Ali Pirzad-Amoli ( fa, علی پیرزاد آملی; born 17 May 1988), better known by his stage name A-Lee (also sometimes stylized as A-LEE), is a Norwegian pop

recording artist A musician is a person who composes, conducts, or performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general term used to designate one who follows music as a profession. Musicians include songwriters who wri ...

, rapper, singer, songwriter and

executive producer Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the making of a commercial entertainment product. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights o ...

. A-Lee is the co-founder and CEO of his own record label EE Records and with

BMG Chrysalis Chrysalis Group was a UK media company that was founded by Chris Wright, chairman, and Terry Ellis. Wright was named in ''Sunday Times Rich List 2009'' of the 1,000 richest persons in the UK. Previously having interests in television, books an ...

as a songwriter. A-Lee is a multi-gold and platinum selling artist who released his debut album ''Missing'' in 2010 and his second album '' Forever Lost'' in 2012 which contains numerous chart topping songs. His singles "The One" and "World So Cold" reached respectively ''#7'' and ''#12'' at Norwegian Official Charts VG-Lista.
A-Lee was also certified the most-played Norwegian

artist An artist is a person engaged in an activity related to creating art, practicing the arts, or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse refers to a practitioner in the visual arts only. However, th ...

on radio in Norway in 2011 and his single "The One" was the most-played song on all

Norwegian radio There are many radio stations in Norway. For a more comprehensive list see List of Norwegian-language radio stations. Norway is in the process of transitioning all radio stations away from FM broadcasting to Digital Audio Broadcasting only. The cou ...

in 2011. In 2012, A-Lee performed his summer smash hit "Feelgood" at huge annual show

VG-Lista VG-lista is a Norwegian record chart. It is presented weekly in the newspaper '' VG''. It is considered the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from countries and continents around the world. The data are collected by Nie ...

Rådhusplassen Rådhusplassen ("The City Hall Square") is a square located between Oslo City Hall and the Oslofjord in Vika, Oslo, Norway. Previously used as a road and part of European route E18, it has since 1994 served as a recreational area. North of the squa ...

in Oslo where he attended for the third consecutive year after 2010 and 2011. During his career, A-Lee made many appearances on Norwegian TV ( MTV Norway, national channels

NRK NRK, an abbreviation of the Norwegian ''Norsk Rikskringkasting Aksjeselskap, AS'', generally expressed in English as the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation, is the Norwegian government-owned radio and television public broadcasting company, and ...

TV2 Channel 2 or TV 2 may refer to: Television networks, channels and stations *Channel 2 (Iran), operated by Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting *Channel 2 (Israel), a commercial television station *, entertainment and music television in Latvia * ...

The Voice TV The Voice TV is a network of music television channels owned by ProSiebenSat.1 Media (formally SBS Broadcasting Group). Previously broadcast in Finland (2004-2012), Denmark (2004-2012), Norway (2004-2012) and Sweden (2004-2008). In October 2006 th ...

), extensive Norwegian radio ( NRJ Radio, The Voice,

NRK P3 NRK P3 is a nationwide digital radio channel operated by the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK). It was established as NRK's third radio channel in 1993, and was the result of the NRK radio channel reform initiated in 1992 by radio dire ...

, NRK mP3, P4, P5, JRG Group). A-Lee performed more than 300 concerts, including as support for Tinie Tempah,

50 Cent Curtis James Jackson III (born July 6, 1975), known professionally as 50 Cent, is an American rapper, actor, and businessman. Born in the South Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, Jackson began pursuing a musical career in 2000, when he produced ...

Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. (born October 20, 1971), known professionally as Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg and briefly Snoop Lion), is an American rapper. His fame dates back to 1992 when he featured on Dr. Dre's debut solo single, " ...

Nas Nas (born 1973) is the stage name of American rapper Nasir Jones. Nas, NaS, or NAS may also refer to: Aviation * Nasair, a low-cost airline carrier and subsidiary based in Eritrea * National Air Services, an airline in Saudi Arabia ** Nas Air ( ...

