Kárin Tatoyan is a rising female singer-songwriter whose music is a clash of dark and heavy electronic that meets beautiful classical orchestrations. In 2009, Tatoyan's live show took Los Angeles by storm as she gained critical acclaim by both press and industry alike. Kárin's performances have been a flurry of organic and electronic sounds that create intense, emotional, and haunting performances that suck the gravity from a room and leave crowds dazzled, perplexed and utterly bewitched.
"Haunting" is too terrestrial to ascribe to the voice and sounds of this 24-year-old LA-based chanteuse--when Kárin Tatoyan opens her mouth, ghosts gather to take notes. After a few years unraveling quiet etherea from a piano bench, Tatoyan was reborn as baroque banshee. On stage, she writhes, crawls and croons, wailing black beauty over a dizzying array of electronics (loops, keys, knobs) and instrumentation (French horn, cello, drums). And with a clear taste for both chaos and costumes (not to mention her soaring voice), Tatoyan readily cconjures images of a young Bjork on the verge. Her studio output thus far is minimal, but she's only biding time while the storm brews." - Louis Vlack, Coachella Magazine
With precious little recorded material to her name, Tatoyan has largely remained a mystery beyond her city's borders. Having dismissed initial label interest in order to further explore the relation of sound and the human emotional process, Karin is returning to present her exploration through several diverse projects.
Kárin is working with award-winning composer, Kareem Roustom, on the soundtrack for writer/director Cherien Dabis' follow-up to Amreeka (winner of the FIPRESCI prize at Cannes 2009/nominated for 3 Spirit Awards), May In The Summer, which just won the 2011 Sundance NHK award. She is also writing music for Oscar-nominated writer/director Jose Rivera's (Motorcycle Diaries, On The Road) up-coming film, Celestina. Additionally, Karin is developing her EP, to record with producer Matt Boynton (Beirut, Bat for Lashes, MGMT) as well as writing her first album.
On top of all that, Karin is collaborating with Samantha Shay on We Think, a project that provides a platform for persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities through creative expression. Thematically derived from an original concept continually explored within Karin's music, her collaborator Samantha Shay spun her ideas into a unique theatrical performance that will lead the audience on a multi sensorial experience that progresses from separation to communion, from "I" to "we".
We Think is being developed in collaboration Best Buddies, a nonprofit organization dedicated to establishing a global volunteer movement that creates opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment and leadership development for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
