Rosy Armen – French Grace and Armenian Temperament

Rosy Armen was born in Paris. In the creations of the singer, the French elegance and the solar temperament of her ancestors’ homeland, Armenia, were combined organically.

Like all the famous singers of France, Rosy Armen began singing in cafes. This was preceded by classes at the conservatory and then her first tentative steps — performances in amateur concerts.

Recognition came to the young singer in 1962 when her first album was released and when she had a successful debut in the Paris music-hall Villa d’Este. This was followed by tours abroad – in Belgium, West Germany, Iran, Lebanon, Turkey, the US, and the USSR.

An important milestone along the singer’s creative journey was the 1965 Moscow tour. The Armenian listener listened to her singing on the French radio and, learning that she had Armenian roots, wrote to the Soviet government about her. Soon, Rosy was invited to Moscow to perform 12 concerts.

The tour was so successful that the singer had to give 28 concerts. Among the great admirers of the singer’s talent were Tigran Petrosyan and Marshal Hovhannes Baghramyan. Composer Aram Khachaturian even dedicated a song to her.

In France, she gave concerts in the country’s best musical theaters, including Olympia. She also sang at Carnegie Hall in New York, at the Los Angeles Music Center, at the Art Theater in Montreal, and in Moscow at Luzhniki Palace of Sports.

She also performed in partnership with Julio Iglesias. She sang beautifully (in addition to her native French) in Armenian, Italian, English, German, and Spanish, which undoubtedly contributed to her popularity in many countries.

After the 1988 earthquake in Armenia, Charles Aznavour invited her to record the song “Pour toi Arménie” with him and other singers. This song occupied the first spot for 10 consecutive weeks in the French Top 50. In 1990, she visited Armenia to support people who did not recover from the effects of the earthquake and to show that France supports the Armenians.

The singer herself fell in love with Spain and in 1968 moved there.

Discography:
Maxi singles
Moi qui t’aimais (Vogue, 1961)
Né pour moi (Vogue, 1961)
Cuando calienta el sol (Vogue, 1962)
Tu croiras (Vogue, 1962)
La dernière étoile (Vogue, 1963)
Prenez garde (Vogue, 1963)
Yes mi siroun (Vogue, 1964)
Si j’étais sûre (Polydor, 1964)
La grande Russie (CBS, 1965)
Bons baisers de Russie (CBS, 1965)
Le jeu des amoureux (CBS, 1966)
Dele divané (Top 4, 1966)
L’âme slave (Top 4, 1966)
Le ciel, la Terre et l’amour (Top 4, 1966)
Le première fois (CBS, 1966)
Ailleurs qu’à Paris (Melodia, 1967)

Albums:
Rosy Armen (Vogue, 1963)
Rosy Armen (Melodia, 1967)
Si on se ressemble (Columbia, 1968)
Gwendolyne (Columbia, 1971)
Yerevan (Iberia, 1972)
Rosy Armen (Ambar, 1972)
Biboul (Arka, 1981)
Aranjuez (Arka, 1982)
Hier et demain (PSI International, 1986)
Armenia (1992)
Le top de l’Arménie (PSI International, 1996)
Mi sirde ounem (Atlantis Records, 2001)

Rosy Armen – Hingala