Hooshere

Bio

 

Born and raised in New York City, Hooshere is a first generation Armenian-American whose connection to her heritage, coupled with her passion for music, has molded her into a very unique musician. 

Provenance, Hooshere's debut album, is a modern day presentation of songs from times past; while remaining true to the origins of the music, Hooshere infused these songs with completely new sounds and rhythms - breathing new life into the music of her Armenian ancestors. The album is not limited to revivals - there are three original tracks, written by Hooshere; two of which, with English lyrics, are particularly well poised for a broad and diversified audience. 

​Since the release of Provenance, Hooshere has been performing regularly on both the east and west coasts, and has been working on several diverse music/film projects in NYC. She recently released a new EP entitled So Far Away featuring five all new, original songs. It's an evolution of her sound, and a culmination of her creative and personal journey since the release of her first record. A bit of a departure from Provenance, the songs are predominantly in English, yet they still maintain Hooshere's unique electronica/trip-hop/rock sound, infused with her signature Armenian/Middle Eastern vibe. 

Hooshere received high accolades for her release of Provenance. Steve Leeds, a top industry executive formerly with Virgin Records, said that Provenance is, "Refreshing, and unique, with excellent production quality" and continued to say it was "Like no other world music I've heard before...it's a great blend of traditional and modern instrumentation." Greg Burk of LA Weekly said: "Hooshere is a singer who mixes her deeply melancholy balladry with a modern feel for subtle electronics and wide-open spaces."Hooshere has earned several nods from the music industry: one of her original tracks entitled Willow won first prize in the annual Billboard Song Contest in 2006, and second prize in the annual indieTunes song contest, in the World music category. Willow was also featured in a pre-theater audio segment at Regal Cinemas across the county and generated an overwhelming response. Another original track, entitled Somebody Else, was featured in a nationally televised PBS documentary entitled "The Armenian Genocide" which aired in April 2006. Kele Lao was featured in the NBC series "Life" in an episode entitled "A Civil War."

Provenance and So Far Away are co-produced by Hooshere and AB+, a talented producer and seasoned French horn player, having performed with such greats as Miles Davis, Lenny Kravitz, Sonny Rollins, and Gil Evans. Provenance also features well-known guitarist Matt Beck, who has toured with Rob Thomas (Matchbox Twenty) and Lisa Loeb. Playing bass on the album is Konrad Adderley, who has played with Aretha Franklin and Sonny Rollins, among others, and is currently playing in the band for the Broadway musical "Wicked." The traditional Armenian instrumentation on the album could not have come from a more authentic source, as it was recorded by talented Armenian musicians in Armenia's capital city of Yerevan. Some of the most notable local musicians were enlisted for the album, including Hratjcha Muradian (kamancha), Norair Kartashyan (blul, duduk) and Alik Peloshyan (dhol). 

"Recording my first album was an incredible journey for me; it started out as an experimental few sessions with AB+, and I quickly realized that I had found a co-collaborator who understood my vision", Hooshere comments. During the process, she was inspired to write several original tracks, each of which was an evolution all its own. Recording in Armenia was uniquely rewarding, especially while witnessing the Armenian musicians connect with, and interpret her music in such extraordinary ways. Hooshere goes on to say, "The experience of bridging the new and old through the remarkable instruments of my heritage was fulfilling and inspiring. I feel that I have captured some of the most essential elements of the album through the process." The gifted musicians with whom she collaborated, both in New York and in Armenia, each contributed their own unique elements to her music. Together they achieved Hooshere's vision of creating an inventive, balanced fusion of contemporary and traditional sounds, to propel the music of her ancestry into the present day, for a global audience.