Hey everyone!

I have been working hard to put my show together for the Armenian Eurovision. I am very excited about how things are coming together for me... The Armenian community has been so supportive and welcoming of me that I feel deeply humbled by this!  They have offered their talents, resources and time to get me into Armenia with a great show that I simply can’t thank them enough. I will name names soon… :)

But for now, I wanted to thank Merja Hirvisaari at MTV3 – the largest national TV Station in Finland. She has written a story about me being in the Armenian Eurovision Finals and it made the front page of the MTV3 website! 

Here is a link to the story, and a screen shot – since the front page changes due to the 24hr news cycle.

http://www.mtv3.fi/helmi/viikonvaihde/artikkeli.shtml/1042468

I am hoping that the Armenian people like my song enough to send me to Oslo, and that the Finnish people give Armenia their 12 votes!!! LOL  Also Sweden & Norway, our dear neighbors… you have often voted for Finland in the Eurovision – this time I hope you vote for Armenia!!! Especially, Sweden’s large Finnish population!!!  Jag älskar Sverige (och Norge), och jag var född I Torneå, nästa till Haparanda.

There are a few interesting things that I have noticed in this process that I haven’t seen in Scandinavia before.  I have been hearing from a few people in the LA Armenian Community that Armenia has already chosen their representative!  Of course this isn’t true; Armenia is holding their final on February 14^th.  This has been verified with Armenian TV when we asked about the hype we were hearing. 

Why else would I even bother going!  They deliberated on the fact that I am not ethnically Armenian, decided that not only were they going to allow me to enter anyway, but invited me to join the Finals after being so impressed with my song that I haven’t had to wait for the official February 10^th announcement!!! 

I understand why Armenians hold their identity so close to their chest. They have a proud history of thousands of years, and I am going to be something new for them.  They embraced Christianity a thousand years before Luther brought Protestantism into Europe, and to this day live in the midst of interesting neighbors ;)

All I can say that it would be my honor to carry the Armenian flag to Oslo and represent Armenia’s proud history and heritage, just as I want to pass it on to my own children.  I am thoroughly excited to bring my entire family to Armenia – even my Armenian father-in-law is coming with us! Hooray!

So, Armenia and Scandinavia... come through for your girl!  The GAME IS ON!

Armenia, February 8^th, here we come!!! 

The show will be streamed live at: http://artn.tv/streaming/

Hey!

I have some amazing news... I am going to be heading out to Armenia to compete for the honor to represent the Republic of Armenia in the 2010 Eurovision Song Contest in Oslo, Norway!

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurovision_Song_Contest)

I will be there from February 8-18.  Please join me on Facebook where I have a page where the whole process is logged... and also on Twitter where I will be updating about the interesting things that are involved with something like this!

Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/#/pages/Maria-Kizirian-Armenia-2010-Eurovision/307866416320?ref=mf

Twitter:
https://twitter.com/mariakizirian

I hope to see you guys on Facebook and Twitter!  This is going to be an exciting ride!

Hugs and Cheers!
Maria

Soooo,

in the midst of taking care of my new baby Gisela, I have been at work.  I have gone soft I guess with all the happiness at home, so my new song is going to be a ballad.  I call it the "chick flick" of rock ballads!  Well, it builds up towards the end where I have all the bells and whistles in...

I am producing my own music now for the most part, and am enjoying that so much!  I wrote it one day just thinking about how blessed I am to have my husband, Paul.  He is really just a great guy.  I know a lot of women feel this way about their guys, so I have actually gone further than just create a song - I have created a website too - dedicated to us women who have great husbands or BFs!  The sole purpose of this site is to go brag about your man! 
The site also corresponds with MySpace and Facebook, so you can post your entry there and share it with your friends and family. 

And it's all in time for Father's Day!

MOREOVER, I will be using pictures of those who post (with your permission of course) of happy couples in the music video that will be made for the song "More Than a Man."

So if you think your guy has the stuff to be braggin' about, stay tuned, and drop me a line if you are interested in having your picture in the video.  I will let you know how to get involved.

Official launch is June 16.

I hope you are having a wonderful week!

CHEERS!!!
Maria

It has been waaayyyy too long for me neglecting my page here on MySpace and all of you who keep in regular contact with me... my deepest apologies 

However, I wanted to inform everyone that I had a baby girl named Gisela Svala Helena Kizirian on January 26, 2009!

I had a pretty difficult pregnancy, which is why I wasn't around very much.  I have, though, spent the time working on new music and new ideas in general.  I will let you know what they are as soon as they are ready.  My newest song will be what I call the "chick flick" of rock ballads. It was getting a really nice response when we performed it at our shows.

Speaking of shows, I have purposely laid off the live show for the time being to work on new material and also spend time with my little one. 

I also have been working during the pregnancy with Jesse Harms, known for the hit "Walk on Water" by Eddie Money.  He also was a songwriter and band member with Sammy Hagar for many years.  He is an all around great songwriter and musician, and I consider him my "mentor."  I have learned a lot from him!

