She’s the American-born singer with deep and ever-lasting roots in Armenia. And with the release of her “Noubari Boye” lyric video, Tamar Kaprelian is once again proving that those roots give fruit — and rather delicious fruit at that.

Among the most well-known of all Armenian folk songs, “Noubari Boye” translates as “Noubar’s height” — and that’s because the singer is meant to know everything about her mister.

“Noubar is the name of the lover that the beloved is singing about,” Tamar tells wiwibloggs in an exclusive interview. “And the lyrics describe his features — his height, his eyes and his eyebrows.”

“Noubari Boye” lyric video

Tamar knows a thing or two about love. One year ago she married her long-term partner Chris Stang at a stunning ceremony in Honfleur, in northern France’s storied region of Normandy.

Her Armenian heritage is central to who she is, and, as she told Vogue, she made sure that came through at her wedding, even as if was held en France: “We flew an incredible Bishop in from Armenia, Bishop Bagrat Galstanyan, who really made our ceremony special with his warmth and humor.”

That background may explain why Tamar seems so at ease singing this Armenian love song — even if it was quite a daunting proposition.

“Covering a classic song is always intimidating as the artist reinterpreting the material,” she tells us. “I have to ask myself — what can I bring to the song that is fresh? How can I modernize something while still keeping the essence of what people love?”

The answer stems partly from patience and getting into the groove without straining.

“DerHova  — my collaborator and producer — chose a song that had not been covered recently or frequently. And we took our time with the production, the mixing, the vocals. We wanted to make sure that it was done right.”

“This song is important because it is the first Armenian song that I released solo and so the stakes were high.”

“That said, the feedback has been very positive! People seem to be relating to our version and that has made me happy.”

Tamar, the winner of Eurovision’s Next Top Model 2015, has already shot the music video, which she’s teased with stunning images and videos on Instagram.

And while you’ll have to wait just a little bit longer for the video, Tamar gave us a taste of what you can expect.

?: @sevak.soghomonyan

A post shared by Tamar Kaprelian (@tamarkaprelian) on

“Prior to going to Armenia this last time, I spent 10 days in Israel,” she says. “And when I arrived to Armenia, I was inspired and affected by my time spent in that country so that for this video and photoshoot, I wanted to do something different — I wanted to assume a character — a gypsy-esque wanderer looking for her lover in the desert.”

It may be hot in the desert, but Tamar is definitely turning up the heat. As you can see in the shot above, she found her light and worked her angles with aplomb. Wearing minimal make-up, she let her natural beauty shine — like a flair shooting up into the sky and over the sand dunes. Noubari may be lost, but surely Tamar can lead him home.

Are you excited to see Tamar’s forthcoming music video? And what do you think of her voice on this tune? Would you like to see Tamar return to Eurovision as a solo act? Let us know in the comments box below.

Read more Armenia Eurovision news

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Richardinho
Richardinho
6 years ago

Not sure about this song, but she does look amazing.

Kristofer
Kristofer
6 years ago

I think she’s a good option for ESC2018 with a good song. Armenia has had a streak of boring non memorable songs for years now.

Rashad
Rashad
6 years ago

It’s weird. Nubar is also a female name in Azerbaijan and it means seasonal fruit gain in Azeri. And boy also means height. So the name of the song would be Nübar?n boyu in Azeri.

Btw, she is irrelevant to Eurovision. I don’t know why they would post about her.

Arthur
Arthur
6 years ago
Reply to  Rashad

Nubar is a typical Armenian name, most probably adopted by the azeris.

She’s taken part in Eurovision before part of the Geneology group representing Armenia, so obviously she is relevant.

Karap
Karap
6 years ago
Reply to  Rashad

Nubar is a pure Armenian word. “Nu” mentioned in the most ancient Armenian (grabar) texts and means “new”, btw it’s an indo-european root. “Bar” is also a pure Armenian root meaning fruit. Nu-bar = new fruit of the season. Too many Armenian words have been borrowed by Turks, let alone songs and Armenian culture overall.

I freakin' mean it
I freakin' mean it
6 years ago

thieves

Jason
Jason
6 years ago

huh?

Kristofer
Kristofer
6 years ago

Tamar is a great option to represent at ESC2018. Armenias had too many boring songs for the past few years and I’m sure Derhova would do a great job breaking that record of non memorable songs Armenia keeps sending to ESC.

Ron
Ron
6 years ago

You guys should also do a review of Sirusho’s new single “Huh-hah” that just came out yesterday. Personally, I think it’s her best work since Pregomesh almost 5 years ago. Absolutely, love the traditional attire and feel of the song

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7wTDIcWqzM