Bedouine

{{Short description|Syrian-American musician}} {{Use mdy dates|date=July 2019}} {{Infobox musical artist | honorific_prefix = | name = Bedouine | honorific_suffix = | image = Bedouine at The Fonda Theater in 2018.jpg | image_upright = | image_size = | landscape =  | alt = | caption = Bedouine at The Fonda Theater in 2018 | native_name = | native_name_lang = | birth_name = | alias = | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1985|7|16}} | birth_place = Aleppo, Syria | origin = | death_date =  | death_place = | genre = Singer-songwriter, folk | occupation = | instrument = | years_active = 2017–present | label = | associated_acts = | website = {{URL|https://www.bedouinemusic.com}} | module = | module2 = | module3 = }}

'''Azniv Korkejian''',<ref name="thefader"/> known by her stage name '''Bedouine''' (born July 16, 1985),<ref>{{Cite web|title=Gusseyffert on Instagram: My babes Birthday Today @bedouinemusic. So proud of her!! #privateproperty #miami picture by @kate.izor|url=https://www.instagram.com/p/BWl7qqghhT1/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/s/instagram/BWl7qqghhT1 |archive-date=December 26, 2021 |url-access=registration|url-status=live|access-date=2020-09-02|website=Instagram|language=en}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Cohn |first=Jason J. |date=2017-09-12 |title=Bedouine Knows the Meaning of Life and It's Somewhere Between Love and Hurt |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/bedouine-knows-the-meaning-of-life-and-its-somewhere-between-love-and-hurt/ |access-date=2025-11-05 |website=VICE |language=en-US}}</ref> is a Syrian-American musician. She has lived in a number of cities and countries, including Saudi Arabia, Houston, Syria, and Boston.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=http://soundofboston.com/interview-simplicity-singer-songwriter-bedouine/|title=Interview: The Simplicity of Singer-Songwriter Bedouine|date=2017-11-17|website=Sound of Boston - Boston Music Blog|language=en-US|access-date=2019-10-02}}</ref>

==History==

=== Early life === Korkejian was born in Aleppo, Syria. Her family moved to Saudi Arabia where they lived until she was ten. Her family is Armenian. She was educated at an American school in Saudi Arabia and was exposed to the music of MTV as well as traditional Armenian and Arabic music.<ref>{{cite web |title=Bedouine |url=http://spacebombrecords.com/artists/bedouine |work=Spacebomb |accessdate=7 January 2020}}</ref> The family moved to the US after winning a green card lottery and lived first in Massachusetts and then later in Houston, Texas, where she went to high school. She studied sound design in Savannah, Georgia. She lives in Los Angeles.<ref name="NPR">{{cite web |last1=Koenig |first1=Ravenna |title=On Her Quiet Folk Debut, Bedouine Wanders And Wonders |url=https://www.npr.org/2017/06/24/533795115/on-her-quiet-folk-debut-bedouine-wanders-and-wonders |work=NPR |accessdate=7 January 2020}}</ref>

=== ''Name Origins'' === Bedouine draws origin for her name from the Arabic term ''"Bedouin",'' which in the Syrian language alludes to the "Desert Dwellers", or those who lead a nomadic lifestyle. She herself claims to relate personally to this way of life, having moved residence so often in her early life, as well as taking great interest in Bedouin craft and way of life, specifically in connection with her home countries of Syria and Saudi Arabia. Furthermore, Bedouine connects her stage name and her Armenian ancestry, paying tribute to the 20th century genocide on Armenians, which forced them to abandon their homes and way of life, or face murder at the hands of the Ottoman Empire. <ref>{{Cite web |last=OMER |date=2021-12-13 |title=Solitary Daughter: An Interview with Singer-Songwriter Bedouine |url=https://omerjournal.com/2021/12/13/solitary-daughter-an-interview-with-singer-songwriter-bedouine/ |access-date=2025-11-05 |website=The Oxford Middle East Review |language=en}}</ref>

=== ''Bedouine'' ===

Bedouine released her first self-titled full-length album in 2017.<ref name="nprmusic">{{cite web |last1=Koenig |first1=Ravenna |last2=Block |first2=Melissa |title=On Her Quiet Folk Debut, Bedouine Wanders And Wonders |website=NPR.org |url=https://www.npr.org/2017/06/24/533795115/on-her-quiet-folk-debut-bedouine-wanders-and-wonders |publisher=NPR Music |accessdate=June 17, 2019}}</ref><ref name="thefader">{{cite web |last1=Mandel |first1=Leah |title=Inside Bedouine's Modern Folk Masterpiece |url=https://www.thefader.com/2017/06/22/bedouine-interview-azniv-korkejian |publisher=The Fader |accessdate=June 17, 2019}}</ref><ref name="theguardian">{{cite web |last1=Empire |first1=Kitty |title=Bedouine review – a wandering star is born |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2017/oct/15/bedouine-review-wandering-star-is-born-islington-london |work=The Guardian |date=October 15, 2017 |accessdate=June 17, 2019}}</ref><ref name="vogue">{{cite web |last1=Branch |first1=Kate |title=Meet Bedouine, the Folk Singer Who Will Stoke Your '60s Hair Nostalgia |url=https://www.vogue.com/article/bedouine-folk-singer-azniv-korkejian-debut-album-curly-hair-tricks-beauty |work=Vogue |date=July 13, 2017 |accessdate=June 17, 2019}}</ref> The record includes sounds from her memories of her grandmother's home in Syria, specifically on "Summer Cold" and a song written in Armenian "Louise" (which translates to "light” and is written as Լոյս in Armenian).<ref name=":0" /> In an interview with Sound of Boston, Korkejian discussed writing the song in Western Armenian, the dialect her family speaks: “I was pretty shy about it because, like I said, my Armenian is kind of broken. But, I ran it by my cousin and kind of had his green light, and I got to a point where I just thought, even if it’s not perfect it’s okay because it’s still my experience.”<ref name=":0" />

