| Darin | |
|---|---|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Darin Zanyar |
| Also known as | Darin |
| Born | June 2, 1987 Stockholm, Sweden |
| Genres | Pop |
| Occupations | Singer |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 2004–present |
| Labels | Sony Music (2004-2009) EMI Germany (2007-Present) Universal Music (2009-Present) |
| Associated acts | Kat DeLuna |
| Website | www.darin.nu |
Darin Zanyar (born June 2, 1987 in Stockholm, Sweden) more commonly known as Darin is a Swedish pop singer and songwriter of Kurdish descent and one of Sweden's best-selling artists, with numerous chart topping songs and music albums.[1]
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Darin born to Kurdish parents began singing at an early age, citing Michael Jackson as his biggest inspiration. On the DVD Tour Videos Interview, Darin is shown as a child dancing to Michael Jackson and singing "Eternal Flame" by The Bangles. He started writing and recording songs at the age of 14.
In spring of 2004, Darin auditioned for a place on the first series of Idol with "God Must Have Spent A Little More Time On You" by N*Sync, the four judges were very impressed and he passed through to the theatre round and then on to the semi-finals where he sang "Beautiful" by Christina Aguilera and received 78% of the public vote to get through to the live finals. He eventually came in second place, losing to Daniel Lindström.
Soon after the show Darin signed a record deal with BMG to release an album and in January 2005 Darin's debut single "Money For Nothing" was released gaining him his first number one single[2] and a platinum certification. On February 16, 2005 his debut commercial album The Anthem was released. The album enjoyed much success entering the Swedish Album Charts at number 1 and eventually being certified gold by the IFPI. Also in 2005, Darin released his second self-titled album Darin which became Darin's second chart topping album[3] and also the first to be released outside of Sweden, being released in Finland. This second album had greater success than The Anthem, being certified platinum by the IFPI. It was a different sound to Darin's debut album, he worked more with RedOne on this album, writing together the platinum selling and Darin's most successful single to date "Step Up", this single, when released in September 2005 spent a total of 26 weeks on the Swedish Singles Chart and was also the first single to be released in Finland.
In 2006 Darin staged a tour to support the release of his second album called Step Up To The Party Tour 2006 footage of which can be seen on Darin's first music DVD Tour Videos Interview which was released on October 25, 2006. Three singles were released from Darin, "Step Up", "Who's That Girl" and "Want Ya!" all becoming top 10 singles in Sweden and all 3 receiving a release in Finland.
In November 2006, Darin released his third album Break the News. The album went straight to number 1 on the Swedish Album Charts[4] and was certified gold in its first week of sales. This album produced four singles, two of which were digital only releases.
Darin did a short promotional tour in Sweden calling at 10 cities to promote the album, with small performances and signings from November 25 until December 16, 2006.[5] Also to promote the album, large billboard posters were placed around Swedish cities Stockholm, Göteborg and Malmö.[6] The album was supported by the "Pure Desire Tour" in 2007, which called at various cities in Sweden. Following his success in Sweden, Darin signed a new recording contract with EMI Germany to release singles in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. In August 2007, Darin's single "Insanity" was released in both Germany and Austria.
In 2008, Darin started work on his fourth album Flashback, working again with RedOne. The album was released on December 3, 2008 and charted at number 10 in Sweden, Darin's first album not to reach number 1 in the country. There were 5 singles from the album, 2 were physical releases, the number 1 gold selling single "Breathing Your Love" a duet with American singer Kat DeLuna and "What If", a song which was released in collaboration with "Friends", a Swedish anti-bullying charity. In October 2009 Darin performed a cover of Coldplay's "Viva la Vida" on Idol. The song was released as a digital only single in Sweden and reached number 1 on the charts and has since been certified gold.[7]
On 3 November 2009, it was announced that Darin would be participating in the Melodifestivalen 2010,[8][9] the Swedish show which determines the country's entry to the Eurovision Song Contest 2010 in Oslo, Norway. Darin entered with the mid-tempo ballad You're Out of My Life written by Tony Nilsson and Henrik Janson.[10] Darin performed 7th in Heat 3 of the contest and eventually progressed to the final.[11] Darin took part in the Melodifestivalen final on Saturday, March 13, 2010 at Globe Arena in Stockholm, he came an eventual 4th place with a total of 117 points receiving two sets of 12 points from the Greek and Russian juries.
On 1 June 2010 Universal Music Sweden announced that on August 18, 2010 Darin would soon be releasing his single "Lovekiller" and an as yet untitled fifth studio album, his first with Universal, and would feature the 2 singles Viva la Vida and You're Out of My Life.[12]
Darin began a 17 date Sommarturné (Summer Tour) of Sweden on June 4, 2010 starting in Karlshamn.[13]
The album Lovekiller was released on August 18, 2010 with a digital release two days earlier on August 16. The album includes all 4 singles releases prior to the album Viva la Vida, You're Out of My Life, "Can't Stop Love" and "Lovekiller". The album was certified gold the first week and was #1 on the Swedish album chart.
Zanyar also wrote the Idol 2011 winners song All This Way for eventual winner Amanda Fondell.
Darin has won several awards through his career, including:
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