Especially during quarantine.
So here we are: day # who knows at this point, stuck in quarantine across the globe. Life as we know it seems to have been put on hold as we continue to flatten that curve in the challenging months ahead. None of this is easy for anyone. We're all experiencing some pretty rough times with no clear end in sight, but can help each other get through them with a little kindness, reminding ourselves that nothing lasts forever.
COVID-19 won't either. So until then, stay positive and focus on the joys in your life. A big one of mine is music: Armenian music.
I've been listening to Armenian music for as long as I can remember, so much so that I've been only mildly in tune with mainstream American pop culture for someone who was born and raised in the US. I don't know why I was strongly drawn to Armenian music when I was younger, but I have a good feeling that it has something to do with my family. We're always playing some instrument, singing some song, or banging on counters and cabinets with makeshift noise makers to break out in dance like it's a damn wedding. And every single time, the beat/melody somehow ends up being Armenian.
Nowadays, my Spotify is all over the place. I'm finally caught up with those good old American hits that may not have resonated with me much back then. And while I thoroughly enjoy many of them, «հայ երաժշտութիւնը ջանիս է նստում» ('Armenian music sits in my soul').
Music feeds the soul. It plays a fundamental role in Armenian identity and culture as well, to an extent that we tend to burst into song at say, dinner tables, for example. You're bound to hear music gathered around a traditional Armenian feast, or 'supra' (loan-word/tradition from Georgia), especially when 'oghi' (moonshine) starts to flow in the presence of singers and musicians who "just so happen" to be at your table, but more on that in a later post.
Since we won't have the pleasure of enjoying supras in Armenia anytime soon, let's bring the supra into our homes. Cue music!
The one genre both Spotify and Apple Music aren't experts in is Armenian music. Sure, you'll find agonizingly overplayed songs by Tata, Armenchik, Harout, and who could forget Super Sako with Mi Gna, but these artists represent just a mere fraction of the genre. Armenian music has much more breadth and depth than our favorite streaming services offer, so I've put together a YouTube playlist.
MY YOUTUBE PLAYLIST
It's a compilation of my favorite Armenian folk and contemporary music. I update it regularly to keep up with new generations of talent revolutionizing Armenia's music scene, but it includes classics from some of our greats of the past as well. In fact, a lot of contemporary Armenian songs are actually renditions of older folk counterparts. I recently lost my grandfather, so the first song in this playlist is dedicated to him. It was one of his favorites.
But even YouTube doesn't cover it all. I've spent the last 15 years compiling MP3s that are fairly hard to come by, so feel free to reach out if you're looking for anything specific.
No supra is complete without a toastmaster, or 'tamada.' So now that you've got some music going, 'kenats!' 'Cheers' to your health, your safety, and your loved ones. Cheers to our doctors, nurses, essential workers, and volunteers. Cheers to us! #stayhome #staysafe #inthistogether
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