Mazgani
Shahryar Mazgani | |
---|---|
Born | 1974 |
Genres | Alternative Indie rock |
Years active | 2004–present |
Members | Shahryar Mazgani Sérgio Mendes Victor Coimbra Isaac Achega |
Website | Official artist site. |
Mazgani is an Iranian-Portuguese singer-songwriter. He was born in Iran in 1974. In 1979, when the revolution took place in Iran, he and his family emigrated to Portugal.
In 2005, Mazgani was considered by the French magazine Les Inrockuptibles as one of the best 20 new European artists. His debut album, Song of the New Heart, released in 2007, contains 13 songs sung in English. Song of the New Heart was released to critical acclaim. Mazgani's strong charismatic stage presence and delivery immediately established him as one of the most respected and sought after performers in his home territory.
In 2009, netlabel OptimusDiscos1 in Portugal released the Tell the People EP, produced by Pedro Gonçalves of Dead Combo. Also in 2009, Mazgani came third in the International Songwriting Competition, AAA category, with the song "Somewhere Beneath This Sky"3; the competition judges included Tom Waits, Robert Smith, and other alternative music notables. Tell The People was released as Mazgani's first international approach, “Ladies and Gentlemen introducing… Mazgani, which featured all five EP tracks alongside five tracks from his debut album. It was released in the Benelux, Finland, Scandinavia, Canada and Australia.
His second full-length album,
In that same year, the songwriter composed and directed the original musical score for a theatre adaptation of Bertolt Brecht's “Mr. Puntila and His Man Matti”, one of the most successful productions in Portugal in many years, winner of several awards including the “SIC Golden Globe Award” (Globo de Ouro SIC).
His new record
Lifeboat is his new record, out Abril 13th (2015) and includes reinterpretations of songs by PJ Harvey, Elvis Presley, Cole Porter, Bee Gees, Lee Hazlewood, amongst others.
Members
2015
- Shahryar Mazgani (electrical guitar)
- Sérgio Sousa (electrical guitar)
- Victor Coimbra (bass)
- Isaac Achega (drums)
- João Gomes (keyboards)
Influences
Mazgani has mentioned in interviews the following musical influences:
Discography
Albums
- Song of the New Heart (Independent, 2007)
- Song Of Distance (Vachier, 2010)
- Common Ground(Independent, 2013)
- Lifeboat (Sony Music, 2015)
- The Poet's Death (Sony Music, 2017)
EPs
- Tell The People (Optimus Discos, 2009)
- Ladies and Gentlemen, introducing Mazgani (Fading Ways, 2009)
- Mercy (live promo EP, Tell the People, 2011)
Sources
External links
- Official Page (in English)