It’s been over a decade since Sirusho performed on the Eurovision stage, however she remains as one of the most loved in the fan community. Sirusho performed the upbeat entry ‘Qele Qele’ on the Eurovision stage, with the song going on to finish in 4th place in the final. To date, this is the best result Armenia has achieved at the contest, matched only by Aram Mp3 who also finished in 4th place.
Who is Sirusho?
Sirusho is the stage name of Siranush Harutyunyan, a 34-year-old singer-songwriter originating from the Armenian capital, Yerevan. Her parents have strong links to the entertainment business, with her father an actor and director, and her mother was one of the most popular Armenian singers in the 1980’s and 90’s. Sirusho began performing at a young age, and even started writing songs at the age of 7. At the age of 13, Sirusho released her first studio album which was self-titled.
The Journey to Eurovision
In 2005, Sirusho strayed from her usual genres of pop and soul to instead release an album of Armenian folk songs. The album went on to be awarded the Best Album of the Year at the Armenian National Music Awards, where she also won Best Female Artist of the Year. The following year, she released another album, titled ‘Hima’ which proved to be a big hit in Armenia as it balanced soul and R&B with traditional folk elements.
Sirusho was selected to represent Armenia at Eurovision in 2008, with her song selected through a national final. Qele Qele was selected exclusively by public vote, and incredibly won with 86.5% of the vote. The success continued at Eurovision, with Sirusho still the top Armenian act to receive the most 12 points.
What Happened Next?
Since Eurovision, Sirusho has continued to release music. In 2009, Sirusho released the single ‘Erotas’, an uptempo song with traditional Greek elements which was sung completely in Greek. The song went on to become a number one hit on the Armenian charts. In the same year, she recorded a song dedicated to peace alongside Eurovision 2008 participants, Boaz Mauda and Jelena Tomasevic titled ‘Time to Pray’.
Since her time at Eurovision, Sirusho has often been invited to perform at various Eurovision events. She performed the single ‘Havatum em’ at the Armenian national selection in 2010, as well as performing in the Maltese national selection of the same year. During that year, Sirusho released her fourth studio album also titled ‘Havatum em’.
In 2011, she released the song ‘I Like It’, and in the same year, performed her Eurovision entry at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest which was being held in Yerevan, Armenia.
In 2012, Sirusho released the song ‘PreGomesh’, a dance track inspired by an Armenian folk song, ‘Lorva Gutanerg’. This also led to a jewellery line of the same name, with the pieces inspired by Armenian culture and craftsmanship.
In 2016, Sirusho released her fifth studio album titled ‘Armat’, and has since then only released singles. This year, she collaborated with former Eurovision winner, Alexander Rybak on the song ‘Stay’.