Born Dan Sultanov, he grew up in the mix of two cultures, Russian and Azerbaijani, both strong, yet very different walks of life. Sultanov grew up in a very artistic family, which fueled his own artistic side. His grandfather is internationally known Azerbaijani painter and draughtsman, Tahir Salakhov, a leader in Russian art. Sultanov’s mother is a painter and dancer, and his father has been playing music all of his life. The singer was always With that in his blood, it was only natural that Sultanov himself would break out into the arts, and he chose to dive headfirst into music!
Check out more from Sultanov below!
Sultanov went to jazz music school, and studied the saxophone between the ages of seven and sixteen, but eventually gave it up. He also played guitar, and was even in a band during his time at the International Relations University, covering bands like Metallica and Suicidal Tendencies. However, after getting involved into advertising business after graduation, he realized he wanted to seriously pursue a musical career. “I understood that if I wouldn`t go into music seriously and professionally and devote myself to it, I would regret for the rest of my life,” Sultanov admitted. “I didn’t want to just be in a band playing covers in clubs. I wanted to do something serious with my music,” he said.
Sultanov actively sought producers overseas to work with and came across producer Andy Wright. “The process with Andy started with me playing him my first song now called "What lies beneath,” he said. “Then I showed him other melodies, [and] we together added onto them [and] worked on different musical arrangements,” he said of working with Andy. “We worked in a small room, playing different instruments, trying different tempos, rhythms, giving ideas. I was singing mostly all of the lead and backing vocals during this sketching.”
The result of their work is the singer’s debut self-titled album, Sultanov, which is on the way for listeners here in the U.S (Europe listeners can buy the album now on iTunes)! Of course the project reflects his Azerbaijani heritage, as well as his Russian life, plus American and English rock and pop--truly a multicultural project! Influenced by a wide variety of artists from Tchaikovsky and Beethoven to the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, and the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, Sultanov focuses on combining energy, romance, rhythm, and melody for his debut. “For me, melody is the key component to any song. So I’ve focused on this and worried less about what genre it fits into,” he said of the project. He’s been steadily working on it for the last four years, and the album is sure to showcase the singer’s great talent and creativity! Catch a sample below!
You can learn more about Sultanov on his official website, and connect with him on Facebook, VEVO, and Soundcloud!
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