Adrian Zagoritis | |
---|---|
Birth name | Adrian Dimitri Andrew Zagoritis |
Also known as | Adrian Zag |
Born | Nairobi, Kenya | 27 September 1968
Genres | Pop, Electro, Progressive house |
Occupation(s) | Songwriter, producer |
Instrument(s) | Drums, Keyboards, Vocals |
Years active | 2000 – present |
Labels | EMI, Universal, Sony BMG, Ministry of Sound, Mercury, Kontor, Spinnin' Records, Armada Music (as producer / songwriter) |
Adrian Dimitri Andrew Zagoritis [1] (born 27 September 1968) is a British songwriter and record producer, whose songs are published by Universal UK and EMI Germany. Primarily a pop dance writer working often with award-winning German electronica act York, he has also had success with Pop Idol and The X Factor winners and pop artists in Germany, Holland, Belgium, Spain, France, and Japan.
Adrian Zagoritis started life in Nairobi. Music took a back seat to sport at school in UK where he captained the Eton cricket 1st XI [2] and represented the Independent Schools Football Association (ISFA) XI as a goalkeeper against Arsenal, QPR and Chelsea youth sides in 1986.[ citation needed ]
Travelling from Kenya to the UK he worked with artists Sybil, Mel Gaynor from Simple Minds and Maxi Priest. Although writing and arranging several tracks for Mel Gaynor's band 'The Fusion Project' in 1997, the album was never released as Gaynor rejoined Simple Minds for a world tour instead. [3]
Zagoritis settled in the UK in the new millennium fully committed to a musical career. Collaborations with writers Geoffrey Williams, Rob Harris and Matt Johnson, both of Jamiroquai saw releases spawned with South African Popstars winners Jamali and Greek Popstars winners Hi-5. Hi-5 turned two Zagoritis singles 'M’ena Fili' and 'Gennithika Ksana' into Top 10 hits, the latter peaking at No. 5. Both albums achieved platinum status and Gennithika Ksana was nominated for an Arion award.
In 2004 Zagoritis began working with Torsten Stenzel, one half of the electronica act York whose second single, "On The Beach", which sampled Chris Rea's song of the same name, reached No. 4 in the UK Singles Chart in June 2000.
One of the first of many releases of this partnership was the club hit "Iceflowers" which was supported by Judge Jules and Paul van Dyk. Zagoritis and Stenzel wrote several tracks for the EMI-released York album Peace which also contained their often-remixed song "Mercury Rising".
In 2005, Dutch singer EliZe released his song "Automatic" which charted in the Top 10 in several countries. He also co-wrote a song following Liverpool F.C.'s penalty shootout win in the 2004–05 UEFA Champions League final, performed by The Trophy Boyz. [4]
Mainstream pop releases followed in 2006 with Holland's EMI act ROOOM charting with a Zagoritis/Geoffrey Williams single named "First Thing", reaching No. 33.
In 2007 Germany's Popstars winners No Angels, and DSDS (Germany's X-factor equivalent) runner-up Linda Teodosiu (Sony), also chose his songs: "The Rhythm Of My Heart" was included on the former's album called Destiny which reached No. 4 in the UK Albums Chart. [5]
Nightwish ex-lead singer Tarja Turunen included several Zag songs for her debut solo album My Winter Storm . Turunen had split acrimoniously from her band and her album contained many veiled references to these experiences, as well as a brooding darkness. Zagoritis's "Damned And Divine", "The Reign" and "Sunset" reflect this mood and demonstrated further ability away from mainstream pop or dance music. My Winter Storm took the No. 1 spot on the Finnish charts, and went platinum in Finland and double platinum in Russia, as well as reaching gold status in Germany, Hungary, and Switzerland. It reached No. 3 in Germany. In late 2007, Turunen was nominated for an Echo as best newcomer and an Emma for best Finnish artist.
On Turunen's next album, What Lies Beneath , a title track composed by Zagoritis, Stenzel and Heldmann, he contributed "Naiad" [6] which he also wrote with Tarja. The album reached No. 4 in Germany and charted in eight other countries.
