The most “Honored Artists”

An announcement on TV: – “On Independence day we invite everyone for a concert at Liberty Square by participation of the Honoured Artists Shushan Petrosyan, Nune Yesayan, Tata and Hayko”.

My hair stood on end when I heard the combination of words “Honored artists” and the names following them. Well, if to exclude Shushan who has really one of the most powerful voices in Armenia and has passed a long path full of creative work and could have deserved the fame to be called an honored artist, who are the other’s then?

Tata – Not a celebration, birthday or wedding party takes place without his “Anapati Arev” or other songs. I admit, that he has the songs to cheer up and to dance to. Now he is more a diasporan singer than local. He is beloved though he is shaking his head much too much. But. is this enough to be named an Honored artist?

Nune – Long time ago when she started her career with spoiling Sayat-Nova’s songs and incomprehensible videos, she was called the “Representative of Armenian song abroad”. Well, this was probably by the fact that she was one of the few singers who had the means to travel. A question: indeed, what has she done for Armenian music, is there any heritage left by her or will there be any at least after acquiring that title???

But if Tata and Nune can hardly fit for that honor, this next one doesn’t actually come within the province at all and is even outrageous. Hayko started his career translating a Spanish singer Luis Miguel’s songs into Armenian and representing them as those of his own. He was all but sure that no one in Armenia knew Luis Miguel and that his little secret would never be disclosed.

But his calculations and assumptions were not approved soon when people got to know Luis Miguel and compared their songs. As far as Hayko was very small to be famous, there remained only a single option, that Hayko was cheating. Although he didn’t learn his lesson and soon after pretending to be a composer he translated another old Spanish song by Alejandro Sans, this time representing it as a song on the basis of Spanish folk music. Whether it is still the influence of Ardzaganq Studio where everyone just sing translated songs of famous singers, can’t say, but one thing for sure- what an impudence!

I don’t even mention poor musical abilities he is gifted, the limited pitch level of his voice and the lack of the ability to conjoin two words together.

And I really wonder how people like him get the pride to be called honored artists? Be I in his place I would abdicate from that title he doesn’t deserve at all. Do they really consider themselves worthy of ranking with such highly Honored artists as Suren Chanchuryan, Sos Sargsyan or Gohar Gasparyan? Each drop of their hard work is invested in the realms of art, they are great teachers who left and are still leaving an enormous heritage to the future generations. They are the basis of art and the brightest representatives of it.

And what can I learn from Hayko, an Honored artist? Are the people giving titles deaf or not from this world? If this disgrace is not cut in the bud than we are near to face the abyss. So, Hayko, the future of Armenia is in your hands, renounce that title and leave it for those who truly deserve it. Or at least, deserve it by yourself.