Busta Rhymes Trevor George Smith Jr. (born May 20, 1972), known professionally as Busta Rhymes, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the moniker Busta Rhymes, after NFL and CFL wide receiver ...

, The Game and more...

Early life

A-Lee was born in

Gjøvik is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Toten. The administrative centre of the municipality is town of Gjøvik. Some of the villages in Gjøvik include Biri, Bybrua, and Hunndalen. The ...

, Norway, to

Iranian Iranian may refer to: * Iran, a sovereign state * Iranian peoples, the speakers of the Iranian languages. The term Iranic peoples is also used for this term to distinguish the pan ethnic term from Iranian, used for the people of Iran * Iranian lan ...

-born parents. When he was three years old, his parents divorced. At age of ten, he and his mother moved to

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...

, Norway then when he was thirteen years old, they moved to Los Angeles, California where A-Lee lived for almost 1 year. He then decided to move back to Oslo to live with his father and grew up in the borough

Årvoll Årvoll is a residential community situated in the Bjerke district of Oslo, Norway. It was here that anti-Nazi activists Viggo Hansteen and Rolf Wickstrøm – the first two Norwegians to be executed by the Nazis during the five-year German occ ...

, Bjerke. A-Lee grew up listening to

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

Eminem Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem (; often stylized as EMINƎM), is an American rapper and record producer. He is credited with popularizing hip hop in middle America and is critically acclai ...

Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one of ...

and

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...

and citing them as his biggest inspirations.

Music career

2005–2008: Early career

A-Lee started in the hip-hop/rap duo Cam'N A-Lee with rapper Cam'leon. In 2005, Cam'N A-Lee won the by:Larm's ''Audience Award'' and were nominated for ''Årets Urørt'' by

with the song "What Do You Mean" featuring Chicosepoy, a member of the Norwegian rap group

Karpe Diem Karpe (known as Karpe Diem in the period 2000–2018) is a rap group from Oslo, Norway made up of audiovisual artists Magdi Omar Ytreeide Abdelmaguid (b. 1984) and Chirag Rashmikant Patel (b. 1984). Biography Magdi Omar Ytreeide Abdelmaguid ...

. The duo Cam'N A-Lee disbanded in end 2006 after the release of their EP ''Schmokin' Skills''. In January 2007, A-Lee was signed by Norwegian hip hop producer

Tommy Tee Tommy Flåten (born 18 December 1971), best known by his stage name Tommy Tee, is a Norwegian record producer, rapper, broadcaster, record executive, concert promoter and magazine publisher. He is known as the godfather of Norwegian hip hop. Tee ...

on his label Tee Productions. A-Lee appeared on few

's releases but during 2008, A-Lee and Tommy Tee decided to go separate ways on good terms.

2008–2009: From demo to EE Records

In Summer 2008, after recording a first demo, A-Lee went to New York City to meet people from

music industry The music industry consists of the individuals and organizations that earn money by writing songs and musical compositions, creating and selling recorded music and sheet music, presenting concerts, as well as the organizations that aid, train, ...

working in labels such as

's Roc Nation,

Shady Records Shady Records is an American record label founded by rapper Eminem and his manager Paul Rosenberg, after the highly successful release of Eminem's ''The Slim Shady LP'' (1999). Shady has seen negative times when being part of the unsuccessful i ...

and Ryan Leslie's NextSelection Lifestyle Group. From this experience, A-Lee received positive feedbacks which motivated him to continue on his way. Back from New York City, A-Lee started working on new songs which he recorded between Norway and

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

. In fall 2009, A-Lee founded his own record label EE Records with his

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...

Shahrouz Ghafourian and released his first official single "Bump Off". He also collaborates with famous

multi-platinum Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...

duo Madcon on the single "Keep Talking". In December 2009, A-Lee signed a distribution deal with Scandinavian biggest

independent label An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels and artists are often represented ...