As a melodician and lyricist his style naturally gravitates to pop music and so a return to such projects followed with several releases for Natalia, Idol star in Belgium. The Zagoritis song "Soul Divided" written with Madonna writer Greg Fitzgerald was released along with two other of his tunes on Natalia's 2009 album, Wise Girl . which reached No. 1 [7] for two weeks. The album achieved platinum status.
"Soul Divided" was also covered in Japanese by Avex-signed artist Mihiro in 2010, renamed "Weekend". [8]
Universal Germany artist Mihalis took eight Zagoritis lyrics for his album recorded in 2009, simply named Mihalis . Seven of the songs were translations of his past Greek hits. One original song, "Favourite Mistake", was written by Zagoritis and Grammy and Ivor Novello award-winner Rob Davis.
Progressive house projects continued in 2009 tracks with "Tears on My Skin", [9] also written with Davis and released on several albums including top-seller Dream Dance, and Free The Night signed by renowned A+R Eddie O' Loughlin to his Next Plateau label, distributed by Universal. Free The Night was well received[ by whom? ] but failed to chart.
Edurne the Spanish pop singer released "Tan Artificial" written by Zagoritis on Nueva Piel, a Sony BMG album that reached No. 16 [10] in March 2010.
Kate Ryan, Robbins Entertainment World Music Award winner releases her album, Electroshock in March 2012, the title track written by Zagoritis. It also contains his song "Walk to the Beat" penned with Jukka Immonen.
Zagoritis and Stenzel still work on songs for the latter's act York. "If Only I" was another collaboration which will also include featured vocals from Danish songstress Tanja Thulau from Danish electronica act Luke.
Armada Music, record label of DJ Armin van Buuren released Zag's co-written singles "Top of the Universe" and "Breaking The Rules" in 2013. Also in 2013 in the mainstream pop world Baptiste Giabiconi had a No.1 hit in France with the song "One Night In Paradise", co-written by Zagoritis and others. Giabiconi is a male model who had been discovered by Karl Lagerfeld.
In 2015, "Million Miles" co-written by Zagoritis and Funkstar De Luxe was released in January by Lifted House/CO2 Records and reached No. 8 in the British Dance Chart in April, spending 10 consecutive weeks in the Top 20. The song features vocals by Geoffrey Williams who wrote Michael Jackson's "Whatever Happens". Funkstar De Luxe is renowned for his hit single "'Sun Is Shining' (Bob Marley vs Funkstar De Luxe)" which reached No. 3 in the UK and No. 1 in the U.S Billboard chart.
In 2017, Zagoritis and Funkstar formed a new group 'Mr. Anderson', a retro 1980s funk/RnB act featuring Xantoné Blacq, keyboardist and vocalist from Amy Winehouse. The debut Mr. Anderson single "Cinderella" was released in early 2018. His collaboration with Funkstar De Luxe in the same year, Super Disco, reached no.5 in Switzerland.
2020 saw Adrian set up a fledgling Production Label, Hummingbird Music, with angel investor funding. Hummingbird's first signing was young British singer/songwriter Ladybyrd who quickly gained the attention of BBC Music Introducing with her unique brand of cinematic-inspired Indie pop naming her as “one of 2022’s outstanding newcomers”. Ladybyrd also appeared as 'Breaking Act' in the Sunday Times Culture magazine in 2023.
His songs have appeared in several films, including the 2009 film Fire starring Gary Dourdan, South Park the 2010 movie Burning Palms directed by Christopher Landon starring Rosamund Pike, and in the film Electric.
His song "Sleepwalking" was co-written by Rob Harris of Jamiroquai and appears in the 2014 US-released movie The Right Kind of Wrong
"Unbreakable", co-written with Geoffrey Williams features in a pivotal scene of the 2016 film Showing Roots, starring Elizabeth McGovern of Downton Abbey fame.
