Sayat Nova reaches three million U.S. viewers
Nune Yesayan’s music featured on “The Shield”
by Paul Chaderjian
May 19, 2007
On Tuesday, May 22, an estimated audience of at least three million Americans and an unknown number of viewers worldwide will hear Sayat Nova’s “Patkert Tamamov Kashats” on the FX channel’s hit police drama series “The Shield” starring Michael Chiklis. Bringing Sayat Nova alive for 21st-century audiences is Armenia’s modern-day minstrel, Nune Yesayan.
“This is the second time ‘The Shield’ uses Nune’s music,” says executive producer of Prime Entertainment Garbis Titizian. “‘Tamam Ashkhar,’ also from Sayat Nova, was used on June 8, 2004. That was episode 314 on season three, and this week’s show is number 517 in season six.”
The music-placement agency pitching Nune’s music to Hollywood is called NOMA Music. NOMA executive and former recording-industry insider Michael Wyner says Nune was referred to him when producers of “The Shield” were looking for Armenian music three years ago. When the producers called Wyner again, Nune was his first choice for the upcoming episode.
“I’m grateful to have this chance,” says Nune. “I am excited to think that people in faraway places, people who would not otherwise hear our traditional and folkloric Armenian music will now have a chance to hear Sayat Nova on TV.”
“The producers were looking for a song to be used at a cafe as a detective speaks with a business partner,” explains Wyner. “The producers and editors thought that Nune’s song was a good fit for the scene. The script called for Armenian music to go with the characters.”
Wyner says there will be a second episode of the show that will use Nune’s songs this season. “Like all of the bands and songwriters we represent,” says Wyner, “the production contacts us and provides us with details of what they are looking for, for a particular scene. We then forward along the appropriate music, based on what we think will work best.”
NOMA Music has been in the music-placement business for the past ten years, and Wyner says he has pitched Nune’s music to other productions as well, including oth- er television shows and motion pictures. Films and TV shows Wyner has provided music to in the past include “The Ghost Whisperer,”“Brothers and Sisters,” “Without a Trace,” and the cult films “Phat Girls” and “Dorm Daze.”
“The Shield,” says Wyner, is a huge hit with a “very dedicated viewership, which has grown over the years.” The series is also syndicated all over the world and can be watched in Great Britain, France, Ireland, South Africa, Sweden, Colombia, Finland, Hong Kong, Spain, Italy, Malaysia, Australia, Chile, and via satellite worldwide.
“I did not see the 2004 episode of the show with my music,” says Nune, “but when in my travels, people tell me they watched the show and loved it. They said they were surprised to hear a song they knew. It’s a small world, isn’t it, when you have Armenian characters and Armenian music on an American police show?”
“A lot of people in industry don’t touch international music,” says Wyner, “because they don’t under- stand it. We do and we like championing artists unknown to main- stream world audiences.” Wyner has 18 platinum records to his name for his work with artists like Sting, John Cougar, and the Go Gos.
connect:
nomamusic.com
nune.am
