WAR CHILD:

LEBANESE BORN POP SINGER EMO DAGGER SET TO PERFORM AT USC'S BOVARD AUDITORIUM SEPTEMBER 9 TO RAISE MONEY FOR UNICEF & CHILDREN SUFFERING IN MIDEAST CONFLICT

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Dagger, Whose Own Family Escaped The Lebanese Civil War When He Was 7 Years Old, Joins Singers By Posting Links For Donations to UNICEF in Blogs and on MySpace.com

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With his up-coming Fall  2006 independent debut release of So This Is…Me and a popular NYC dance remix of its first single “Mystic Girl,” cutting edge Lebanese born pop singer Emo Dagger has been caught up in an exciting media whirlwind—including rave reviews from Music Connection Magazine , mentions in the Los Angeles Times Buzz Clubs column and appearances on TV news morning shows and radio programs.

Yet, having lived part of his own youth in war-torn Lebanon , the multi-talented performer is most excited about putting his rising celebrity to work as a vehicle to promote peace and help the world's children any way he can. Dagger (his real name) is set to perform on Saturday, September 9  at Bovard Auditorium at USC to raise money for children affected by the current conflict in the Middle East with proceeds going to U.S. Fund for UNICEF (The United Nations Children's Fund www.unicefusa.org ). The Los Angeles based singer is lending his musical talent for this important cause in remembrance of his own traumatic experiences as a child escaping the Lebanese Civil War in 1990. Dagger and his family made a dramatic escape by boat while being fired upon by missiles and machine gunfire. He remembers that even the smallest conveniences, such as food, water or a warm blanket, were non-existent and left him with feelings of hopelessness. “When I first came to the United States , even a slight thunderstorm would trigger flashbacks to the sounds of war, which meant hours of advancing tanks and bombs exploding not far from where we were,” he says.

“One of the reasons I have decided to have UNICEF be the beneficiary of the funds raised, is because the organiztion helps aid and protect kids all over the world who were going through struggles similar to what I went through,” Dagger adds. “Ever since I was a kid dreaming of being a professional singer, I wanted to use my voice to help kids in any way I could. I feel like I'm living that dream by doing performances to help innocent children caught in the middle of the Mid East conflict. I was hoping for an opportunity to give back, I just didn't realize it would be this soon. Surviving that difficult time made me even more determined to create music that makes people feel good.”

Dagger believes that the humanitarian work of UNICEF is a uniting force of good that transcends the politics of any political conflict. He will join other singers by posting links for donations to UNICEF in blogs and on MySpace.com fansites for children in need. Founded in 1946, UNICEF helps save, protect and improve the lives of children in 156 countries and territories through immunization, education, health care, nutrition, clean water and sanitation. UNICEF is non-partisan and its cooperation is free of discrimination. In everything it does, the most disadvantaged children and the countries in greatest need have priority. For more information about UNICEF or to make a donation, please call 1.800.4UNICEF.

DATE: Saturday, September 9th

DOORS: 7:00PM

SHOW TIME: 8:00 PM

ALSO PERFORMING:
Yuri Mrakadi

VENUE:
Bovard Auditorium
University of Southern California
3551 Trousdale Parkway
Los Angeles, CA 90089

Los Angeles contact for UNICEF:
Anne Kelly
Director
Southern CA Chapter
U. S. Fund for UNICEF
10351 Santa Monica Blvd.  Suite 420
Los Angeles, CA  90025
310-277-7608
akelly@unicefusa.org

 

 

 

THE CUTTING EDGE OF POP: EMO DAGGER GETS READY TO LIGHT UP THE DANCE FLOOR WITH A TOUCH OF EXOTICA ON “MYSTIC GIRL,” THE FIRST RELEASE FROM HIS DEBUT ‘ SO THIS IS…ME '

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Charismatic Lebanese Born, Multi-Ethnic 22-Year-Old Singer Wrote, Arranged and Produced The Multi-Faceted Album, Which Taps Into His Many Musical Loves: R&B, Pop, Rock And His Native Middle Eastern Vibe

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In Addition To Performing Regularly at L.A. Hotspots Like The Viper Room, Aura Club And The Mint,

Dagger Has A lso Performed at the L.A. Marathon 5K Run/Walk and Has Inspired K-12 Students At A Prestigious Beverly Hills School With Performances Of His Autobiographical Anthem “Just Believe”

 

 

Considering Emo Dagger's incredible life and career journey, it's no surprise that “So This Is…Me” and “Just Believe,” the first two tracks from the powerful and compelling independent debut from the multi-talented, multi-ethnic musical force of nature, are pure pop inspiration. Reflecting the ongoing realization of his own dreams, the hypnotic minute long opening cut tells listeners to “stay focused and believe,” while the soulful mid-tempo track “Just Believe” is destined to become a self-esteem, pursue your goals anthem for the ages.

