Introducing Ivan Ivanov

Ivan Ivanov - a young singer from BulgariaWatch Ivan Perform Live at JESC 2011

Ivan Ivanov – a talented young performer from Bulgaria

Because of the nature of the Internet, it may often seem that fame is reserved predominately for performers coming from an English speaking country. Yet, the world is filled with talented young performers, and following international youth singing competitions is one of the ways to discover them.

In 2011, a young singer from Bulgaria represented his country at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest in Yerevan, Armenia. Although his song, Superhero, did not make it to the final round, his energetic performance made an excellent impression on the millions of viewers across the European countries who watched the contest and later on the Internet. His name is Ivan Ivanov. But who is he?

Though twelve-years-old now, Ivan was only eleven when he competed in the Eurovision contest. He started singing six years ago with the vocal group “Patilanci” at the School of Arts at the Community Center “Progress 1869” in his birth city of Gorna in Oryahovitsa. A year later, he started a solo career and in the years to follow competed in numerous singing competitions across Bulgaria, Romania, Belarus and Germany. During The International Festival of Arts Slavianski Bazaar that took place in Vitebsk in Belarus, Ivan covered the song Zurbagan by Russian popular singer Vladimir Presnyakov from the Soviet teen movie Vyshe Radugi (Above the Rainbow), performing the entire song in flawless Russian.

Ivan Ivanov – Zurbagan

Ivan Ivanov ВИТЕБСК 2010 Ivan perform at The International Festival of Arts

Ivan Ivanov on stageThe song Superhero that Ivan competed with at the Junior Eurovision Song Contest, has an up-beating modern vibe. But Ivan’s real passion is rock music. His favorite performers are Adam Lambert, Bon Jovi, Vasil Naidenov and the groups: Scorpions and Queen. In 2011, at an international pop-rock fest at Dobritch in Bulgaria, Ivan covered Adam Lambert’s hit song Sleepwalker. He delivered the song in such a professional manner with a stage presence that emulated Adam Lambert’s gestures and moves in such detail, that the American singer discovered the performance (thanks to the army of fans that sent him the link), he sent a message to Ivan on Twitter that read:

“Yeah Ivan!!! You rock buddy!

The video quickly became popular among Adam Lambert fans, many of whom stated that they could have never imagined that someone as young as eleven could deliver such a poignant performance.

Ivan Ivanov covers Adam Lambert’s song Sleepwalker

International pop-rock fest at Dobritch, BulgariaIvan at International pop-rock fest at Dobritch, Bulgaria

Unfortunately, the Bulgarian inter-web lacks a centralized resource devoted to the young talents of Bulgaria and, as a result, obtaining information on them is not an easy task. The country hosts numerous talent competitions, but the lack of promotion and interest from the main stream media limits the exposure that the young participants in such competitions receive to the people in the local municipalities. That is why we would like to encourage you to share Ivan’s music as a help to him on his way to stardom.

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Guest article by George ( aka SkyKid ). An author at www.theskykid.com. A site that features  articles, previews and reviews of coming of age movies, books, short films and music with a focus on adolescent development.

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The Ones That Got Away!

THE ONE’s THAT GOT AWAY“!

fishing bgSome time ago I ran a series of short sidebar weekly articles entitled “The One That Got Away”. Due to the popularity of that series and a few request for repeats, I have decided to include them in this weeks special post.  I hope you enjoy this special publication which will now be archived for your convenience.

While this blog is dedicated to featuring unsigned artists we also like to keep you informed about the young artists/idols who have recently come to international fame. When a young artist explodes to stardom before I have an opportunity to introduce them, I sometimes almost feel cheated. What I mean is, youngsters like Greyson Chance who appeared on the Ellen show the very day that I wrote to him about a special article. Or Cody Simpson who exploded so fast that I could not have caught him on a skateboard. Of course while disappointed that I never had the opportunity to do a personal introductory feature article for these boys before the magic of fame called I am honored to support them in their continual successes.

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BEFORE THE BLOG:

When I think of treble singers my mind begins to run long before I started this blog! Young artists like Billy Gilman who captured the heart of America with his beautiful song “One Voice”. And of course Joseph McManners who sang like an angel and in fact still has a range that exceeds most singers abilities today at his age.

But the one I want to give tribute to today has matured well beyond the treble stage but still sings with such wonder that I just can’t help but be moved by the expression in his vocals. To say I am deeply moved would not be stretching the truth. This young man is none other than Declan Gelbraith! I first heard Declan singing his song “Tell Me Why” on the Des O’Connor talk show and he blew me away with his performance. He was backed up by a children’s choir and the song had such deep meaning that I had a hard time not becoming emotional. I am a person who enjoys music but music with a message like Declan’s song demonstrated that this young artist was not just a good singer he had something to say! Continue reading “The Ones That Got Away!”