Beneil Betyousef
Singer-songwriter, musician, and music producer, Beneil Betyousef was born on June 18th, 1990, in the city of Urmia, in the West Azerbaijan province of Iran. When he was only a toddler, he showed so much passion for music. He reminisces about being inspired by his father who played santoor and accordion, and his sister who played mandolin while he was growing up. When he was only six years old, he began playing the drums. After many serious lessons and relentless dedication, he eventually became a professional drummer. Music always remained his core passion throughout the years. At the age of twenty, he also learned how to play the acoustic guitar. Beneil is an Assyrian and is fluent in four languages: Aramaic (Assyrian), Farsi, Turkish, and English. As a result, he could write songs in all those languages. When he was about sixteen, he wrote some rap songs in Aramaic and Turkish which were published locally and became popular quickly. Later, after graduating from Architectural Engineering College, he decided to start his professional career as a singer. He studied solfège to upsurge his ear training and relative pitch. Due to some circumstances, he migrated from Iran to The United States in 2016, but his desire for music never stopped. Finally, in 2018, he officially published his first song, Mesle Baroon, meaning “Like Rain,” which was written in Farsi, and was a huge hit! To expand his career in music, he collaborated with well-known artists and musicians such as Hamed Baradaran, Maryam Asadi, Milad Baran, Ali Ilia, Milad Babaei and Arash Azad. His music producer is Amin Bamshad. Some of his famous releases are: Dordoone Jan, Chand Chand, Hamechi Tamoomi, Lebbi Shmedlakh (Assyrian) Medre Bayenakh (Assyrian) and Doost Dashtani. Beneil continues to write new songs. He is currently residing in Bay Area.
Evin
Agassi
I started to sing when I was a kid at school. In my teens, I trained at the Iranian National Radio and Television Station in the music department. I started with Assyrian songs, thereafter, Persian songs. I started working with many famous Iranian poets and composers, and produced many popular songs, which were broadcasted on the radio and TV stations, many of them reaching the top ten records of the time.
In 1976, I was invited to the United States for some concerts in California and Chicago, which were very successful. Going back to Iran, I produced many new songs based upon my nice experience in the United States. I produced some social political songs, forgetting the censorship in Iran. These songs, which reflected mostly about the humanities, equality, and freedom, were collected by the government and banned. In such an atmosphere, I decided to move to a democratic country as the Untied States, where my dreams of social and political freedom became a reality. But this reality was not favored by Middle Eastern governments, such as Iraq...where my songs were banned and my name was put on the black list of Saddam Hussein. That government did not like my songs that awoke the Assyrians (my people) of Iraq, to wanting peace, freedom, equality, justice, and human rights. Because Iraq is a created country which came into being after World War I, in actuality, the whole country is ancient Assyria and Babylon.
From 1980 and onward, I sang more than two hundred songs which were accepted with enthusiasm by all the Assyrians around the world. The message of my songs ignited the spark among the Assyrians' patriotism in Iraq, where thy established the most powerful Democratic Party, which is known as Zowwa, "Assyrian Democratic Movement". The said party invited me to perform a concert in the no-fly zone of Iraq, my trip to that land which was under the supervision of the allied forces was a historical one, which prompted the Iraqi government to create a blackout in Northern Iraq, and sent there hit-men (assassins) for an attempt on my life. Fortunately, with the help of the guardsmen, I came to safety, although I am an American citizen, and an Iranian Assyrian, still the Iraqi government tried to bribe me into participating in concert in Baghdad. I received an invitation from the Minister of Culture, but declined the invitation. The second time they invited me was with a proposal for a tremendous dollar value, but again, I rejected the invitation. Thereafter, the government of Iraq collapsed in 2004.
During my long career as a performer, I have gained tremendous experience of the Assyrians all over the world, and once I was even called the visiting Ambassador of Assyrian. Throughout my career, I have traveled millions of miles around the world. Such as Europe, including England, Germany, France, Austria, Australia, Holland, Russia, Syria, Iran, North of Iraq, and not to mention all over the U.S.A. and Canada. Most of the adults of today were raised with my songs, and my songs have become a heritage for them. Every Assyrian, young and old, looks up to my music for its lyrics and music. I have raised hundreds of thousand of dollars for the churches and the welfare organizations all around the world helping our Assyrian people. I have to remind that out of my five hundred songs, most are romantic. They also vary from "Pop", to happy, to dance songs.