The stylish and charismatic 22-year-old singer, who wrote, produced and arranged every track on So This Is…Me , is already making a powerful impact in his adopted hometown of Los Angeles . Besides performing regularly with his own band over the past year at hotspots like The Viper Room, Aura Club, The Ivar and The Mint, he's sung numerous times for kids from K-12 at Good Shepherd Catholic School in Beverly Hills .

“The teachers who heard my music really liked the positivity that I convey,” says Dagger. “It's been a tremendous privilege to sing for these kids and through music to inspire them to do what they want to do in their lives.”

Now, Dagger is about to go national. A dance remix of “Mystic Girl,” another key track from the collection, is being supervised by go-to Dance Promo man Brad Lebeau and will soon ship to dance clubs around the U.S. Once the buzz gets going in the dance market with the song—which blends soaring vocals, a thumping groove and exotic Middle Eastern touches which pay homage to Dagger's half Lebanese, half Armenian heritage—the promotional focus will expand to include Top 40 radio.

“The song has a quick dance beat, a bit less urban than a lot of songs on the album but which totally evokes images of Middle Eastern belly dancing,” says Dagger. “Just as the title indicates, I really wanted this album to introduce the many sides of my personality…sensitive, strong and independent. And stylistically, I began choosing the final tracks from about 45 songs I had written, making sure I didn't do just one thing. A lot of first albums have every song sound the same, and that means only one aspect of the artist is on display. I wanted to be upfront with many different layers, pop, rock, R&B, Middle Eastern music, so that I have many options as to my future artistic direction. The main thread is that the lyrics reflect everything I have gone through as a person.”

True to that statement, Dagger engages in some intriguing moodswings and storytelling from track to track. After opening with those big bang inspirational cuts, he digs into heavy emotional territory with songs every young heart can relate to, “Mistake” and “Lost,” before deciding to break the “Chains” and push the negative feelings aside and get ready to fly again.

The singer also put two other key tracks, “So Amazing” and “Key To My Heart,” on his myspace.com page around Christmas 2005, and the hits have gone through the roof—with 15,000 friends and listeners and counting.

As Dagger's “Just Believe” captures people's hearts on its way to becoming the worldwide inspirational hit it is destined to be, there is no doubt that millions of fans will also be inspired by the personal story of the singer's life. At 18, leaving a comfortable home life and dropping out of Indiana University after only a year, he dared to follow his dream from small town Indiana to Los Angeles . A friend in L.A. gave his home demo of some church songs he had recorded to several producer friends, and that was enough to get Dagger into the studio with some well known names.

Sounds easy, right? But no dream with true vision comes true without a few detours along the way. “It was very flattering to have the opportunity to work with great engineers and producers,” he says, “but something about what they were doing just didn't feel right. They were trying to pull me in a direction that I didn't feel expressed the full me, the real me. I think they were just trying to shape me into an artist doing what was hot at the time. But I knew all along I was about more than one type of style…that I could cross over from pop to R&B, even jazz and blues. I hadn't thought about being an arranger/producer before, but I started e xperimenting in the studio and took the journal of thoughts about my experiences in L.A, added some melodies, and decided to start creating a project where I could do it all: write, arrange, produce and sing on the record.”

For Dagger and his family (including his parents and 18 year old brother) there is an even deeper level to the concept of believing in dreams—their journey reflects the true American Dream of any immigrant who has escaped trying circumstances or war in their troubled homeland. The Daggers migrated from their home of Beirut , Lebanon during the Lebanese Civil War in the late 1980s, settling in Arcadia , Indiana , where Dagger's aunt already lived.

The family became Americanized very quickly, and the singer—who claims he was singing before he was talking--recalls his parents exposing him to great classic artists like Donny Hathaway, Stevie Wonder and The Bee Gees. During his high school years, he performed in close to 15 productions both at school and at a local professional theatre. His parents at first wanted him to complete his studies at IU, but they understood the power of a dream and the drive to achieve it, and eventually approved of his move to California .

“I came to the U.S. when I was very young, but I know that back home in Lebanon, the opportunities to dream, and the prospects of succeeding in what you love are very slim,” he says. “My parents found the courage to leave, and I remember how being free to live as we wanted and to pursue the dreams we had was the best feeling in the world. It's something I have never taken for granted. That's probably why my music was always so important to me. When I was young, using my imagination, singing songs, was sometimes the only thing that got me through the hard times. I am grateful now for all the amazing opportunities that are presenting themselves. To go the distance, all I have to do now is believe.”