Bonnier Amigo Music Group Cosmos Music, formerly Bonnier Amigo Music Group (BAMG), is an independent record company based in Stockholm, Sweden. Bonnier Amigo Music Group was formed in 2001 when the record company and distributor Amigo Musik merged with the record company ...

(now known as

Cosmos Music Group Cosmos Music, formerly Bonnier Amigo Music Group (BAMG), is an independent record company based in Stockholm, Sweden. Bonnier Amigo Music Group was formed in 2001 in music, 2001 when the record company and distributor Amigo Musik merged with the ...

) to release his debut album ''Missing''.

2010–2011: Success and ''The One''

In May 2010, A-Lee released his breakthrough single "World So Cold" which sold ''

Platinum Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver". Platinu ...

'' in Norway and reached ''#12'' at Norwegian Official Charts VG-Lista. The single was the most played song on radio ''NRK mP3'' in 2010 and was also the 6th most played song on all

in 2010. In January 2011 A-Lee released the single "The One" which sold '' 2× Platinum'' in Norway and reached ''#7'' at Norwegian Official Charts VG-Lista. A-Lee was also certified the most-played Norwegian

on radio in Norway in 2011 and his single "The One" was the most-played song on all

in 2011 and ranked ''#2'' at the '' NRJ Radio Norway best song of 2011''. The song "The One" was also nominated for ''Best Norwegian Hit'' at NRJ Music Awards 2012.
Again in 2011, A-Lee released the singles "Hear The Crowd" (''

Gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...

'' in Norway, 7th most played song on all

in 2011) and " Before My Eyes" (''Gold'' in Norway). From all this success, British

music manager A talent manager (also known as an artist manager, band manager or music manager) is an individual who guides the professional career of entertainer, artists in the entertainment industry. The responsibility of the talent manager is to oversee t ...

and former CEO of RCA Label Group (UK) Craig Logan became interested by A-Lee and brought his music to RCA/

Sony Music UK Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainment ...

which proposed A-Lee a worldwide

record contract A recording contract (commonly called a record contract or record deal) is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist (or group), where the artist makes a record (or series of records) for the label to sell and promote. Artists ...

in August 2011. Unfortunately, due to the restructuring of

Sony Music Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainment ...

in September and October 2011, the contract could not be finalized.

2012: album ''Forever Lost''

In January 2012, A-Lee and his label EE Records signed a licensing deal with

and started working on his second album '' Forever Lost''. A-Lee also had two nominations at the NRJ Music Awards 2012: ''Best Norwegian Act'' and ''Best Norwegian Hit''. In May 2012, A-Lee released his summer smash hit "Feelgood" which went '' 4× Platinum'' in Norway. In June 2012, he was part of the ''VG-Lista Tour 2012'' where he performed his summer smash hit "Feelgood" in particular at the huge annual show

in Oslo where he attended for the third consecutive year after 2010 and 2011. "Feelgood" reached also ''#1'' for most played music video of

The Voice TV Norway The Voice TV was a Norwegian-language television channel operated by ProSiebenSat.1 Media AG that mostly broadcast music. It was launched in 2004, its sister channels in Sweden, Finland and Denmark launching the same year. In 2005, the channel inc ...

in 2012 and ''#3'' for most played song of The Voice radio Norway in 2012. In September 2012, A-Lee released his single "Over You" (''

'' in Norway) produced by Martin K (signed on StarRoc, the label owned by

and

Stargate ''Stargate'' (often stylized in all caps) is a military science fiction media franchise based on the Stargate (film), film directed by Roland Emmerich, which he co-wrote with producer Dean Devlin. The franchise is based on the idea of an alien E ...