In my present career, I am performing mostly for the young generation so our young generation can grow up to my music, but with the same lyrical value there parents grew up to and know. I have just completed my fortieth album, which consists of sixteen songs, from social, to happy, to romantic.
Ashur
Bet Sargis
Ashur bet Sargis was born on the 2nd of July 1949 in Iraq and lived in Baghdad until he emigrated to the United States in 1969.
The young Ashur got his first real contact with music in 1960 he used to sing western songs, later he joined the Assyrian Youth Group in Baghdad called, "Chalish", he joined the youth church’s band when their Organ player didn’t return from a trip to the US. Ashur took his place and became the band’s Organ player and sometimes the singer too.
With the support of his family and friends Ashur became a well-known musician and singer. Ashur sung some of his own songs, and performed in many occasions.
His next move was when he got chosen as a member of another band in Bagdad called "Ankido", he was their keyboards player and also sometimes as their Guitar player.
His interest in music effected his school study, and led him to leave school, Ashur left the homeland before he got to serve his military service. After one year staying in Lebanon he arrived in USA.
In his first year of arriving in the states in 1970 Ashur begun to sing again and met in this time with the known composer and writer the late rabi William Daniel. Ashur was strongly affected by the works of this legend.
In 1971 Ashur Bet-Sargis established his own music band, the "East Bird Band" and released immediately after that his first album with songs like "Beth-Nahrain Atrewat" and "Tanili Ly Ly".
The very first Assyrian secular LP (Long Play) was release by Ashur Bet Sargis titled Ashur Sings for ancient Assyria in 1975 (Vol.2).
Among the early songs that Ashur sung were songs like "Rush Jwanqa – written by Fraydon Aturaya" and "Tanili Lay Lay" which rank today among his classic pieces.
In the course of the years he performed in numerous events and became known in such a way that he was invited as a first Assyrian singer outside of the USA to Australia in 1975. Next he visited Iran for two weeks, where he also performed to packed audience.
After releasing further albums Ashur decided in 1984 to stop his music career and to concentrate on his family life. In 1988 he was invited again to present eight parties in Australia. These were as all his previous performances in the past, a full success.
After these parties he was inspired to work and release his album "Pokha D-Sitwa" in 1990. This album exceeded all other albums before it, with new songs like "Hala Lit" and "Sara d-Matan".
A dream fulfilled for Ashur Bet-Sargis in 1997 when he travelled for two weeks into north Iraq. In five concerts thousands of fans came to hear and see Ashur Bet-Sargis. This attendance impressed him and affected his upcoming works at the same time.
Ashur Bet-Sargis is considered to be politically, very active. Thus he supports the goals of the Assyrian democratic movement (Zowaa). His support extends from the many free concerts that he gives to also include participating at demonstrations, in order to fight for the rights of the Assyrians in their homeland Iraq.
As one of his fans wrote "I have always thought of Ashur Bet Sargis as the greatest Assyrian lyricist of our time, he uses simple easily understood language to present deep and complicated ideas, and such imagery that leaves the listener feeling he/she were in a major art exhibition contemplating world’s best masterpiece paintings. He really is Ahmed Rami of the Assyrians".
Ashur hasn’t only written lyrics and composed music for himself, but also has written lyrics to almost 12 other Assyrian singers, like Charles Tooma, Juliana Jendo, Ogin Bet-Samo and Janan Sawa.
Nicknamed "Prince of Romance" by his fans, he remains one of the pillars of modern Assyrian Music, and his fans wait for his new releases with passion. He works so hard and put tremendous effort in producing albums worthy of his art, talent and fans.
Juliana
Jendo
Born in 1952 in Tel Tamer, Syria, she studied French literature at a university there. In 1980, she and her family immigrated to the United States. She currently resides in Royal Oak, Michigan. Furthermore, she is on honorary chairwoman of the organization Nasraya Ad Dema that she founded.