Vahagn Stepanyan
Quick Facts
Biography
Vahagn Stepanyan is an Armenian music producer, music arranger, songwriter, film/TV composer, and musician whose genres have been classified as jazz, R&B, funk, fusion, pop, gospel, and film score music.His album, A New Chapter, charted at #5 on Billboard's Contemporary Jazz Charts and at #19 on Billboard's Jazz Charts. He has collaborated with Ricky Kej, Kitt Wakeley, Nathan East, Eric Marienthal, Henrik Linder, Mark Lettieri, Greg Howe, Dave Koz, Mark Lettieri, Arun Shenoy, and Adam Hawley, among others.
Career
Stepanyan is a classically trained keyboard player, songwriter, composer, arranger, and producer.He began playing piano when he was 10 years old and laterperformed in jazz clubs and wrote songs for Armenian artists.He relocated to Los Angeles to pursue a music career.His single, Motion, was nominated for a Hollywood Independent Music Award in the Jazz (Fusion/Bebop) category as well as being nominated for Musician of the Year by the Josie Music Awards.
Vahagn released his first album, Moonlight, in 2015, which received favorable reviews. His sophomore release, A New Chapter, charted at #5 on Billboard's Contemporary Jazz Charts and at #19 on Billboard's Jazz Charts and received favorable reviews. The album features Dave Koz and is co-produced by Stepanyan and Kitt Wakeley.
He composed and arranged the music for Armenian documentaries, The Glance of Ararat, and The Faces of War as well as providing additional engineering and keyboards on Kitt Wakeley's Grammy-winning album, An Adoption Story. He was featured on the single, Gravity, with The Groove Project, which includes musicians Arun Shenoy, Lonnie Park, and Matthew Shell, among others.
Stepanyan performed on the Hope Anthology Project, whose proceeds went to the GMA Foundation’s Disaster Assistance Fund, which financially aided musicians, stage Hands, and crew that were affected by COVID-19. The project featured Mary J. Blige, Maranda Curtis, Fred Hammond, and Percy Bady, among others. In 2023, he performed live at the NAMM Show.
Awards
Year | Nominated Work | Category | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
2023 | A New Chapter | Best Album/Best Instrumental Album | Global Music Awards | Won |
2023 | Motion | Jazz (Fusion/Bebop) | Hollywood Music in Media Awards | Won |
2023 | Vahagn Stepanyan | Musician of the Year (Piano/Keys) | Josie Music Awards | Nominated |
2022 | Motion | Best Jazz Song/Grand Prize | Akademia Awards | Won |
2021 | Motion | Silver Medal (Jazz Fusion) | Global Music Awards | Won |