Anyway, I am excited to be getting back on the ball.  I have missed everyone, and can't wait to hear what's going on!

Cheers!!!
Maria
XOXO

Hey again! 

In case you have been wondering why I seem to have disappeared... well, I have been in the studio lately, with some exciting new developments going on that I will reveal soon… but for now, I have to say – I am finally getting on BAY AREA RADIO!

Other regions, including the music centrals of LA and NY have already shown me support, but the San Francisco Bay Area, my home none other, has given me a pass until now! So we start from the outskirts in the glorious Wine Country and we close in on the SF epicenter... Napa based station 99.3 FM The Vine will interview me twice on the show "Kellie in the Morning."

Tune in on May 11, 7:15AM PST (10:15 EST) and again at 8:15 AM (11:15 EST).  Each segment has different music and an interview. Both live and recorded songs performed! .

Listen online at http://www.kvyn.com

Tomorrow, May 7th, I will also be interviewed on Smokin Tunez Radio
– please tune in online at http://www.smokintunz.net

2PM PST - 5PM EST
                            
I also have a number of new supportive stations that I will update as soon as I have them compiled.  In general, I plan on updating this MySpace page of mine, so be on the lookout for that as well.

So, that's that for now, do tune in and show your love to these amazing stations!!!

On to the ASCAP expo, which I promised I would follow up on...but due to my lack of time spent on MySpace lately, I haven't updated more of the pics from the ASCAP Expo, so here are a bunch.  ENJOY!!!

Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora


Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora spoke at the event.  They had that rock star aura – it's pretty cool.  Also, since I loved them as a kid in particular, it was really awesome to hear them speak about their career, songwriting and thoughts in general.  Jon is really thoughtful, almost serious, and highly intelligent. 



Sambora is more like "the funny guy," who would make remarks that had us all laughing!  They had a concert in LA that night so it was amazing that they took the time to come talk to us!



We also attended a private concert with these amazing songwriters/producers: Linda Perry, Glen Ballard, Mike Bradford, and Mark Hudson. 


Linda Perry can't remember her own songs after she produces them, so she got up and wrote a song on the fly based on a chord progession that was trown out of the hat by the audience and panelists.  It was hilarious, and it ended up being called "Supernatural Lover" - since the whole thing was basically free flow mind shatter, and it was so random that she laughed at it as well. 

Linda Perry's credits: Jewel, Courtney Love, Gwen Stefani, Faith Hill, Blaque, Sugababes, Lillix, Robbie Williams, Melissa Etheridge, Sierra Swan, Solange Knowles, Gavin Rossdale, Juliette and the Licks, Lisa Marie Presley, Fischerspooner, Unwritten Law, L.P., Kelly Osbourne, Vanessa Carlton, James Blunt, Cheap Trick, Ben Jelen and Enrique Iglesias.

Perry also wrote the huge hits "Get This Party Started" for Pink, and "Beautiful" for Christina Aguilera.



Glen Ballard is best known for the Alanis Morrisette debut album "Jagged Little Pill" that we learned had sold 34 MILLION copies!  He also performed "Ironic" on the piano and a couple of other songs of his.  It was very beautiful.

Glen Ballard's Credits: Celine Dion, Elisa, Anastacia, Shakira, Ed Kowalczyk of Live, Aretha Franklin, The Corrs, Natalie Cole, Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones, Patti Austin, George Strait, Dave Matthews Band, OAR, Christina Aguilera, Barbra Streisand, Van Halen, No Doubt, Goo Goo Dolls, Hanson, Aerosmith, Annie Lennox and P.O.D. He is also credited with launching the debuts of Lisa Marie Presley, Curtis Stigers, Jack Wagner, Paula Abdul, Wilson Phillips, Katy Perry, Josh Groban, and Alanis Morissette.


Mark Hudson had incredibly funny stories about how his songs came about and the quirks of other musicians such as John Lennon himself.  But the funniest story was about how he tried to get a new song on the newest Eagles record (and which he played to us live), he got Timothy Schmid and Don Felder involved with a demo for the song, and the band manager was given the task of playing it to Don Henley.

Mark had high hopes for the song to get cut, since how can it be turned down now that two band members perform on the demo, and the manager is pitching it!  Everything was going smoothly until Don listened and half way through it said "no, it doesn't work!"  The way the story was told was hilarious, and everyone was roaring with laughter… I will need to post the video on this… I don't think I can describe how funny this really was!!!

Mark Hudson's credits: Aerosmith and the former Beatles drummer Ringo Starr are the most notable, and constant artists he has worked with.  He also co-wrote (and performed that night) the Grammy Award-winning Aerosmith hit "Livin on the Edge" and has penned many other Aerosmith songs.  Other credits include Celine Dion, for whom she wrote the amazing song "The Reason" - and also performed it live, in Celine's key... since apparently he can't sing any of his songs in anything other than the original key lol!  The reason he can, was apparently because he "lost one of his testicles in the divorce..." whooooa!  TMI!!! lol  But yeah, his humor was pretty intense....!!! He was also on the UK American Idol/Simon Cowell show, The X-Factor, but Cowell apparently kicked him out for not thinking Leona Lewis had enough "it" factor to really connect with an audience...

