| Alanas Chošnau | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Alanas Ibrahimas Chošnau |
| Born | July 11, 1974 Vilnius, Lithuanian SSR, Soviet Union |
| Origin | Lithuanian |
| Genres | Pop |
| Occupations | Singer, songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1992–present |
| Labels | Monaco Production, Melodija |
| Associated acts | Naktinės personos |
| Website | http://www.alanaschosnau.lt/ |
Alanas Ibrahimas Chošnau (born July 11, 1974 in Vilnius, Lithuanian SSR, Soviet Union) is a Lithuanian singer and songwriter of Kurdish origin. He was a member of the former music group Naktinės personos. In 2003 and 2005 he won the Radiocentras Award as Male Performer of the Year.[1][2] In 2008, Chošnau was the second most played solo artists of Lithuania.[3]
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Chošnau was born to a Lithuanian mother and Kurdish father in Vilnius, Lithuania. The family lived in Baghdad, Iraq until Chošnau's mother died in 1983.[4] He then returned to Lithuania and was raised by his grandparents.[4] Thus he grew up speaking the Arabic language and learned the Lithuanian language only later.[5] The family was separated by the wars. In 1992, he created the pop music group Naktinės personos along with Aras Vėberis. In 1997, while on a tour across Lithuania, Chošnau crashed his car and severely injured his neck paralyzing his legs.[6] He spent several months in a hospital, but fully recovered and returned to music. Naktinės personos disbanded in 2001 and Chošnau continued his career as a solo artist.
In 2003, he released his debut solo album Pusiau atmerktos akys, which sold more than 10,000 copies in three months and was certified gold,[7] followed by Mintimis su tavimi, which was also certified gold.[8] The same year Chošnau was nominated for the Bravo Award as male Singer of the Year.[9] With song Light Up The World, he came second in the national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest 2005.[10] Along with Delfinai and SKAMP, Chošnau warmed up a free concert by The Black Eyed Peas in Vingis Park sponsored by mobile operator Tele2 on May 30, 2005.[11][12] In the Eurovision selection for 2007 and 2008, he was a member of the jury.[13][14]
Chošnau often participates in various reality shows. In 2002 he participated in reality show Akvariumas-2, where celebrity contestants lived in a glass house built near the popular shopping mall Akropolis in Vilnius.[15] Other reality shows included Džiunglės on TV3 (survival competition in Malaysian jungles)[16] in 2004, Šok su žvaigžde! (Lithuanian installment of Dancing with the Stars) in 2007,[17] and Žvaigždžių duetai on LNK (singing competition of celebrity duos) in 2008.[18] His song Kur gimsta lašai, released in the third solo album, became the theme song of Džiunglės.[19] In 2008, Chošnau played himself in Lithuanian comedy film 5 dienų avantiūra.[20]