The album art of her debut album features a photograph taken of Bedouine on the black-and-white tiled floor of the console room outside Gus Seyffert's studio, where she recorded the album.<ref name=":0" />

=== ''Bird Songs of a Killjoy'' === In March 2019, Bedouine announced her second full-length album, ''Bird Songs of a Killjoy'', which was released June 21, 2019.<ref name="consequenceofsound">{{cite web |last1=Corcoran |first1=Nina |title=Bedouine announces new album, Bird Songs of a Killjoy, shares "Bird": Stream |date=March 28, 2019 |url=https://consequence.net/2019/03/bedouine-announces-new-album-bird-songs-of-a-killjoy-shares-bird-stream/ |publisher=Consequence of Sound |access-date=June 17, 2019}}</ref><ref name="uproxx">{{cite web |last1=Gilke |first1=Chloe |title=Bedouine Announced Her New Album 'Bird Songs of a Killjoy' With The Lush, Cinematic 'Bird' |date=March 28, 2019 |url=https://uproxx.com/music/bedouine-bird-songs-of-a-killjoy-album/ |publisher=Uproxx |accessdate=June 17, 2019}}</ref> The twelve tracks contain several references to birds, and Azniv's label Spacebomb quoted her as feeling "self-conscious about how I go on and on about birds on this record...But I have to step back and take a breath. These songs are just where I landed, and that's OK."{{r|spacebomb}} The album was produced by Gus Seyffert.<ref name=spacebomb>{{cite web |url=https://spacebombgroup.com/artists/bedouine |website=Spacebomb|title=Bedouine – Spacebomb}}</ref>

=== ''Waysides'' === Bedouine released her third full-length album, ''Waysides'' on October 22, 2021. The album was announced August 18, 2021 with the single "The Wave", which was written about the death of Bedouine's close friend and her resulting grief.<ref name="pitchfork">{{cite web |last1=Minsker|first1=Evan|title=Bedouine Announces New Album Waysides, Shares Song "The Wave": Listen |date=August 18, 2021 |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/bedouine-announces-new-album-waysides-shares-song-the-wave-listen/ |publisher=Pitchfork |accessdate=December 26, 2021}}</ref> Korkejian did not write new material for the album, instead she selected and finished tracks from among her old demos, the oldest dating back 15 years, the newest from 2017. She’s described the process as “like spring cleaning, letting go to start anew”. All tracks were produced either by the singer herself or Gus Seyffert, who worked on both ''Bedouine'' and ''Bird Songs of a Killjoy''.<ref name="uncut">{{cite web |last1=O'Connell|first1=Sharon|title=Bedouine – Waysides |url=https://www.uncut.co.uk/reviews/album/bedouine-waysides-135677/ |magazine=Uncut |date=December 3, 2021 |accessdate=December 26, 2021}}</ref>

==Tours== '''Headline tours''' * US Tour (Fall 2019) * UK/EU Tour (Fall 2019)

'''Support tours''' * Fleet Foxes (US Tour, Summer 2017) * Matthew E. White (UK Tour, Fall 2017) * Michael Kiwanuka (UK Tour, Fall 2017) * José González (US Tour, Winter 2018) * Real Estate (US Tour, Winter 2018) * Waxahatchee / Hurray For The Riff Raff (US Tour, Spring 2018) * Kevin Morby (US Tour, Summer 2018) * Bahamas (US Tour, Fall 2018) * Father John Misty (UK/EU Tour, Fall 2018) * José González (EU Tour, Summer 2019)

'''Festivals''' * Best Kept Secret (2018) * [http://clandestinofestival.org/2019/en/# Clandestino] (2018) * [https://likeminds.camp/ Likeminds] (2018) * Nelsonville Music Festival (2018) * Newport Folk Festival (2018) * Pickathon (2018) * [https://www.wakingwindows.com/ Waking Windows] (2018) * WOMAD (Australia) (2018) * Calgary Folk Music Festival (2019) * [https://www.huichica.com/ Huichica Music Festival] (2019)

==Discography== '''Studio albums''' * ''Bedouine'' (2017, Spacebomb Records) * ''Bird Songs of a Killjoy'' (2019, Spacebomb Records) * ''Waysides'' (2021, self-released)

'''Singles''' * "Come Down in Time" (2018, Spacebomb Records) * "The Hum" (2020, Spacebomb Records) * "All My Trials" (2020, Mexican Summer) * "Thirteen" (2020, Spacebomb Records) * "That You Are" (2024, Hozier)

==References== {{Reflist}}

Category:Syrian musicians Category:Syrian people of Armenian descent Category:Syrian emigrants to the United States Category:21st-century American musicians Category:Musicians from Aleppo Category:Spacebomb Records artists Category:1985 births Category:Living people