I unfortunately didn't have a good pic of Mike Bradford... the main artist he works with is Kid Rock. He does all their stuff in the tour bus... which I think is SO cool! Other credits include: Uncle Kracker, Pure Sugar, Terence Trent D'Arby, Deep Purple, etc.

A picture from a hit songwriter panel and the credits of the panelists:

Jodi Marr's credits include:
Mika, Ricky Martin, Thalia, Paulina Rubio, Geri Halliwell, Kristen Chenoweth, and more.

Josh Kear/Chris Tompkins (not pictured)
The amazing duo behind Carrie Underwood's "Before He Cheats."Other credits include: Jimmy Buffet, Tim McGraw, Kenny Rogers, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Bucky Covington, etc.

Keri Hilson
Singer/co-writer on Timbaland's smash hit "The Way I Are." Her credits include Britney Spears, Chingy, Chris Brown, Ciara, Danity Kane, Diddy, Jennifer Lopez, Ludacris, Mary J. Blige, Omarion, Pussycat olls, Ruben Studdard, Toni Braxton, Usher, and more…

Dr. Luke Gotthald
The songwriter behind "Since U Been Gone" for Kelly Clarkson, "Girlfriend" for Avril Lavigne, although they had to settle a copyright infringement suit for an existing song that to me too, sounded exactly the same as Girlfriend.  Dr. Luke and Swedish hitmaker Max Martin are unfortunately dealing with another lawsuit for the Daughtry single "Feels Like Tonight." 

And that, boys and girls, is how this world rolls.  Have a great one! 

Till next time, cheers!
Maria
xoxo

Hello everyone,

I want to write about my amazing experience at the ASCAP "I Create Music" expo this last week.  I went there exhausted from a roller coaster year… and man was it worth it!  I came out so renewed and revved up to continue! 

I have a lot of content from the expo that I think you all will enjoy, but I can't stick it all into one blog, or it will overwhelm you, (I am overwhelmed myself!) so I have decided to post a few of my next blogs with select video and images.

One key highlight: I got to meet my idol Desmond Child!  YAY!

We attended the Ascap Pop Music Awards at the Kodak Theatre the first night (4.9.08), and saw Lionel Richie and Steve Miller receive lifetime awards, called the "ASCAP Golden Note" award. 

Quincy Jones presented the award to Lionel, and spoke eloquently about Lionel's achievements.

An extra special treat was the fact that 93-year-old Les Paul presented the Golden Note award to Steve Miller via a message: he included an unbelievable, and hilarious little glimpse into their history: the first time they had met, Les Paul was enjoying his wedding night when Steve walked in on him and his new bride... wooops!!!

We also were blessed by a 5 song show by the Steve Miller band (usually people play 2 songs at most at these things).

Other performers included: Sara Bareilles, American Idol's Elliot Yamin, and Chris Tompkins and Josh Kear, who wrote the song "Before He Cheats" for Carrie Underwood…

I have nothing against Carrie, but these guys rocked that song… it was UNBELIEVABLE; had to be the best performance I have heard in a long time.  Songwriters?  They are incredible performers in their own rights!  They also seem really cool; they were on a panel I attended and had some good insights into songwriting.

 ASCAP honorees included: Justin Timberlake (5 awards) 

and Fergie, Song of the Year for "Big Girls Don't Cry"

Fun times, but I do have to mention a rather interesting tid bit for us songwriters - see how many songwriters/publishers often accompany rap/hip hop/R&B songs - it's cool, at least you have all those people pushing the song, wow!  Though, last year - ASCAP's Todd Brabek joked that after all the monies have been shared, there's nothing left per writer...



In closing, I wanted to add a picture I took when I saw people checking out the paparazzi jumping all over each other at the red carpet.  They are all at the bottom level of the Kodak Theatre entry, and people were watching this at the second level:



So, here's some pics for now, I'll post some more info later on... have a great weekend!

Cheers,
Maria
xoxo

Hello everyone,

Today, I want to point out two radio shows to make sure and check out, particularly if you are on the East Coast. 

The first one, DJ Scooby, from Hot 91.9FM WAIC in the great state of MA is debuting "Retro Man" this evening  at 7-9 EST.  I am more than thrilled to have her playing my music, and hope that you all tune in to listen to her frequently!

I will be on on "Scorpion’s Lair" tomorrow after noon - the guys of whom I consider to be good friends now, having played my music since "On the Rocks!"  Jay and Turbo are truly are awesome, so make sure to check them out regularly on WBCR, 1090 AM if you are in NY, or on www.brooklyncollegeradio.org online 3-5PM EST.  Have a rockin’ start for the week!

CHEERS!
Maria

3.31.08 - "In the Doghouse" on HOT 91.9FM WAIC
4.01.08 - BrooklynCollegeRadio.org - The Scorpion’s Lair