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008 Naughty – AfricanTwins (EMI/Offshore)
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
Releases shown with chart position/territory/certification (where applicable)
Year | Title | Chart Positions | Certification | |||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
GER | AUT | SWI | GR | NL | FI | PL | FR | JP | RU | HU | CZE | BE | IT | NO | UK | ES | ||
2003 | Hi-5 – M'ena Fili | 12 | Gold (GR) | |||||||||||||||
2003 | Hi-5 – A Night Like This | 3 | Gold (GR) | |||||||||||||||
2004 | Hi-5 – Born Again | 5 | Gold (GR) | |||||||||||||||
2005 | EliZe – Automatic | 63 | 7 | 11 | 15 | 67 | 18 | |||||||||||
2005 | Martina Balogova – Gonna Give You Something | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
2006 | ROOOM – First Thing | 33 | ||||||||||||||||
2007 | Cassis – Love Automatic | 51 | ||||||||||||||||
2007 | Tarja Turunen – My Winter Storm | 3 | 11 | 15 | 1 | 18 | 36 | Gold (GER, SWI, CZE, HU) Platinum (FI, RU) | ||||||||||
2007 | No Angels – Destiny | 4 | 14 | 22 | ||||||||||||||
2008 | Room 2012 – First Thing | 10 | 20 | 22 | ||||||||||||||
2009 | Natalia – Wise Girl | 1 | Platinum (BE) | |||||||||||||||
2010 | Edurne – Tan Artificial | 16 | ||||||||||||||||
2010 | Tarja Turunen – What Lies Beneath | 4 | 12 | 11 | 14 | 7 | 14 | 6 | 1 | |||||||||
2012 | Kate Ryan – Electroshock | 6 | ||||||||||||||||
2012 | Baptiste – One Night in Paradise | 1 | Platinum (FR) | |||||||||||||||
2013 | Sweetbox – So I'm Beautiful | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
2015 | Funkstar Deluxe – Million Miles | 11 | 29 | 8 | ||||||||||||||
2016 | York – Moving In The Shadows | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
2017 | Funkstar Deluxe – Super Disco | 5 |
Tarja Soile Susanna Turunen-Cabuli, known professionally as Tarja Turunen or simply Tarja, is a Finnish heavy metal singer, best known as the former lead vocalist of Nightwish.
Funkstar De Luxe is a Danish house producer and remixer. He is best known for his million-selling reworking of Bob Marley's "Sun Is Shining".
"Sun Is Shining" is a song by Jamaican reggae band Bob Marley & the Wailers, first appearing on the Lee Perry-produced album Soul Revolution Part II in 1971, and then on African Herbsman in 1973. Marley later re-recorded the song for his 1978 album Kaya. In 1999, a remix by "Bob Marley vs. Funkstar De Luxe" reached number one on the US Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart and number three on the UK Singles Chart.
Hi-5 was a Greek pop girl group formed in Athens in 2003 through the Greek version of the reality TV show Popstars. The group consisted of Marlain Angelides, Frosso Papacharalambous, Nancy Stergiopoulou, Irini Psixrami and Shaya. The band had a large fanbase in Greece and Cyprus. They disbanded in March 2005.
"Automatic (I'm Talking to You)" is a dance/pop song written by Torsten Stenzel & Adrian Zagoritis and recorded by the Dutch singer EliZe. She recorded the song in early 2005 and released it on March 7, 2005 as the second single from her debut album In Control, which was released in October 2006. The song was produced, mixed and arranged by Peter Hartmann and Jan Langhoff at the H&L Studio Copenhagen for TG Production Denmark. It was EliZe's second single to be given the title "Dancesmash" by Radio 538. It reached the top ten and peaked at number 7 in the Dutch Top 40. The song also charted in Bulgaria, Finland, Belgium, Germany and France.
York is a German electronic music duo, founded in 1997 by musicians and brothers Torsten and Jörg Stenzel. Producing ambient, downtempo, chillout, house and trance, their productions are known for catchy guitar hooks, atmospheric soundscapes and delicate dance textures.
Artemis Gounaki is a Greek-German singer, vocal coach, songwriter, composer, and arranger who has done much of her work in Greek. Gounaki's father was born on the Greek island of Crete.
