Hollywood Stars: Sirusho

Siranush Harutyunyan (born on January 7, 1987 in Yerevan, Armenia), known simply as Sirusho , is an Armenian pop singer. She began her music career singing live in Canada when she was seven years old and, at the age of nine, she received an Armenian Music Award for her song "Lusabats". Her first studio album, Sirusho, was released in 2000, and its follow-up, Sheram, in 2005. In the same year, she was awarded The Future of Armenian Music, Best Album and Best Female Performer awards in the first Armenian National Music Awards. The BBC describes her success as making her a "national treasure" in Armenia, and its news service has gone on to report that she is popular in both Armenia and "throughout the Armenian diaspora throughout the world".She currently studies diplomacy in Yerevan State University, having majored in international relations.Sirusho also sings in the Greek language and, in April 2009, released her first Greek single "Erotas" in Armenia, Greece and Cyprus. The song is an up-tempo dance record with heavy Greek laiko musical influences which is apparent from the dancing and dress in the music video. Sirusho performed this, and her other Armenian singles, live at the 2009 Tashir Armenian Awards ceremony.Sirusho reached international recognition after becoming the Armenian spokesperson for the 2007 Eurovision Song Contest and the Armenian representative for the 2008 Eurovision Song Contest held in Belgrade, Serbia.She co-wrote and performed the song "Qélé, Qélé", with the Armenian hook and music composed and produced by H.A. Der-Hovagimian. The song finished in fourth place behind the Greek entry "Secret Combination". It became very popular in Greek-speaking areas, especially the 'Yerevan Remix' in Greek clubs, and was frequently played on London Greek Radio in the United Kingdom, and in an episode of the Greek and Cypriot X Factor television series.

Sirusho comes from a family of artists. Her father is a renowned actor and director (an Honored Artist of Armenia) and her mother is a reputable singer beloved by the Armenian public Syuzan Margaryan (also an Honored Artist of Armenia). Sirusho's first encounter with singing and music was when she was ten months old. At age two she began to sing full songs. One of the songs that Sirusho performed as a child was "Lusabats", an Armenian folk song written in the early 1900s by Komitas.

For over 13 years, the 21 year-old artist continues to be one of the most famous and adored Armenian singers. In one of her interviews she said, "I have never been one of those children who dreamed of becoming a singer. I was a little kid and people would ask me to sing at events. Every time after I sang, I would see the amazed looks on their faces and I couldn't figure out the reason. I mean, I thought I wasn't doing a hard thing, I was just singing the way I felt the music."

At the age of 7 Sirusho began to write her own music, as well as lyrics in Armenian and English. She was 8 years old when she greeted her first big crowd. At the age of 9 the song, she had composed, brought her an award at the Contest of Young Talent. At age 10, she successfully competed in a contest with older participants, eventually winning first place. She released her first album "Sirusho" when she was 13, gradually becoming one of the most favored performers in the Armenian community. Some of the best Armenian composers have written the music for the various songs she has written lyrics for. She has toured around many countries, bringing vibrant Armenian pop and folk music to Canada, Belgium, Egypt, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Lebanon, Poland, Russia, Iran, Jordan, Serbia, Syria, Turkey, United States, and elsewhere. She is one of the most successful and most entertaining Armenian talent around the world, and is also well known in Greece.