). Famous Dutch model Sylvia Geersen who was the runner-up of Dutch reality television show

Holland's Next Top Model ''Holland's Next Top Model'' (often abbreviated as HNTM and previously subtitled ''Modelmasters: Holland's Next Top Model'' from 2006 to 2007, signifying the show's partnership with the agency) is a Dutch reality television series, produced by ...

is playing the main role in the "Over You" music video. "Over You" reached also ''#6'' for most played music video of

in 2012. In October 2012, A-Lee released his new album '' Forever Lost'', which is full of

hits Hits or H.I.T.S. may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * ''H.I.T.S.'', 1991 album by New Kids on the Block * ''...Hits'' (Phil Collins album), 1998 * ''Hits'' (compilation series), 1984–2006; 2014 - a British compilation album se ...

produced by Martin K (''

Jessie J Jessica Ellen Cornish (born 27 March 1988), known professionally as Jessie J, is an English singer. Born and raised in London, she began her career on stage, aged 11, with a role in the West End musical '' Whistle Down the Wind''. She studied ...

'', ''

Lionel Richie Lionel Brockman Richie Jr. (born June 20, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and television personality. He rose to fame in the 1970s as a songwriter and the co-lead singer of funk band the Commodores; writing and recordi ...

'', '' Sugababes''), Bernt Rune Stray (''

Rihanna Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, actress, and businesswoman. Born in Saint Michael and raised in Bridgetown, Barbados, Rihanna auditioned for American record producer Evan Rogers who invited her to the ...

'', '' Ne-Yo'', ''

Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer and actress. Nicknamed "The Voice", she is one of the bestselling music artists of all time, with sales of over 200 million records worldwide. Houston in ...

''), BPM ('' Sarah from X-Factor Denmark''), Thomas Eriksen (''

Aaliyah Aaliyah Dana Haughton (; January 16, 1979 – August 25, 2001) was an American singer and actress. She has been credited for helping to redefine contemporary R&B, pop and hip hop, earning her the nicknames the "Princess of R&B" and " ...

'', '' Franz Ferdinand'', ''

The Saturdays The Saturdays were a British-Irish girl group based in London, England. The group formed during the summer of 2007 and have been on hiatus since 2014. The lineup consists of Frankie Bridge, Una Healy, Rochelle Humes, Mollie King, and Vanessa Wh ...

''), Slipmats ('' Jennifer Hudson'') and Ground Rules. Following the '' Forever Lost'' release, A-Lee signed a worldwide publishing deal with the successful company

. A-Lee was also part of the TV show ''Cover Me'' broadcast in October 2012 on Norwegian television channel

. He performed "People Get Moving" a song he especially wrote for the TV show.

2013–present: ''Flashy'', ''New Day'' & ''Rainbow''

In January 2013, A-Lee is, for the second consecutive year, nominated 2 times for the NRJ Music Awards 2013 in the categories ''Best Norwegian Act'' and ''Best Norwegian Hit'' for his successful smash single "Feelgood". A-Lee attended the edition 2013 of

Midem Midem is the acronym for Marché International du Disque et de l'Édition Musicale, which is organised annually in and around the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès in Cannes, France. The trade show, organized by Reed MIDEM, a subsidiary of Re ...

which is held been annually in and around the

Palais des Festivals et des Congrès The Palais des Festivals et des Congrès (''Palace of Festivals and Conferences'') is a convention centre in Cannes, France, the venue for the Cannes Film Festival, the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity and the NRJ Music Award. Th ...

Cannes Cannes ( , , ; oc, Canas) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a communes of France, commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions I ...

, France. In August 2013, A-Lee released his new single "Flashy" featured by Swedish pop artist Eric Saade who also released the song on his album '' Forgive Me'' which reached ''#1'' at Swedish Official Charts

Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan (, lit. "the Sweden top list") is the Swedish national record chart, formerly known as Topplistan (1975–1997) and Hitlistan (1998–2007) and known by its current name since October 2007, based on sales data from the Swedish R ...

. In May 2014, A-Lee released the single "New Day" and its music video. In May 2015, A-Lee released his new single "Rainbow" and its music video.

Discography

Studio albums

Singles

Music videos

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* {{Official website, http://www.aleemusic.com Musicians from Gjøvik Norwegian male songwriters English-language singers from Norway Living people 1988 births Norwegian expatriates in the United States Norwegian people of Iranian descent 21st-century Norwegian songwriters 21st-century Norwegian male singers