My Winter Storm is the second solo album by Finnish singer Tarja Turunen, and the first to consist mainly of new and original songs specifically written by or for Turunen. The album was released by Universal Music on 19 November 2007 in Finland, on 2 January 2008 in South America and on February 26 in North America and in the United Kingdom was also released a special version limited in 300 copies.
Michelle Leonard is a German / British singer and songwriter, now based in Berlin. Leonard has written and co-written multiple songs, both singles and for albums, that have achieved gold and platinum status. Leonard is known internationally for her work with AURORA and Paul van Dyk, as well as for her collaboration with Robin Schulz. As a songwriter, Leonard is currently signed to Budde Music Publishing.
The discography of Finnish symphonic metal singer Tarja Turunen, consists of ten studio albums, one compilation album, six extended plays, eight live albums, eleven video albums, one box-set, fifty five singles and forty eight music videos.
What Lies Beneath is the third album by the Finnish singer Tarja Turunen, which was released on 1 September 2010 in Finland, on 3 September in Germany, Switzerland and Austria and on 14 September in Latin and North America. It is the first of Tarja's albums in which she is credited for composition on every track. The album was mixed at '62 Studios in Austin Texas by Tim Palmer.
Highest Hopes: The Best of Nightwish is the fourth compilation album by Finnish symphonic metal band Nightwish. Their first, Tales from the Elvenpath, was considered incomplete by many fans as it contains only tracks from Oceanborn, Over the Hills and Far Away, Wishmaster and Century Child, leaving out Angels Fall First. This compilation, though, contains songs from all previously released Nightwish albums, plus a live cover of Pink Floyd's "High Hopes".
"I Feel Immortal" is a song by Finnish singer-songwriter Tarja, featuring Canadian guitarist Jason Hook. It was written by Tarja, Toby Gad, Kerli Kõiv, and Lindy Robbins, and was produced by Tarja and "Mic". It was released as the second single from her second album What Lies Beneath on 27 August 2010.
Torsten Stenzel is a German music producer, composer and Honorary Consulate of Germany. Classically trained from an early age his roots are within the field of Electronic Dance Music. His interest for music first started at age five when he received piano lessons by academic piano teacher Andre Terebesi. He is the father of multi-platinum international recording artist Au/Ra.
Act I is the first live album released by the Finnish soprano Tarja Turunen. The two concerts were recorded and filmed with 10 HD cameras at the El Círculo Theatre in Rosario, Argentina, in March 2012, and released on CD, DVD and Blu-ray on 24 August 2012. Additionally, the Act I media book contains a live recording from Luna Park.
Tubular Beats is a remix album containing collaborations between Mike Oldfield and York, that was released on 1 February 2013. Unlike previous club mixes, the album is a true two-sided collaboration between Oldfield and Stenzel, making use of parts from the original multitrack tapes as well as new parts played by Oldfield. Tarja Turunen appears on the track "Never Too Far".
Colours in the Dark is the fourth studio album released by Finnish vocalist Tarja Turunen. The record was released on 30 August 2013, in Austria, Brazil, Finland, Germany, Portugal, Spain, and Switzerland; 2 September in Norway, Poland, and the Czech Republic; 3 September in the United States and Canada; and 4 September in Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the UK. Mixing was done by Tim Palmer in Austin, Texas in the United States. Tarja started the Colours in the Dark World Tour on 17 October 2013, to promote the album. The name of the album, as the cover image, came as a metaphor from the idea that life has a large range of colors and the dark absorbs all of them, containing every color.
The Shadow Self is the sixth studio album released by Finnish vocalist Tarja Turunen. The record was released on 5 August 2016. The record produced two singles.
The Brightest Void is the third EP by Finnish rock and metal soprano vocalist Tarja Turunen. It serves as a prequel to the main album The Shadow Self. It was released on the 3 June 2016 and contains 9 tracks.
From Spirits and Ghosts (Score for a Dark Christmas) is the second classical and Christmas album, and the seventh studio album released by the Finnish soprano Tarja Turunen. The music was arranged and orchestrated by Tarja's frequent collaborator Jim Dooley.