Special for the Armenian Weekly

“Without music, life would be a mistake,” said Friedrich Nietzsche. Several months ago, in an attempt to rectify the mistaken path of my life, I started surfing through YouTube in search of quality music. Somehow I stumbled upon a video of the Russian-Armenian singing sensation Margarita Pozoyan. Her vocals were captivating. With each passing song, her voice kept getting better and better.

“I do not reflect upon my success or victories,” Pozoyan would tell me. “I’m just glad that I have made it thus far without any form of sponsorship or financial support.”

Aside from performing in numerous countries and on different stages, Pozoyan also composes her own songs.

The beginning

During the Great War, Margarita’s great grandparents moved from Akhalkalaki to the village of Otradnaya near the city of Krasnodar in Russia. When she was 2 years old, her family moved from Krasnodar to Artyomovsk in Ukraine.

Growing up in the Soviet era, Pozoyan’s sense of Armenian patriotism was always restrained. “I did not consider myself different from my classmates. I knew I was Armenian, but back then, within the USSR, we were all the same,” said Pozoyan.

Her passion for singing started during her kindergarten years. “At home, I used to sing every day, while imagining myself standing in front of large crowds,” Pozoyan reminisced. “At the age of 13, I entered the ‘Bakmutskaya’s Starlet’ singing competition. It was the first time in my life that I performed in front of judges and a large audience. I won the competition.”

Not long after, Pozoyan entered Yevgeny Martynov’s “Father’s House” lyrical singing contest, and after numerous rounds of competition emerged victorious in the “Young Voice” category. Her winning streak continued when she won the gold medal at the Youth Delphic Games of Russia and of the Commonwealth of Independent States.

“I have a wonderful family. When I first started singing, my mother did not believe that I could become a professional artist, but over time I proved to her that this is exactly what I was meant to do,” Pozoyan said. “My family’s unconditional support has been instrumental in my success. In fact, everyone in my family sings. We have a lot of fun when we gather as a family and have sing offs.”

The voice

In 2012, Pozoyan auditioned for the Russian reality talent show, “The Voice.” During the show, singer Dima Bilan, the winner of the 2008 Eurovision competition, coached Pozoyan. Under Bilan’s guidance, she reached the final of “The Voice of Russia.”

Growing up, Pozoyan fervently listened to pop, jazz, soul, R&B, rock, and blues. “I studied the works of great artists such as Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Christina Aguilera, Celine Dion, and of course, Cher,” said Pozoyan. “Later on in my life I discovered the incredible talents of Billie Holiday, Dionne Warwick, and Etta James. Today, I closely follow the works of Beyonce, Alicia Keys, and Jennifer Hudson. But my idols have always been Steve Wonders and, the late Michael Jackson.”

Eight years ago, Pozoyan’s friends gave her the nickname Arishata. Arishata became synonymous with Margarita Pozoyan. “Arishata is just a name. It does not translate into a specific word or meaning,” said Pozoyan. “Over time, Arishata became my stage name.”

The present

Arishata is currently working on two different albums, one in English and another in Russian. She hopes to release the Russian album by fall 2014. But while Pozoyan primarily listens to and sings Russian and English songs, she is a fan of many Armenian artists, including Sirusho, Hayko, Tata, Shushan Petrosyan, Andre, Sofi Mkheyan, Sona, Christine Pepelyan, and Arto Tunchboyacian.

“My family was a traditional Armenian family. They instilled Armenian values in me and my siblings,” she said. “I am a proud Armenian. My favorite Armenian song is ‘Krunk,’ which I performed during the 2013 Tashir Music Awards. I am thankful to Inga and Anush and Andre Hovnanyanwho helped me prepare for the ‘Krunk’ performance.” Pozoyan is planning to record an Armenian album at some point in her career.

“One of my biggest dreams is to represent my historicalhomeland, Armenia, at the Eurovision singing competition,” she said. “I intend to tour the United States when the circumstances allow me.”

Whether she is singing in Russian, English, or Armenian, Margarita “Arishata” Pozoyan’s divine vocals enchant her fans and anyone who comes across her angelic performances. Pozoyan is an Armenian jewel, and we are lucky to have her.

Pozoyan responded to our questions in Russian. We thank Gor Nazaryan and Tatevik Vardazaryan for the translation.

A Kurdish singer entertains fans in Turkey. Photo: DIHA

ANKARA, Turkey – The new mayor of Mersin, a multi-ethnic city in Turkey that is home to some 400,000 Kurds, has imposed a ban on Kurdish music at public venues, including at weddings or celebrations at places owned or operated by the municipality.

Burhanettin Kocamaz, from the ultra-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) who won the March 31 local elections, sent a written notice ordering the ban, which has been criticized by Kurdish activists. They say it is the first time that a local official has brought this much pressure against the Kurds.

“The fact that he uses his authority like that in Mersin, where at least 400,000 Kurds reside, is both an example of racism and fascism and a crime of abusing the authority granted to him by law,” Adil Zozani, an MP from the Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP), said in a parliamentary objection to the interior minister.

“The mayor is responsible for serving the entire city and is supposed to treat equally all different ethnic, religious and faith groups,” he noted. “Isn’t it a hate crime for a mayor to ban a people’s language and use his authority as a tool for threatening people? Isn’t it also a crime for him to abuse his power?”

Turkey has had a long history of keeping its huge Kurdish minority of some 15 million people under its heel, banning the Kurds even from speaking their own language until 1991. Since last year, the government has embarked on a peace process with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), but activists complain that the pressure on Kurds continues.

Ali Tanriverdi, head of the Human Rights Association (IHD) in Mersin, told Rudaw this was the first time a local politician had acted in this way against the Kurds.

“The state is still applying pressure on the Kurds throughout Turkey, but this is the first time that a local politician in the city is doing the same thing to this extent,” Tanriverdi said. “Three days ago, while Kurdish music was being played at a wedding, the owner of the venue begged the band to stop the music,” he said.

“The mayor has even justified his decision by saying that he does not want to provoke the youths,” he added.

Halis Deger, head of the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) in Mersin, told Rudaw that the mayor was sticking to the Turkish policy of denying Kurdish identity.

“The mayor has told the managers of those venues not to play music in any language other than Turkish, so he is still trying to deny the Kurdish identity. But peace cannot be achieved through denial of identities,” he said. “Despite the ban, we will keep on singing our songs even more loudly, everywhere,” Deger said defiantly.

For decades, Turkey has denied its Kurds basic rights. Kurdish-language education, or publishing in the language, was banned until 2000.

The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has made limited reforms that allow learning Kurdish at private language schools.

Video Margarita ‘Arishata’ Pozoyan: A Rising Star

New Mayor in Turkey Bans Kurdish Music at Publicly-owned Venues