instruments and contemporary arrangements. The music video for her rendition of the folks song ''"Kele Lao"'' was an immediate hit in the Armenian

Diaspora A diaspora ( ) is a population that is scattered across regions which are separate from its geographic place of birth, place of origin. The word is used in reference to people who identify with a specific geographic location, but currently resi ...

and a regular staple of the US-based Armenian television station, Horizon. In 1991 and 1992, Nune was invited by her former teacher, Arthur Grigorian, to perform in shows he produced. Her appearances on television with Grigorian's group were a hit, and the group's concerts were always sold out. After the fall of the Soviet Union, harsh

economic An economy is an area of the Production (economics), production, Distribution (economics), distribution and trade, as well as Consumption (economics), consumption of Goods (economics), goods and Service (economics), services. In general, it is ...

conditions in Armenia forced Nune to seek

employment Employment is a relationship between two party (law), parties Regulation, regulating the provision of paid Labour (human activity), labour services. Usually based on a employment contract, contract, one party, the employer, which might be a cor ...

opportunities abroad. Her ability to sing in many

language Language is a structured system of communication that consists of grammar and vocabulary. It is the primary means by which humans convey meaning, both in spoken and signed language, signed forms, and may also be conveyed through writing syste ...

s and in various styles won her contracts at 5 Star hotels in the Middle East. During her concerts and small-venue shows, Nune sang contemporary hits, pop and jazz standards and songs in English,

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

, French and Armenian. Upon her return to Armenia in 1997, Nune partnered again with Prime Entertainment in an effort to distribute her CDs internationally.

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 ...

Garbis Titizian arranged for the release of Nune's first CD and the recording and distribution of her second album, ''

World The world is the totality of entities, the whole of reality, or everything that Existence, exists. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the world as unique, while others talk ...

''. In 1998, Nune formed her own band, which continues to work with her today. Together with her musicians, Nune took her band on the road throughout Armenia, performing benefit concerts for the

Armenia Fund Armenia Fund (full name Hayastan All Armenian Fund, ) was established in 1994 in Los Angeles, California. Armenia Fund, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, non-governmental, non-political corporation, headquartered in Yerevan. Serving as the United S ...

, an organization which fund the development of Armenia's

infrastructure Infrastructure is the set of facilities and systems that serve a country, city, or other area, and encompasses the services and facilities necessary for its economy, households and firms to function. Infrastructure is composed of public and pri ...

. Her musical range has expanded from singing traditional Armenian folk songs to include singing new songs written specially for her. Nune's North American debut took place at the Pasadena Civic Center Auditorium in Southern California. Because of her hit music videos and popular CDs, Nune sold out her first concert in the US and enjoyed unexpected and unprecedented attention during her appearances at Armenian schools and record stores. In 2001, her concert in honor of those who lost their lives during the

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...

, was attended by nearly eight thousand people and mentioned on the

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"World Report" and the Mir and Associated Press television news services. Nune's most notable concert venues have included the Hamaleer Sport Complex in Armenia, the

Universal Amphitheatre Universal Amphitheatre (later known as Gibson Amphitheatre) was an indoor amphitheatre located in Los Angeles, California, within Universal City, California, Universal City. It was built as an outdoor venue, opening in the summer of 1972 with a p ...

in Los Angeles, the

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in Hollywood and the

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 ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. She has also appeared in concert with famed Armenian-

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

singer Andy and French idol

Patrick Fiori Patrick Chouchayan (; born 23 September 1969), known by his stage name Patrick Fiori (, ), is a French singer of Armenian descent. Biography Beginnings Fiori was born in Marseille to a French-Armenian father (Jacques Chouchayan) and a Corsica ...

. Her largest audiences to date was at a charity concert she performed at the

Cascade Cascade, or Cascading may refer to: Science and technology Science * Air shower (physics), a cascade (particle shower) of subatomic particles and ionized nuclei ** Particle shower, a cascade of secondary particles produced as the result of a high ...

in Yerevan. The open-air concert attracted more than 35,000 fans.

Public activities

In 2019, she signed a petition in defense of former president

Robert Kocharyan Robert Sedraki Kocharyan ( ; born 31 August 1954) is an Armenian politician. He served as the President of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic from 1994 to 1997 and Prime Minister of Nagorno-Karabakh from 1992 to 1994. He served as the second Presiden ...

which caused public critics.

Charity

In addition to her charity concerts, Nune has continued to dedicate her time and efforts to helping her homeland and her people. She has appeared as a host and guest of the globally telecast Armenia Fund

Telethon A telethon (a portmanteau of "television" and "marathon") is a televised fundraising event that lasts many hours or days, the purpose of which is to raise money for a charitable, political or other cause. Most telethons feature heavy solicitatio ...

in 2000 and 2004 and continues to enjoy press coverage in Armenia,

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

and in Armenian publications throughout the

. Even mainstream American media, including the

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

and

Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe,'' also known locally as ''the Globe'', is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Boston Globe'' is the oldest and largest daily new ...

, have taken note of her fame and written about her phenomenal fame and status among her people and her impact on the world of

Armenian music The music of Armenia ( ''haykakan yerazhshtut’yun'') has its origins in the Armenian highlands, dating back to the 3rd millennium BCE, and is a long-standing musical tradition that encompasses diverse secular and religious, or sacred, musi ...

Discography

*1998: ''Kavare Mer'' *1999: ''Who Knows'' *2000: ''World'' *2001: ''Nune'' *2002: ''Love'' *2003: ''Sayat Nova'' *2004: ''Me'' *2005: ''Nune: International Album'' *2006: ''Dle Yaman'' *2012: ''Sold Out'' *2014: ''I Love You''

Music videos

*"Who Knows" *Khkhcha *Mi Bala *"World" *Ari Yar *Inchu Es Kez Sireci *"Me" *Hognel Em *Konn Em *"Nune" *Vooy Nare *Nune *Gheseye Eshgh *Prosto Eto Ya (I'm easy) *"Love" *Romance *Agha Jan *"

Dle Yaman "Dle Yaman" (in Armenian Դլե Յաման, in Western Armenian Տըլէ Եաման) also francicized "Délé Yaman" is an Armenian traditional tune. It is the story of a tragic love affair between two persons. It was discovered by Father Komitas in ...

" *Miayn Es Ev Du *Nairyan Dalar Bardi *Hasarak Mard *''Es Uzum Em''Archived a
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and th
Wayback Machine

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yesayan, Nune 21st-century Armenian women singers 1969 births Living people Musicians from Yerevan Armenian pop singers Armenian folk singers Armenian jazz singers Armenian women pop singers Armenian women folk singers Women jazz singers Honored artists of Armenia Armenian folk-pop singers Armenian Apostolic Christians English-language singers from Armenia French-language singers of Armenia Arabic-language singers Komitas State Conservatory of Yerevan alumni 20th-century Armenian women singers