Singer-songwriter Azniv Korkejian, known as Bedouine, has released her fourth album Neon Summer Skin, a deeply personal exploration of safety, displacement, and identity. The title track recreates a perfect childhood day at the pool, but Korkejian explains it is not mere nostalgia. 'I wanted to paint a picture of what it's like to feel safe,' she says. 'So much of the record is about not having the luxury to not consider your own safety. I think about this a lot when it comes to the children in Palestine and Lebanon.'
Roots and Displacement
Korkejian's family is Armenian, born in Syria, and lived in Saudi Arabia until 1995 when they moved to the US via the green card lottery. She recalls being angry about the move initially, but now recognizes the fortune of escaping the Syrian civil war. 'I don't know what would have happened to us,' she reflects. Her first Halloween in Massachusetts highlighted the culture shock: 'this sense that I could just continue walking forever, instead of the finite parameters of our gated community.'
Musical Evolution
After studying sound editing in Los Angeles, Korkejian taught herself guitar and began writing songs. Her early albums felt intimate, like confessions from an astute wallflower. Neon Summer Skin marks a shift toward a more polished 1970s soft pop sound, influenced by Carole King and Elton John. 'I wanted to sing with more emotional expression, more melodic movement, more crooning,' she says, aided by guests the Lemon Twigs and Jonathan Rado.
Themes of Loss and Love
The album was inspired by her parents' return to Saudi Arabia after retirement, only to move to Armenia due to citizenship restrictions and the Syrian war. 'Syria was not safe any more,' Korkejian notes. She wrote the desolate 'On My Own' on piano, calling it 'the thesis' for the album's themes. 'Canopies' tells the story of her grandmother placing her mother in an orphanage during the Armenian genocide to protect her from an abusive husband. 'It was done out of love, but trying to understand that as a kid was difficult for her,' Korkejian says.
To promote the album, Korkejian plans to exhibit her parents' old photos from Syria and Lebanon. 'People from the Middle East are often perceived as violent and horrible, and there's pity, too,' she says. 'I want to humanize them. In these photos from the 70s, my parents look stunning. They were so hip and so beautiful.'
Neon Summer Skin is out now via Thirty Tigers.
