Armenia Playlist

Yerevan pop is loud and confident right now. The scene grew out of the restaurants, pubs and clubs that multiplied in the city from the 2000s, which gave live and pop music more rooms to play, and the internet let artists release music without waiting for a label. From around 2006 the sound turned European: tighter production, more synthesizers in the studio, and a finish that now sits comfortably next to anything from the continent. On City Day, a pop stage at Charles Aznavour Square ran through the afternoon with Aram MP3 among the acts, while an electronic stage by the singing fountains at Republic Square kept going into the night. One weekend, two floors, and something for every kind of dancer.

On the WorldWidePop playlist, October brought eight new additions, and seven of them are throwbacks, songs that have sat on YouTube for years. Sofi Mkheyan appears twice, with "Hamadzayn Em" and "Tesilq," and Iveta Mukuchyan returns with "Hayastan Jan." Srbuk's "Yete Karogh Es" and Gaby Galoyan's live "Piti gnanq" sit alongside Karen Sevak's band project. The one fresh upload is a 2026 video from LADANIVA, a newer name that sits among the older catalogue without swamping it. The effect is a playlist that reads as a timeline of the scene, not just its latest single.

Commenters are writing in from Greece, France and Serbia, which suggests the sound travels further than the city it comes from. For what comes next, watch EQUINOX, an electronic and live fusion festival at the Altezza helipad this month, and Iveta Mukuchyan's show at Souly Music Hall in Yerevan. Sofi Mkheyan's "Sern E Angin" video is also now listed on Merojax.