Sebu Simonian (born October 15, 1978;[3]Armenian: Սեպուհ Սիմոնեան)[4] is an Armenian-American musician, singer, songwriter,[5] and record producer,[6] one-half of the Los Angeles-based indie pop duo Capital Cities.
Early life
Simonian was born in 1978 in Aleppo,[1]Syria to Armenian parents from Lebanon,[7][8][9] whose ancestors were survivors of the Armenian genocide.[1] His paternal grandfather was from the region of Cilicia (in present-day Turkey's Çukurova region).[1][10] Simonian's parents were from Beirut, Lebanon, but "because of a civil war [his] mum had to flee and [he] happened to be born in Syria."[11] Soon after his birth his family returned to Lebanon where they stayed until 1985[12] and moved to the United States due to the civil war there.[7]
Simonian started his first band when he was 15.[12] In 2004,[16] Simonian (as lead singer and keyboardist) and Ryan Welker, guitarist and backing vocals, formed the rock[17] band Aviatic.[5]
Simonian met Ryan Merchant in 2008 through Craigslist while searching for a job as a music producer.[18] Initially, they worked as jingle writers and wrote songs for other bands.[19] They formed the indie pop duo Capital Cities in 2010.[12] Simonian was featured on Brian Wilson's 2015 album No Pier Pressure, performing and producing the track "Runaway Dancer".[20] In 2017, Simonian was featured on Armenian singer Sirusho's single "Vuy Aman".[21]
Simonian wears a long beard, which has gained significant media attention.[22][23]Rolling Stone magazine named his beard the best at the 2014 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and described it as "luxuriant [and] Rasputin-like" and rabbi-like.[24] When asked why he doesn't shave, he responded "I'm just lazy" and added that he sees himself as "a little bit of" a hipster.
