JINJ

French rap and Armenian folk may seem like opposites on the musical spectrum, but for JINJ duo Sevana Tchakerian and Gor Tadevosyan, JINJ is the natural reflection of fusing their dual identities.

JINJ was born out of the pair’s mission to harness music as a therapeutic medium to heal their shared homeland, fractured by war. Travelling across Armenia to lead workshops for refugees and soldiers, in the background Tchakerian and Tadevosyan got to work channeling trauma into a celebration of the resilience they saw radiating from their community. JINJ, meaning “serene” in Armenian, is a testament to that spirit as a guiding force in their music.

The collaboration offers <a href="spotify:artist:4PAo9f58mXna21YIJzPVTm" data-name="Sevana Tchak">Sevana Tchak</a>—a Paris-native vocalist and multi-instrumentalist known for her work with the alternative-folk band <a href="spotify:artist:5IopNiMINROAQ0eldP2AzW" data-name="Collectif Medz Bazar">Collectif Medz Bazar</a>—an avenue to combine incisive, hard-hitting lyrics with the melancholic, other-worldly tones traditional to her Armenian heritage. Her buoyant, boundless energy is tempered by guitarist and producer Gor, who grounds JINJ’s sound in a brooding undercurrent inherent to his upbringing in Vanadzor, the post-industrial creative capital of the Caucasus.

Sourcing inspiration from majestic green mountains to the pulsing beat of the city, from liturgical chants to underground rap, in a nonconventional mixture of 808s and shepherd&#39;s flutes, JINJ is the rhythmic manifestation of the diversity of the Armenian landscape and culture.